A/HRC/19/56/Add.1 frequently experiencing hunger and children showed obvious signs of malnutrition. Poor shelters and exposure to cold and rain have negative implication for Batwa health along with limited sources of drinking water. 67. According to representatives of the Community of Potters of Rwanda,31 their research had demonstrated that the percentage of Batwa who had health-insurance coverage was declining. In Bwiza, community members said that the Batwa in that community had not benefited from the Government programme of subsidized insurance cards for the poorest members of society. Certain individuals displayed wounds clearly requiring medical treatment. The Government that “all indigents and other vulnerable persons have their health insurance paid by Government (Some 650,000 to 700,000 persons, including the historically marginalized people)”.32 68. Batwa representatives emphasized the effects of poverty on the lives and health of Batwa women. Women in extreme poverty and with poor education and health information may be vulnerable to high rates of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases. Poor levels of education and medical information also play a role. Very high infant mortality rates are a manifestation of poor living conditions and lack of access to adequate maternal health care. 4. Education 69. Research indicates that Batwa children experience significant obstacles to their right to education relative to other population groups, including low levels of enrolment, particularly at the post-primary level, very high dropout rates and poor education outcomes. According to a survey conducted by the Community of Potters of Rwanda,33 only 23 per cent of Batwa can read and write. Very few Batwa proceed to higher education institutions. Research34 in 2008 and 2009 revealed that 54 per cent of Batwa women and girls interviewed had not been to school. 70. The Government and NGOs highlighted that the Ministry of Education had initiated a policy of free primary and secondary education for children from marginalized and other vulnerable families in State schools in 2008/9.The Government has achieved commendable successes in the field of education and notes that Rwanda is close to reaching universal education in primary and secondary school. Primary school enrolment stands at 94 per cent for boys and 96.5 per cent for girls. However, the poor living conditions of some Batwa families are clearly affecting the ability of Batwa children to attend school or achieve good education outcomes. In one community visited near Musanze, hunger was highlighted as the primary factor contributing to poor school attendance. Batwa representatives also stated that children face discrimination in school and are often “chased away” from the classroom. 5. Government responses 71. The Government states that it “doesn‟t deny the existence of a people called Batwa [but] refutes the tendency to allege that the Batwa population of Rwanda constitutes an 31 32 33 34 In 2007, the principal organization representing the Batwa had to change its name from Community of Indigenous People of Rwanda to Community of Potters of Rwanda to adhere to Government regulations not allowing formal recognition of distinct ethnic or indigenous groups. See http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,463af2212,488edf812,4a66d9a737,0.html. Comments by the Government of Rwanda dated July 2011 on the draft report. “Enquête sur la condition de vie socio-économique des ménages bénéficiares de la Communautés rwandais”, January 2004, p. 14. Kathryn Ramsay, “Uncounted: the hidden lives of Batwa women” (2010, Minority Rights Group International). 17