A/HRC/10/52 page 8 criminalizing FGM but section 33 (1) of the Child Rights Act provides that “No person shall subject a child to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment including any cultural practice which dehumanizes or is injurious to the physical and mental welfare of a child.” 15. The moratorium imposed on the execution of the death penalty remained in full force and effect even with the change of Government. At the end of 2008, there were 11 prisoners on death row, with three appeal judgements pending. B. Children’s rights 16. While the Government, with the support of international partners, made some progress in the promotion and protection of children’s rights, serious challenges remain. Sierra Leone has one of the highest infant and under-five mortality rates, as well as one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Despite efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it is evident that these goals will not be met by 2015. Early and forced marriages (27 per cent of children marry before their fifteenth birthday and 62 per cent of girls marry before age 18), teenage pregnancy, high incidence of sexual exploitation and abuse, and cultural and religious bias towards girls’ education are all critical challenges. 17. Thousands of orphaned and vulnerable children remain victims of exploitation including domestic work, hazardous labour, especially in the mining sector, commercial sex, and trafficking across borders. Even though Parliament passed the Anti-Human Trafficking Act in 2005, containing stringent new provisions regulating adoptions, trafficking out of the country remains a major challenge. The Act was a positive development but effective implementation requires greater Government support. 18. Continued progress was noted in school enrolment thanks to the construction and rehabilitation of schools and polytechnics, and the assistance given to girl child education. Nevertheless, delays in the payment of teachers’ salaries, poor conditions of service, and expensive school charges remain major challenges to the fulfilment of the right to education. 19. Some progress was noted in the area of juvenile justice. A juvenile court, the first and only one in Sierra Leone, was established in Bo, Southern Province. In Freetown, specific days have been set aside for hearing of juvenile cases in the magistrate courts, and improvement was noted in transporting juveniles from remand homes for court sittings. Notwithstanding, legal representation for juveniles still remains a challenge, as many juveniles continue to appear in court without lawyers due in part to the lack of an effective legal aid system. C. Women’s rights 20. Gradual progress was made in the promotion and protection of women’s right in Sierra Leone. The Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs, in collaboration with national and international partners, developed a roll-out plan for the three so-called gender justice acts which saw significant sensitization and educational programmes developed around women’s rights throughout the course of the year. These three acts, all passed at the same time in 2007, are the Domestic Violence Act, the Registration of Customary Marriage and Divorce Act and the Devolution of Estates Act. As a result, domestic violence is now a crime and victims of