CRC/C/COL/CO/3
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(b)
Pursue efforts to ensure that children with disabilities may exercise their
right to education to the maximum extent possible;
(c)
Undertake greater efforts to make available the necessary professional
(i.e. disability specialists) and financial resources, especially at the local level and to
promote and expand community-based rehabilitation programmes, including parent
support groups, in particular taking into account children who have been victims of
landmines.
Standard of living
65.
The Committee is seriously concerned over the growing gaps in the standard of living
and the increasing number of children living in poverty or extreme poverty, also evidenced
through the rising Gini coefficient, an international standard used to measure levels of inequality.
The Committee is concerned over the high percentage of the population that lacks access to basic
services and is particularly concerned over the vast discrepancy in the coverage of clean and
running water as well as sewage systems in urban compared to rural areas. The inequalities in
the standard of living present a serious obstacle to the equal enjoyment of the rights in the
Convention.
66.
The Committee recommends that the State party prioritize and allocate sufficient
funds in order to counteract the increasing inequality and effectively reduce the
discrepancies in the standard of living, inter alia, between urban and rural areas. The
Committee highlights the need to strengthen the capacity of departmental and municipal
authorities to provide basic services. In particular, increased access to clean running water
and sewage disposal should be a priority in rural areas.
Health and medical services
67.
The Committee is concerned over the low levels and fluctuations in the public
expenditure for health and is especially concerned over the limited access to the health-care
system as approximately 40 per cent of the population remains uninsured. The Committee is
concerned that young children constitute a substantial group among those who lack access to
basic medical facilities.
68.
In particular, the Committee is concerned that:
(a)
Access to health and health services is unequal, especially in rural and remote
areas of the country;
(b)
The rates of maternal, infant and under-five mortality, despite some
improvements, continue to be high, considering the level of development, and indicate strong
regional disparities;
(c)
Malnutrition continues to affect a large proportion of the displaced, the
Afro-Colombian and indigenous populations;
(d)
Despite considerable efforts to raise vaccination rates, the coverage remains
unequal due to regional discrepancies;