CRC/C/LKA/CO/5-6

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Sri Lanka (CRC 02-03-2018)

The Committee considered the combined fifth and sixth periodic reports of Sri Lanka (CRC/C/LKA/5-6) at its 2254th and 2255th meetings (see CRC/C/SR.2254 and 2255), held on 15 and 16 January 2018, and adopted the present concluding observations at its 2282nd meeting, held on 2 February 2018.

Concluding observations

C. General principles (arts. 2, 3, 6 and 12)

Non-discrimination

  1. The Committee urges the State party to take awareness-raising measures targeted at adults and children to overcome the prevalent perception that children are inferior to adults and to treat children as rights holders. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party:

(a) Ensure compliance with article 2 of the Convention by incorporating the principle of non-discrimination into its domestic legislation and conduct an in-depth revision of its legislation, in order to fully guarantee non-discrimination in law and practice;

(b) Adopt a proactive and comprehensive strategy containing specific and well-targeted action, including affirmative social actions to eliminate discrimination against children in marginalized or vulnerable situations, including girls, children belonging to ethnic or ethnoreligious or indigenous minority groups, children subjected to caste-based discrimination, children living in rural areas, refugee and internally displaced children, children in street situations, children of migrant workers abroad, children in institutional care, children with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children;

(c) Combat discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children, including by decriminalizing consensual same-sex sexual acts, prohibit the harassment of transgender children by law enforcement personnel and bring perpetrators of violence, including of sexual abuse of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children, to justice;

(d) Ensure that girls covered by Muslim law are provided with rights on equal terms with boys, including the right to inheritance;

(e) Mobilize communities and the public at large by making systematic efforts, in collaboration with the mass media, social networks and community and religious leaders, to combat and change discriminatory attitudes towards and practices concerning children in general and children in disadvantaged and marginalized situations;

(f) Include segments on non-discrimination and equality in the mandatory school curriculum for children of all ages, adapt teaching materials and regularly train teachers accordingly.

View / Download original document
View / Download NGO Report