A/HRC/8/38 Page 9 39. The Russian Federation noted that civil society had not been involved in preparing the national report. It cited OHCHR reports stating that only 1 per cent of killings were solved and asked why. It also noted that every second child under five suffers from chronic malnutrition and requested information on steps taken to remedy this situation. 40. El Salvador asked about the input of civil society in the follow-up to the review. It also noted the high levels of violence and requested information on the social impacts of the project conducted by the Ministry of Education, in the framework of the Peace Agreements, to promote a culture of peace in Guatemalan society, especially among young people, and recommended that this project, which El Salvador considered a good practice, be continued and strengthened. It expressed concern about the situation of transit migrants, especially women and children, whose human rights are systematically violated as confirmed by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, and asked what measures the authorities were taking to prevent such abuses. 41. Ireland cited the reported 98 per cent impunity rate for attacks on human rights defenders and recommended that Guatemala combat impunity for such attacks, by effectively investigating all allegations and by prosecuting those responsible. It also recommended that Guatemala develop a comprehensive Government policy for the protection of human rights defenders, taking into account the views of civil society and also including the views delineated by the Presidential Commission on Human Rights in 2007. 42. China appreciated the approval of national policies and plans, including the policy on the prevention of youth violence, the public policy on racism and racial discrimination, and the national policy on the promotion of equal opportunities of women. It also noted legislative measures adopted to criminalize violence against women, including definitions of domestic violence and sexual harassment. China referred to NGO and treaty body concerns with discrimination against indigenous peoples and requested information on the main challenges Guatemala faced in combating discrimination against indigenous women, including in employment, education and health services. It also asked what further measures were planned to address child labour, trafficking, illegal adoption and ill-treatment of indigenous children. 43. The Czech Republic asked about specific measures to ensure protection against violence for human rights defenders and people under attack because of their sexual orientation and gender identity. It asked about measures to strengthen the investigative capacity of police and the independent functioning of the judiciary to eliminate impunity. The Czech Republic recommended the adoption of further measures to end impunity for attacks against human rights defenders and against persons because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. It recommended that the measures include specific education and awareness raising programmes for law enforcement, judicial and other authorities, which focus, inter alia, on protection of enjoyment of human rights by persons of minority sexual orientation and gender identity. 44. The Netherlands recognized that Guatemala faced a number of human rights challenges and asked about the impact of new human rights institutions on impunity and on corruption as a source of human rights abuses. The Netherlands recommended that the creation of new human rights units be part of an integral plan for the justice and security sector and the aim of such a plan should be guaranteeing overall respect for human rights. The Netherlands also asked about steps taken to operationalize and implement the national plan of action for human rights which was presented in December 2007. The Netherlands recommended that Guatemala ratify the Rome Statute at its earliest convenience. 45. France recommended that Guatemala ratify the Rome Statute of the ICC. On the issue of impunity, it noted that many crimes are neither investigated nor prosecuted, and that the levels of violence remain high, and asked about practical steps to improve the effectiveness of the judiciary

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