Tunisia

(13 May 2011, CRPD/C/TUN/CO/1, Concluding observations on initial report, paras. 6, 16 and 17)

"The Committee welcomes the amendment of article 319 of the Penal Code in 2010, which prohibits all forms of violence against children, regardless of who the perpetrator – including parents or tutors – may be.

"The Committee is particularly concerned at the low rate of reporting (signalement) of cases of habitual mistreatment of children, including children with disabilities, which may amount to situations of danger, in view of the results of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS 2006) which indicated that 94 per cent of children aged between 2 and 14 years are disciplined in the home through violent means, whether verbal, physical, or through deprivation.

"The Committee recommends that the State party:

a) evaluate the phenomenon of violence against boys and girls with disabilities, and compile systematic disaggregated data (see paragraph 39 below) with a view to better combating it;

b) ensure that institutions providing care for children with disabilities are staffed with specially trained personnel, subject to appropriate standards, regularly monitored and evaluated, and establish complaint procedures accessible to children with disabilities;

c) establish independent follow-up mechanisms; and

d) take steps to replace institutional care for boys and girls with disabilities with community-based care."