CRC/C/DZA/CO/3-4
(d)
To ensure the involvement and participation of the whole society,
including children, in the design and implementation of preventive strategies against
corporal punishment of children; and
(e)
To take into account its general comment No. 8 (2006) on the right of the
child to protection from corporal punishment and other cruel or degrading forms of
punishment.
Violence against children, including abuse and neglect
45.
The Committee is concerned about the lack of measures adopted by the State party
to address domestic violence, which is pervasive, not specifically prohibited by law and
widely accepted as part of normal life. The Committee is particularly concerned that:
(a)
The vast majority of children and two thirds of women are subjected to
violence in the home;
(b)
Even in case of serious injuries, victims of domestic violence are discouraged
from pursuing the case and are directed by the police and the judiciary to mediation and
reconciliation services;
(c)
So-called “honour” and “provocation” are used as legal grounds to attenuate
perpetrators’ sentences;
(d)
Most of the support services to women victims of domestic violence and their
children, including medical, legal and psychological assistance, vocational training and
housing support are provided by non-governmental organizations; and
(e)
Due to limited capacity of the specialized shelters for women and children,
victims of violence based in Bou Ismail and Tlemcen and victims of domestic violence are
often directed to centres for homeless and mentally and physically disabled persons.
46.
The Committee urges the State party to adopt as a matter of priority a law
criminalizing all forms of domestic violence, including marital rape and to repeal legal
provisions that excuse perpetrators of domestic violence, such as article 279 of the
Penal Code, and to ensure that children and mothers victims of domestic violence are
provided with appropriate medical, legal and psychological assistance and housing
support.
47.
With reference to the United Nations Secretary-General’s Study on violence
against children (A/61/299) and the Committee’s general comment no. 13 (2011) on
the right of the child to freedom from all forms of violence the Committee further
encourages the State party:
(a)
To prioritize elimination of all forms of violence against children,
including by ensuring implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations
Study on violence against children, paying particular attention to gender; and
(b)
To provide information concerning the implementation by the State
party of the recommendations of the Study in the next periodic report, particularly
those highlighted by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence
against children, namely:
(i)
The development in each State of a national comprehensive strategy to
prevent and address all forms of violence against children;
(ii)
The introduction of an explicit national legal ban on all forms of violence
against children in all settings; and
10