A/HRC/17/33/Add.2
including fishing, and indirectly aimed at deterring outmigration, the Government
established the Grande Offensive Agricole pour la Nourriture et l’Abondance, which offers
land and agricultural equipment to migrants who wish to invest in agriculture. During the
course of his visit, the Special Rapporteur learned that these projects, while important, do
not seem to attract much interest among young people, as they do not perceive a return to
agriculture as an alternative to the perceived benefits of outmigration.
74.
Concerning measures to combat the exploitation of children, including migrant
children, the Government adopted a strategic plan concerning the education and protection
of children who are begging or who are not in school (2008–2013) which provides for
different phases of interventions, including (a) mapping the religious schools, the children
who are begging and the actors involved; (b) establishing a platform for the exchange of
information and the elaboration of consistent strategies and policies related to the protection
of children; (c) regulating the opening of religious schools and their functioning through an
official decree and ensuring the implementation and monitoring of this decree; (d)
elaborating a media plan and a communication strategy; and (e) consolidating and
documenting the research and experiences gained through the different interventions,
including good practices, and ensuring their dissemination. As part of its efforts to
modernize the daaras, and to enhance the quality of lives of children, including migrant
children, in the care of religious teachers and prevent their abuse, in 2004 the Government
began setting up projects to introduce trilingualism (mother tongue, French and Arabic) and
vocational training into these schools.
D.
Challenges and measures under the auspices of bilateral and
multilateral cooperation
75.
With regard to the Framework Agreement between Senegal and Spain, the Special
Rapporteur noted with interest the promotion of “hiring at the origin” to facilitate the
regular migration of Senegalese workers to Spain. He acknowledges however that such a
programme may lead to disproportionately high expectations about the possibilities of
regular migration to Spain, as the number of contracts available is still limited. The Special
Rapporteur learned that, for example, in the Mbour Department approximately 30,000
young people applied to the regular migration programme. Furthermore, the scheme seems
to be perceived as excluding certain groups. There is also discontent about the management
of the contracts, partly as a result of misinformation and inconsistency in the information
disseminated and partly as a result of alleged corruption and nepotism. There is also lack of
clarity on certain elements of the procedure for applying to the job openings available
through the Framework Agreement. It appears, for example, that candidates are not
systematically informed on/notified of the status of their applications and in cases of
rejection there does not seem to be any mechanism for seeking a review of the decision.
76.
As mentioned in paragraph 56 above, Senegal and Spain concluded a readmission
agreement for unaccompanied children. This agreement requires the two countries to
exchange information about unaccompanied children and to trace the child’s family within
a short time frame. The Spanish authorities must inform the Senegalese authorities of the
presence of an unaccompanied child within 10 days; the Senegalese authorities then have
20 days to trace the child’s family and to issue documents confirming the child’s identity.
The Special Rapporteur concurs with a report published by Human Rights Watch that such
deadlines may “raise questions as to what extent authorities on both sides will be able to
assess sufficiently the circumstances behind the child’s departure and the situation awaiting
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