CRC/C/MKD/CO/2
(e)
Address the root causes the sale of children, child trafficking and abduction,
in particular by giving special attention to families in its programmes to combat poverty, in
order to prevent school dropout and gender-based discrimination; and
(f)
Carry out awareness-raising activities, in cooperation with NGOs and the
media, in order to make both parents and children aware of the dangers and consequences
of these crimes.
Helplines
77.
While noting the 24-hour, toll-free SOS helpline for Children and Youth operated by
an NGO, the Committee is concerned that it lacks long-term financial support, can only be
accessed through one specific telephone operator and is not accessible from mobile phones.
78.
The Committee recommends that the State party ensure the continuity,
including through the allocation of adequate resources, of a toll-free, 24-hour helpline,
expand its capacity to receive calls from all telecommunications operators, allocate the
six-digit European harmonized number to it and recognize it as a source of
information and data for policy and legislation on children’s rights, and as a tool for
early intervention and prevention.
Administration of juvenile justice
79.
The Committee notes the establishment of a council for the prevention of juvenile
delinquency and plans to improve the conditions in the Educational-Correctional
Institution, which was transferred to the premises of the Skopje prison following the
conflict. The Committee is, however, concerned that:
(a)
Children under the age of 14 years may be subject to correctional measures
decided and applied by the social work centres;
(b)
In several cases, children have been allegedly treated as adult offenders;
(c)
Children are not separated from adult prisoners;
(d)
Conditions are poor in places where children are detained, especially in the
Educational-Correctional Institution and in the juvenile detention centre in Ohrid, and about
overcrowding in juvenile cells; and
(e)
Children are subjected to compulsory drug testing in the EducationalCorrectional Institution.
80.
The Committee urges the State party to ensure that juvenile justice standards
are fully implemented, in particular articles 37 (b), 39 and 40 of the Convention, as
well as the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of
Juvenile Justice (the Beijing Rules), the United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention
of Juvenile Delinquency (the Riyadh Guidelines) and the United Nations Rules for the
Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty (the Havana Rules). In particular,
the Committee urges the State party to take into account the Committee’s general
comment No. 10 (2007) on children’s rights in juvenile justice (CRC/C/GC/10). It also
recommends that the State party:
(a)
Ensure that children under the age of criminal responsibility (14 years)
are not punished in any manner for criminal actions;
(b)
Review practices to ensure that children are not treated as adult
offenders in the administration of juvenile justice;
(c)
Ensure the separation of juvenile and adult offenders;
17