Dominica Country Report FINAL May 4th 2017

Governments across the Caribbean, including the OECS region, have undoubtedly stepped up their efforts to improve State responses to child protection, both for children who are at risk of harm, as well as those who have come into conflict with the law. All Caribbean countries have ratified the CRC and, more recently, several have passed laws, developed policies and, in some instances, even plans of action for protecting children against abuse, neglect and exploitation. Across the region, programmes and initiatives are currently being undertaken at the national level to implement both law and policy and to generally address priority child protection issues. While these efforts are positive and demonstrate a genuine commitment to improving the protection of children, concerns continue to be raised about the actual implementation and delivery of services.