A/HRC/11/25* a few people with the support of foreign forces try to split Tibet and Xinjiang from China and they by no means represent the governing majority of Tibetans and Uighurs as Tibet and Xinjiang are inseparable parts of China’s territory and the Government will not allow any attempt to split China to succeed. 103. China protects citizen’s right to freedom of assembly, association, procession and demonstration in accordance with law and citizens can apply for processions and demonstration in accordance with laws on processions and demonstrations. Demonstrations and processions not approved are usually handled by government through dialogue and persuasion. 400,000 NGOs are registered in China and there are millions of NGOs which do not required registering by law. 104. The law on protection of state secrets has clear provisions on the definition of state secrets. In case of contention on this matter, organs for the protection of secrets above the provincial level can make a determination. There is no such a thing as law enforcement organs abusing state secrets to suppress human rights defenders. 105. On the matter of religious beliefs the delegation noted that China has over 100 million believers, including more than 21 million Muslims, 16 million Christians, 5.5 million Catholics, with 300,000 clergy men for various religions and 3,000 religious bodies, 100,000 places of worship. China prohibits speeches and acts which instigate religious hatred and discrimination. In accordance with regulations on registration of social organisations, all social organisations should register with bodies of civil affairs, including religious organisations. But the registration requirements are minimum. The “family gatherings” of Christians are not required to be registered. 106. In August 2005, China revised the law on protection of women’s rights. To facilitate women’s participation in the management and decision-making of state and national affairs, the Government has raised awareness on gender equality among the public and set the ratio of female officials on different levels of government. Currently, women account for over 20 per cent of deputies of the National People’s Congress. The law on employment promotion provides for equal rights of men and women towards employment, and prohibits gender based discrimination. The Law on Rural Land Contracts lays special emphasis on equal land rights for married, divorced or widowed women. The Marriage Law prohibits domestic violence. The Law on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women specifies the scope of responsibilities of relevant organs to combat domestic violence and rescue victims. In China, a total number of more than 400 protection and rescue centres for women have been established. 2008–2012 action plan against trafficking women and children was designed and a joint inter-ministerial conference against human trafficking was set up to comprehensively deal with this matter. 107. Concerning children rights, China formulated the law on the protection of minors, the law on compulsory education, the regulations on the prohibition of child labour and other relevant laws and regulations. China has completely implemented entirely free compulsory education. The government has strengthened regulations on children’s enrolment, drop out and withdrawal from school and established evaluation and monitoring systems for girls’ education. The state has set up special schools for minor offenders and juveniles that provide adolescents education on laws and ethics and arrange some labour activities, commensurate with their age. Concerning female offenders, who are pregnant or breast feeding children of their own aged below 1 year, they are not detained in prisons or detention centres. China’s laws strictly prohibit the employment of minors below 16 by any employers and clearly stipulate the administrative and criminal responsibilities for using child labour. The government severely punishes those who use child labour. 108. A basic social security system is put in place comprising social insurance, social relief and social welfare giving priority to the people in the countryside and to vulnerable GE.09-16299 25