A/HRC/31/78 him or her in hand. The Government of Côte d’Ivoire has shown itself to be aware of this and has been working to make school attendance compulsory and free of charge for children up to the age of 16. The national social protection strategy that was adopted in 2013, which provides for universal social security coverage, is expected to benefit all vulnerable sectors of the population, including children (see A/HRC/29/49, para. 26). 64. A bill on trafficking in children has been submitted to the National Assembly. The Independent Expert recommends that this opportunity be taken to address the issue of trafficking in persons in general, including, of course, the trafficking of children and women. 65. A bill on the protection of children who have been deprived of familly support has been adopted. This legislation, which provides for assistance in such areas as health and education, covers two categories of children. The first category, Wards of the Nation, includes orphans of government functionaries and children orphaned in natural disasters. This category is of symbolic importance and its existence can be expected to strengthen the nation’s social cohesion, which is why the National Commission on Reconciliation and Compensation for Victims is involved in drawing up this list of child beneficiaries. The second category, Wards of the State, is essentially composed of abandoned children. While the Independent Expert is aware that there may be certain understandable considerations underlying the creation of these categories, the fact remains that all children should benefit from sufficient protection and that the quality of that protection should only differ to the extent that this is dictated by the principle of the best interests of the child as set forth in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. 66. A number of private-sector initiatives to afford protection to children who lack the support of their families are under way. In order to ensure that these initiatives stay on track, however, the Ministry of Solidarity, the Family, and Women ’s and Children’s Affairs requires that all associations that intend to work with orphans must first o btain a permit. In addition, the Ministry issues a list of the funding provided to these associations by donors. 67. Another noteworthy initiative relating to children has been the establishment of a children’s parliament. This institution is designed to introduce young people to the workings of a democratic system and has already held a number of suc cessful sessions. D. 1. The advancement of women and efforts to combat discrimination against them Parity 68. Efforts to promote the advancement of women and to introduce a social policy that covers gender issues are moving forward. The Ministry of Solidarity, the Family, and Women’s and Children’s Affairs has drafted a bill dealing with equality of opportunity for women to take up public office. Clearly, once it is passed, this legislation should be accompanied by a sustained effort to make all members of society aware of the need to combat discrimination against women in all its various forms. The fact that this will require continuous efforts ov er the long term underscores the importance of setting up a gender observatory. 2. Student pregnancies and early marriage 69. Although the number of pregnancies among students has declined, the authorities continue to combat this problem, and awareness-raising activities have been GE.16-00901 17/23