6. While noting the measures taken to review the Child Care and Protection Act and child rights-related provisions in national legislation, the Committee is concerned about the need for further progress in amending the Child Care and Protection Act and harmonizing child rights-related provisions in legislation with the Convention. The Committee recommends that the State party:
(b) Fully align national legislation with the Convention and further address any inconsistencies, including by implementing the recommendations of the National Law Review Taskforce and amending child rights-related provisions in the Child Adoption Act, the Penal Code, the Marriage Act and the Citizenship Act;
19. The Committee reiterates its previous recommendations4 and urges the State party:
(a) To ensure the right of all children, regardless of their parents’ nationality or marital status, to be registered at birth and have access to identity cards, including by: (i) revising the Bhutan Citizenship Act to disassociate birth registration from citizenship and remove the barriers that prevent the birth registration and access to nationality of children of non-Bhutanese or stateless parents; (ii) ensuring that the births of children of unmarried parents, non-Bhutanese parents or mothers with non-Bhutanese spouses are registered in the civil registration system; and (iii) removing the status of “dropout” for children who were not registered within 12 months of birth;
(b) To simplify the documentation requirements for birth registration, particularly for children of parents who do not have the documents required;
(c) To take measures to raise public awareness of the importance of birth registration and of collecting birth certificates;
(d) To ensure that women, including single mothers and Bhutanese women with non-Bhutanese spouses, are granted equal rights to men to confer Bhutanese nationality on their children;
(e) To prevent statelessness among children, develop a procedure to determine the stateless status of children and ensure that every child has the right to a nationality;
(f) To consider ratifying the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.
42. Noting with deep concern the lack of progress in repatriating Lhotshampa children from refugee camps in Nepal, the Committee reiterates its previous recommendations and urges the State party:
(b) Ensure that all children belonging to minority groups, including Lhotshampa children, are protected against discrimination and guarantee their rights to nationality, health and education, as well as their rights to enjoy their own culture and practise their religion or beliefs freely.