A/HRC/13/14 42. Canada encouraged Brunei Darussalam’s continued cooperation with the Human Rights Council. It appreciated Brunei Darussalam’s participation in launching the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights and hoped for its active engagement. Canada made recommendations. 43. Egypt acknowledged Brunei Darussalam’s focus on gender equality and women’s empowerment for the advancement of women, including through improving literacy rates for girls and increasing the participation of women in the labour force. It sought further information on progress achieved and lessons learned. Egypt made recommendations. 44. Slovenia welcomed Brunei Darussalam’s work regarding the right to adequate housing and future plans in this regard. It noted with concern however that Brunei Darussalam was neither a party to most core international human rights treaties nor to core International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions. Slovenia also noted that existing legislation did not criminalize marital rape, including against children, and expressed concern over restrictions on freedom of expression and media, especially through the Sedition Act and Newspaper Act. Slovenia made recommendations on the above issues. 45. Bahrain appreciated Brunei Darussalam’s efforts in promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms and its achievements in adopting legislation for the protection of women’s rights and in relation to trafficking in persons. Bahrain also commended the strong support women’s issues enjoy from the Council of Women, a nongovernmental organization comprising 14 associations and working on the advancement of women. Bahrain made a recommendation. 46. Spain congratulated the Government for signing CRPD and welcomed the possibility of its prompt ratification. Spain also encouraged Brunei Darussalam to sign and ratify ICERD and OP-CRC-AC. Spain made a number of recommendations. 47. Chile asked Brunei Darussalam about measures being considered to adjust the minimum age of criminal liability to international human rights standards. Chile made recommendations relating to ratifications, Council special procedures, corporal punishment and the death penalty. 48. Sweden expressed concern about Brunei Darussalam’s restrictions on freedom of speech and of the press, including that it is an offence to criticize the Government, the Sultan and his family, and reports of self-censorship. It also noted the criminalisation of same-sex consensual sexual activity, noting that there were no known reports of the law being used in the preceding years. Appreciating explanations on the cultural and social background of Brunei Darussalam and the information on combating domestic violence, Sweden remained concerned about women’s and children’s rights, the freedom of religion, arbitrary detentions and the death penalty. Sweden made recommendations. 49. Italy welcomed the de facto moratorium on death penalty in Brunei Darussalam since 1957. It expressed concerns on the broad use of corporal punishment in Brunei Darussalam, discriminatory practices against non-Muslims, and on State control over media, including electronic media and the Internet. Italy made a number of recommendations. 50. France made three recommendations relating to the abolition of the death penalty, reinforcement of protection for women and children through modification of the law on marital rape, and on respect for the rights of migrant workers. 51. Norway asked how Brunei Darussalam had included representatives of civil society in the UPR reporting process and how it intended to include these actors in the follow-up process. It recognized the increase of women in Brunei Darussalam’s labour force, including in the civil service, and asked about measures to secure a larger share of women in senior management positions in the civil service. It also noted that all newspapers need 9