A/HRC/18/15 48. Canada took note of the human rights commitment shown by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Canada was concerned at the challenges faced in protecting juveniles in the legal system; at the poor prison conditions, mistreatment, corruption by guards and the uncontrolled presence of weapons and drugs; at the legal sanctions and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity; and at the death penalty. Canada made recommendations. 49. Maldives referred to the challenges faced by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the promotion and protection of human rights due to its small size and its capacity constraints, and indicated that the Working Group should understand and appreciate that during the review. It noted that, despite its development challenges, the country had made important progress across key indicators, including health, education, poverty eradication and child and disability rights. Maldives made recommendations. 50. Slovakia commended Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for its ratification of the main human rights instruments and noted the Constitutional provision on redress for victims of human rights violations. It noted the country’s efforts towards sustainable growth and poverty eradication. Slovakia also noted with appreciation steps taken towards the improvement of the country’s judicial administration. It commended the de facto moratorium, in place since 1997, on capital punishment. It expressed concern about reported complaints against unwarranted police practices, such as excessive use of force and a high ratio of convictions based on confessions. Slovakia made recommendations. 51. Chile congratulated Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for its efforts to improve the living conditions of its population, including the establishment of a fund for poverty reduction, the Social Recovery Programme, the Basic Needs Trust Fund, the Programme for Social Security Networks and the Street Children Rehabilitation Programme, among others. It encouraged the Government to continue strengthening those policies. Chile made recommendations. 52. The proposed new Constitution would have created an independent human rights entity similar to the one being recommended by many members of the Human Rights Council. In the light of the defeat of the constitutional referendum, that and other provisions were being reviewed. The country also hoped to strengthen civil society. 53. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines categorically rejected the implication that there were notable occurrences of racial discrimination affecting children, including children of minorities such as Amerindians. Given its own history, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines took such implications very seriously. The descendents of indigenous peoples had been banished to very rural areas by the pre-independence colonial powers. To the extent that those children experienced difficulties, they were the product of their rural location, and such difficulties would be indistinguishable from other rural children, irrespective of race or ethnicity. 54. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines also questioned the basis for the assertion that large numbers of children were suffering from severe food insecurity. A number of policy interventions were in place to prevent such conditions, ranging from providing meals in schools to increasing social security payments to mothers and other means of strengthening the social safety net. 55. Regarding teen pregnancy, the delegation referred to the policy initiatives to return mothers to school after giving birth and provide them with health care and child support as regional best practices. 56. Noting the number of States that raised the issue of technical cooperation and the need for more timely responses in fulfilling reporting obligations under various human rights treaties, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines stressed the need for such cooperation and 10