A/HRC/2/SR.12 Greek Parliament was currently debating legislation on domestic violence which provided, inter alia, for heavier sentences for sexual abuse of minors. Draft legislation on the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography had already been approved. 19. Mr. Carlos (Observer for Mozambique), thanking the Independent Expert for his mission to Mozambique and preparation of an important report, said that the Government would continue to work on improving living conditions for its people. 20. Mr. Fathallah (Observer for Iraq), also referring to the report of the Independent Expert, said that although his country was rich in natural and human resources, as a result of equivocal economic policies pursued by the previous regime it currently faced a debt burden of an estimated US$ 150 trillion. The effect of the wars with neighbouring countries aggravated the situation. Despite the debt relief granted by IMF and the World Bank, the commitments deriving from foreign debt had had a severe impact on the welfare of the population, especially low-income segments, with rising oil and commodity prices resulting in an overall cost-of-living increase of approximately 70 per cent. He asked whether the Independent Expert had examined the conditions which IMF and the World Bank imposed on countries in transition and their impact on human rights. 21. Mr. Gala López (Cuba), speaking with reference to the report of the Independent Expert, said that his Government attached particular importance to the effects of economic reform policies and foreign debt on human rights. Concrete measures must be taken at the international level to find lasting, equitable solutions to the foreign debt burden on developing countries and to reverse the social deterioration resulting from neo-liberal structural adjustment programmes. Experience had shown that poverty and inequality had increased in developing countries following the implementation of those programmes, and that those countries had accumulated unsustainable levels of external debt. 22. When preparing the proposed draft guidelines, the Independent Expert might wish to draw on relevant work carried out by United Nations bodies and international conferences. He enquired whether the concept of shared responsibility of developed and developing countries and national and international financial institutions would be included in the draft guidelines. 23. Ms. Leyemanne (Sri Lanka), referring to the report by the Special Rapporteur, said that her country had a national child protection authority with a special police unit responsible for investigations of sexual abuse and exploitation of children. At the “treaty event” held on the sidelines of the 2006 World Summit of the General Assembly, Sri Lanka had ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, and also the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime in an effort to strengthen the country’s legal framework for the promotion of children’s rights and combating transnational organized crime. 24. In November 2005, three police officers belonging to the National Child Protection Authority had been abducted by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam during an investigation relating to a foreign paedophile and had been illegally held for one year. Their detention had impeded the investigation and effective dispensation of justice, which illustrated how investigations into child sexual abuse and exploitation could be hampered by a non-State entity. 25. Responding to the Special Rapporteur’s concern over the high incidence of violence against women, she said that currently reported information on gender-based violence revealed low figures, which might be due to cultural barriers to reporting. Steps had been taken towards establishing women and child desks, to be staffed by trained women police officers, in the hope of improving reporting rates and follow-up. GE.09-17372 5