A/HRC/23/53 89. While basic education in the country is compulsory, free and universal, the Government has a tight control over the curriculum. School children, parents and teachers alike pointed out that a yearly amount for school material and uniforms had to be paid. For cash-strapped families, it was very difficult to gather the necessary amount at the beginning of the school year. The only university in the country, the University of Asmara, was closed in 2006. Regional colleges, which are administered by the military and linked closely to military training and political indoctrination, are the only option for post-secondary education. Children who do not pass the eighth grade are conscripted and sent for military training in Wi’a, including those who are underage. Those who pass tenth grade are transferred to Sawa for military training. 90. In addition to the unpaid work performed by national service conscripts, additional restrictions of the right to work were described in various interviews. Opportunities for private business activities are extremely limited and those who wish to undertake a selfsustaining activity are rarely granted the necessary license. Many interlocutors recounted how the Government assigned them to specific jobs, often in the context of the national service, neither respecting their individual choices nor taking into account their vocational training or degree. Furthermore, those working in public service may be dismissed or otherwise prevented from continued employment for any criticism perceived or actually made. M. Refugees and trafficking 91. While Eritrea is a refugee-producing country, it also hosts asylum seekers and refugees. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in 2012, Eritrea hosted 2,645 refugees, mainly from Ethiopia, Somalia and the Sudan. The Government of Eritrea works to provide for the basic needs of refugees, such as education and health care. 92. Despite the deadly risks run while attempting to escape the country, large numbers of Eritrean citizens have fled over the past decade. In 2012, the total Eritrean population of concern to UNHCR amounted to 305,808 persons, including 247,868 refugees, 37,347 people in a refugee-like situation and 20,523 asylum seekers. According to UNHCR estimates, more than 4,000 Eritreans, including unaccompanied minors, flee the country every month, despite shoot-to-kill orders implemented by border guards and the extreme dangers along escape routes. 93. Not only ordinary citizens but also high-profile ones, including former ministers, pilots and the national football team, are fleeing and seeking asylum. The path taken by refugees may be fraught with obstacles and can be life-threatening, as many have fallen into the hands of traffickers and smugglers who demand high ransoms for their victims’ freedom. The extensive militarization of all aspects of life in Eritrea, the fear and experience of national service, its policy of prolonged military conscription, arbitrary arrests, detention and torture and persecution on grounds of religious belief are among the main reasons causing people to flee. 94. Eritreans in flight have been victims of trafficking and human rights violations in countries of transit and where they have sought asylum. The forcible and supposedly voluntary return of Eritrean citizens to their country of origin or to third countries, despite warnings from UNHCR and other international organizations, is also a cause for grave concern. Returnees and failed asylum seekers face disappearance and detention. 17