Human Trafficking in [Oman] [other countries]
Street Children in [Oman] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Oman] [other countries]
 

Prevalence, Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children

The Sultanate of Oman [ Country-by-Country Reports ]

The Sultanate of Oman [map] is an independent sultanate located on the SE side of the Arabian peninsula, and bounded by the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It was formerly known as Muscat and Oman. It is bordered by Yemen & Saudi Arabia (W), and by the United Arab Emirates (N). Its capital and largest city is Muscat. Oman is a middle-income economy in the Middle East with notable oil and gas resources, a substantial trade surplus, and low inflation. To reduce unemployment and limit dependence on foreign countries, the government is encouraging the replacement of expatriate workers with local people.

CAUTION:  The following links and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Oman. Some of these links may lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even false.  No attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content.

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Child beggars thrive on Muslim holy season in Gulf states

According to a study by the Imam Mohammad bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh published in the Saudi daily Okaz, more than 80,000 "street children" can be found at any one time in the six oil-rich Gulf Arab monarchies -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

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Bur of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor - Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005

CHILDREN - The government has declared education, health, and general welfare of children a national priority. Primary school education for children, including non-citizen children, was free and universal but not compulsory. In 2003‑2004 the ratio of female to male enrollment was equal in primary education. Primary school enrollment was 65 percent.

Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2006 [DOC]

[18] The Committee notes with appreciation the State party’s efforts to collect, analyse and disaggregate statistical data on children. However, the Committee regrets the lack of a central database on children and notes with concern the insufficient data concerning many areas covered by the Convention, particularly groups of children in need of special protection, for example, children affected by violence and abuse, including sexual abuse, children in alternative care, street children, migrant children and working children.

Child beggars thrive on Muslim holy season in Gulf states

According to a study by the Imam Mohammad bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh published in the Saudi daily Okaz, more than 80,000 "street children" can be found at any one time in the six oil-rich Gulf Arab monarchies -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Committee On The Rights Of The Child (CRC) - Summary Record Of The 728th Meeting

[7] There were special children's homes for illegitimate children who did not know their parents; such children attended school in the normal way.

[8] Children could also be placed in foster homes. As for the acceptance of illegitimate children in society, he knew of no reports of any particular problems in that area.

[40] Failure at school and dropouts were closely related. In the past two years, it had been decided to adopt a system of continuous assessment, and it was hoped that those problems would be resolved.

Committee On The Rights Of The Child (CRC) [DOC]

V. THE FAMILY AND ALTERNATIVE CHILD CARE

F. Children without families (art. 2)

Ministerial Decision No. 96/88, based on the provisions of Royal Decree No. 85/92, establishes the National Committee for the Care of Children. Paragraph C of section 1 of the ministerial decision identifies children in need of care and defines an alternative family.  Section 6 describes the conditions under which an alternative family is eligible for financial support for the child in order to ensure a stable family atmosphere suitable for his upbringing and moral development.

Crime and Society

CHILDREN: The Government has made the education, health, and general welfare of children a budgetary priority. Primary school education for children, including non-citizen children, is free and universal, but not compulsory. Most children attend school through secondary school, to age 18.

ISHR -International Service for Human Rights - Oman (initial report)

The Committee also questioned the fact that a father doesn’t have financial responsibility for a child born out of wedlock, as the Shari'a doesn’t recognize adultery. Furthermore, the Committee encouraged the State Party to raise the current age of criminal responsibility from 9 years of age.

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Human Trafficking in [Oman] [other countries]
Street Children in [Oman] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Oman] [other countries]