CRC/C/15/Add.237
page 11
6. Basic health and welfare
Children with disabilities
50.
The Committee is concerned at the lack of statistical data and of a comprehensive policy
for disabled children, who continue to face widespread discrimination. Concern is also
expressed at the limited facilities and services for children with disabilities, especially those in
rural and remote areas, and the limited number of trained teachers to work with children with
disabilities. Efforts to facilitate their inclusion into the educational system and the society at
large are insufficient.
51.
In line with the United Nations Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities
for Persons with Disabilities (General Assembly resolution 48/96) and the
recommendations adopted by the Committee at its day of general discussion on the rights
of children with disabilities (CRC/C/69), it is recommended that the State party:
(a)
Take effective measures to collect adequate and disaggregated data on
children with disabilities and use such data to establish a comprehensive policy and
appropriate programmes to prevent disabilities and to assist children with disabilities;
(b)
Reinforce its efforts to develop early detection programmes to prevent and
treat disabilities;
(c)
Establish special education programmes for disabled children and include
them in the regular school system to the extent possible;
(d)
Undertake awareness-raising campaigns to sensitize the public, and parents
in particular, about the rights and special needs of children with disabilities, including
those with mental health concerns;
(e)
Allocate further resources for special education, including vocational
training, and for the support given to families of children with disabilities; and
(f)
Seek technical cooperation for the training of professional staff working with
and for children with disabilities from, inter alia, UNICEF and WHO.
Health and health services
52.
The Committee notes the progress achieved by the National Health Plan 1996-2001,
notably the good immunization coverage through routine vaccinations supplemented by the
National Immunization Days (NIDs), and notes the adoption of the 2001-2006 National Health
Plan, but is concerned at the high infant and under-5 mortality rates and the low life expectancy
in Myanmar. The Committee is also concerned that health services in the remote areas continue
to lack adequate human and financial resources and are often inaccessible, especially during the
rainy season, resulting in a significant difference in the availability of services between rural and
urban areas and consequently much higher mortality figures in rural areas. In addition, the
Committee is concerned that the survival and development of children in Myanmar continue to
be threatened by early childhood diseases, such as acute respiratory infections and diarrhoea and
by chronic malnutrition.