CRC/C/COL/CO/3 page 3 7. The Committee urges the State party to take all necessary measures to address those recommendations from the concluding observations of the second periodic report that have not yet been implemented or sufficiently implemented and to provide adequate follow-up to the recommendations contained in the present concluding observations on the third periodic report. Legislation and implementation 8. The Committee welcomes the incorporation of numerous articles on child rights into the Constitution, which also affirms that international instruments ratified by Colombia prevail over domestic legislation. The Committee regrets, however, that the reform of the inadequate Minors’ Code of 1989 has not yet been completed despite 10 years of debate and numerous calls by United Nations entities for amendments in order to bring national legislation in line with the obligations undertaken by the ratification of the Convention of the Rights of the Child. In particular, the Committee notes that the draft law to reform the Minors’ Code currently under consideration in the Congress, needs to adequately address the following four areas of concern in order to be in conformity with the Convention: juvenile justice, adoption, work and protection against abuse of children. 9. The Committee reiterates its concern in this regard and recommends that the State party promptly complete the process of reform of the Minors’ Code in order to provide effective protection of the rights of all children in Colombia, taking into account the following four areas of concern in order to bring them into conformity with the Convention: juvenile justice, adoption, work and protection against abuse of children. 10. Furthermore, the Committee is concerned that the domestic violence law of 2004, which fails to incorporate sexual abuse on the grounds that it constitutes physical abuse and as such is already covered in the Criminal Code, will have serious implications for the welfare and protection of Colombian children as it disregards the serious nature of sexual abuse and its impact on victims. 11. The Committee recommends that the State party reinstate sexual violence as part of domestic violence legislation in accordance with international legal obligations, including article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. National Plan of Action 12. The Committee takes note of the ongoing development of a National Plan of Action. 13. The Committee recommends that the State party adopt a National Plan of Action for children in consultation with a civil society and all sectors involved in the promotion and protection of children’s rights, with the aim of implementing the principles and provisions of the Convention, and taking into account, inter alia, the Plan of Action “A world fit for children” adopted by the General Assembly special session in May 2002. The Committee also recommends that adequate resources be allocated both at national and local levels for the implementation of the National Plan of Action.

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