A/HRC/16/13 and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons. Special attention was being paid both to awareness-raising activities and the strengthening of institutional capacity. Politicians were increasingly spreading the message of tolerance and reconciliation. 15. Recent trends had indicated an increase in the investigation of hate crimes. Criminal acts directed against journalists, particularly attacks on their physical integrity, were treated with the utmost seriousness and tended to be characterized as grave crimes under the Criminal Code. A number of assaults against journalists had resulted in criminal charges, as recently demonstrated through the first-instance judgement in respect of the killings of media professionals Pukanić and Franjić. 16. Gender equality and the empowerment of women were among fundamental principles of the Croatian constitutional order, as demonstrated by a comprehensive institutional and legislative framework, including in particular the Gender Equality Act, public campaigns and other awareness-raising measures. 17. Children’s rights, notably those of the most vulnerable, had always been among Croatia’s priorities. Croatia was party to almost all children’s rights instruments and would soon ratify the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation of InterCountry Adoption. Croatia prohibited corporal punishment of children by law and had been playing a leading role within regional forums in that respect. With regard to alternative care, all orphaned children under the age of 7 must be placed with foster families. 18. Croatia was among the first countries to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and would adopt a Master Plan of Deinstitutionalization and Transformation of Social Welfare Institutions (2011-2018) by the end of 2010. 19. Resolution of corruption cases had been accorded high priority, as demonstrated by a significant number of high-level corruption cases that were being processed. As a result, there was a trend towards an increasing number of convictions and investigations. 20. Independence, impartiality, professionalism and efficiency of the judiciary had recently been further strengthened in legislation. Croatia had encountered a court backlog and excessive delay in conducting the procedures. Measures undertaken in that regard had resulted in a significant reduction in the number of unresolved cases between 2004 and 2010. The possibility of lodging a constitutional complaint in respect of the length of proceedings had been introduced, as well as the possibility of the next highest court or the Supreme Court protecting the right to have a trial before a specific court within a reasonable period of time. The most recent amendments to the Courts Act had further streamlined this procedure. 21. While Croatia acknowledged its own set of challenges, it remained committed to advancing human rights promotion and protection. The universal periodic review would serve to further improve the human rights situation. Croatia, in approaching the completion of its European Union accession negotiation process, was currently negotiating the chapter on judiciary and fundamental rights; it was the first country to do so. This entailed the adoption of the most sophisticated standards and constituted a concrete track record of their faithful implementation. So too would be the case with the universal periodic review. B. Interactive dialogue and responses by the State under review 22. Algeria commended Croatia for its efforts to strengthen the protection and promotion of human rights through its National Triennial Programme. Algeria welcomed the adoption of the Anti-Discrimination National Plan for 2008-2013. Algeria inquired whether Croatia intended to revise the Constitution, and requested information about the 5