Office of the Ombudsman, Samoa‘s National Human Rights Institution
Submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child – September 2015
Table of Contents
1
Introduction .............................................................................................................. 4
2
National Developments ........................................................................................... 4
3
Understanding human rights in Samoa ................................................................. 5
4
Definition of the child .............................................................................................. 7
5
Data collection ......................................................................................................... 9
6
General principles ................................................................................................... 9
6.1
6.2
7
Non-discrimination and best interests of the child ................................. 9
Respect for the views of the child .......................................................... 11
Education ................................................................................................................11
7.1
8
Children with disabilities - Education ..................................................... 13
Family planning and sexuality education for children and youth .......................15
8.1
8.2
8.3
8.4
9
Comprehensive sexuality education ...................................................... 15
Access to contraception .......................................................................... 16
Teenage pregnancy.................................................................................. 17
Abortion .................................................................................................... 18
Child abuse .............................................................................................................19
9.1
9.2
9.3
Corporal punishment within the family and village............................... 19
Child abuse, including sexual abuse and incest ................................... 21
Abuse within schools .............................................................................. 24
10
Economic exploitation............................................................................................25
11
Juvenile justice .......................................................................................................26
11.1
11.2
11.3
11.4
11.5
3
Classification of juveniles in detention .................................................. 28
Hygiene and good health ......................................................................... 29
Labour ....................................................................................................... 30
Education and rehabilitation ................................................................... 31
Fa’asamoa, juvenile justice and other identified issues ....................... 32
Recommendations ..................................................................................................33
3