Benin report - Institut Africain de la Gouvernance

CHAPTER THREE: DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL GOVERNANCE__________________________________________________________________________of action plans and programmes adopted by state organs concerned with thepromotion and protection of the rights of the child. They also note that Beninhas prepared a draft national policy and strategy for protecting children.308. At the institutional level, several governmental and nongovernmental nationaland international bodies are in charge of children 18 . At governmental level,many ministries deal with issues relating to the rights of children. First, thereis the Ministry of Justice, Legislation and Human Rights. It coordinates themonitoring of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the differentgovernmental and local structures and between the various relevant ministries.The mission of the Ministry of the Family, Social Protection and Solidarity isto ensure, through the Directorate of the Family, Children and Adolescence,that the laws on the family and protection of the child – namely the Individualand Family Code and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, together withother instruments that protect the rights of children ratified by Benin – areimplemented effectively.309. The BPM of the Ministry of Interior, Security and Decentralisation isresponsible for protecting children and adolescents by preventing socialmaladjustment, and by investigating crimes and offences committed by minorsyounger than 18. The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has, asone of its missions, to initiate, prepare and propose policies, strategies andplans of action relating to the implementation of national education policiesand to see to their application. It also coordinates various actions to promoteeducation for girls.310. The mission of the CNDE (Decree 99-559 of 22 November 1999) is tocoordinate all actions for implementing the Convention on the Rights of theChild with other ministries and public organisations. In 2001, six departmentalcommittees on the rights of the child were set up. The National Centre forSafeguarding Children and Adolescents (CNSEA) is charged with the reeducationand social reintegration of minors in difficulty. Besides its primaryfunction – which is receiving minors in conflict with the law and in „moral‟danger – the CNSEA was becoming a reception centre for children who arevictims of trafficking. Established by presidential Decree 67-316/PR/MGM of9 September 1967, the CNSEA has been closed and reopened several timesbetween 1967 and 1995, when it was last reopened. The centre has been closedfor 10 years because of the implementation of the decentralisation process.Apart from the CNSEA located in Cotonou, two regional centres have been inexistence since 2000 in Parakou and Aplahoué. The gradual construction ofadditional regional centres has been planned for each department. With regardto health, Benin has put in place a vaccination programme, and has takenresponsibility for orphans who are victims of HIV/AIDS and the education ofgirls and handicapped children (see Chapter Six on socioeconomicdevelopment).311. The CRM notes, in the light of all the measures and provisions mentioned, thatsome progress has been made by Benin to promote the welfare of children by18 Benin‟s report CRC/BEN/2, Paragraph 46.122