Committee on the Rights of the Child Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Palais Wilson 52 rue des Pâquis CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland Mailing address: OHCHR, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland Via E-mail: crc@ohchr.org Child Rights Connect 1 rue de Varambé 1202 Geneva, Switzerland E-mail: secretariat@childrightsconnect.org Re: Sierra Leone – 73st Pre-sessional Working Group of the Committee (1-5 February 2016) 29 October 2015 Distinguished Committee Members, The Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights1 and the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion respectfully submits this letter in advance of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (the Committee’s) discussion of Sierra Leone at its 73st Pre-sessional Working Group of the Committee (1-5 February 2016). This letter will focus on the gender discriminatory nationality law in Sierra Leone, in violation of Articles 7 and 8 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). This letter is based on the research carried out by the Global Campaign and its member organisations on the nationality law of Qatar. It also draws on recent research and analysis carried out by the Institute, on all Concluding Observations and Recommendations made by the Committee in relation to the right of every child to acquire a nationality under Article 7 CRC.2 This research confirms that the Committee has consistently recommended that states amend gender discriminatory nationality laws, in order to ensure that the rights of all children to acquire a nationality are respected and fulfilled without discrimination. For example the Committee in its 2014 review of Kuwait3 and its 2012 review of Madagascar4 made strong recommendations to the respective states to end gender discrimination in their nationality laws. 1 The Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights mobilizes international action for the removal of gender discriminatory provisions from all nationality laws and is led by its Steering Committee of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Equality Now, Equal Rights Trust, the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion, and Women’s Refugee Commission. 2 This research has been made publicly available in the form of a comprehensive analytical database of all Concluding Observations, a Factsheet summarizing state party obligations and a longer draft policy paper, and was shared with the Committee at a briefing in September 2015. To access these materials, visit: http://www.institutesi.org/ourwork/children.php 3 CRC/C/KWT/CO/2 2013: “Ensure gender equality in the 1959 Nationality Act in order for all children born to a Kuwaiti mother and non-Kuwaiti father to automatically acquire their mother’s nationality” 4 CRC/C/MDG/CO/3-4 2012: “The Committee recommends that the State party urgently finalize the reform of the legislation on nationality of children and ensures that no discrimination exists against children born of a Malagasy mother and a father of foreign nationality or children born out of wedlock. The Committee also urges the State party to ensure that children born in Madagascar do not risk being stateless.”