CRC/C/CRI/CO/4 Rights of the Child undertaken by the State party in follow-up to the Declaration and Programme of Action adopted at the 2001 World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, as well as the outcome document adopted at the 2009 Durban Review Conference. Best interests of the child 32. The Committee urges the State party to strengthen its efforts to ensure that the principle of the best interests of the child is appropriately integrated and consistently applied in all legislative, administrative and judicial proceedings as well as in all policies, programmes and projects relevant to and with an impact on children. The legal reasoning of all judicial and administrative judgments and decisions should also be based on this principle. Respect for the views of the child 33. The Committee notes with concern that the views and special linguistic requirements of children and adolescents are not adequately taken into account in judicial and administrative decision-making processes, including at the municipal level and within the local Protection Boards established by the Children and Adolescents Code. 34. In light of its general comment No. 12 (2009) on the right of the child to be heard, the Committee reiterates its recommendation that the State party: (a) Strengthen the opportunities for children and adolescents, including girls, to freely express their views in all matters affecting them, especially at the local government level; (b) Ensure that their views are taken into account in any judicial and administrative decisions affecting them; and (c) Take into consideration the special requirements and linguistic needs of children with disabilities, indigenous and migrant children and other children in situations of vulnerability. D. Civil rights and freedoms (arts. 7, 8, 13–17, 19 and 37 (a) of the Convention) Birth registration 35. While acknowledging the efforts undertaken by the State party to implement a comprehensive birth registration system, through visits by mobile units of the civil registry to indigenous and remote areas and through a system of assistant registrars at hospitals and health centres, the Committee notes with concern that indigenous children and children of seasonal workers from Nicaragua and from the Ngöbe-Bugle indigenous group from Panama are in some cases not registered, especially when they are born on farms or plantations or when their parents are unaware of the need to register them for obtaining personal documents. 36. The Committee recommends that the State party intensify its efforts to ensure that all indigenous and migrant children are registered at birth and provided with personal documents enabling them to access social services, by ensuring that pregnant indigenous as well as migrant women, including those who are undocumented or in an irregular situation, have adequate access to hospitals and health centres, and by educating parents on the need to register their children. The Committee also 7

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