A/HRC/31/6 88. Canada welcomed the legal measures taken to combat slavery. It was concerned by impunity enjoyed by people guilty of slavery, absence of executional decisions to compensate victims and also by arrests of activists. 89. Chad welcomed the remarkable efforts made by Mauritania in the implementation of the recommendations from the first review. It encouraged Mauritania to continue its efforts and to request the support of the international community. 90. Chile noted that slavery persisted in Mauritania, that the situation of women had deteriorated and that perpetrators of homosexual acts were prosecuted and punished by death. 91. China commended Mauritania for the measures it had taken to promote women ’s and children’s rights, the establishment of the national preventive mechanism against torture, the strategic framework for poverty alleviation and food security and its cooperation with OHCHR. 92. The Congo welcomed the ratification of major international legal instruments. It encouraged Mauritania to continue its cooperation with the international human rights mechanisms. 93. Costa Rica noted the creation of the National Human Rights Commission and the existence of the Ombudsman. It was concerned about discrimination in law and in practice against the Haratin ethnic group. 94. Côte d’Ivoire commended Mauritania for adopting measures to improve the rights of children, women and the elderly and urged the Government to continue its efforts to fully implement those measures. 95. Cuba welcomed the accession of Mauritania to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Cuba acknowledged the strategies to reduce inequalities and address food insecurity. 96. Cyprus welcomed the accession of Mauritania to several international instruments. While noting the designation of slavery by Mauritania as a crime against humanity, Cyprus remained deeply concerned about the prevalence of slave ry in Mauritania. 97. The Democratic Republic of the Congo asked Mauritania what obstacles prevented it from withdrawing its general reservation to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and what measures it planned to take to overcome them. 98. Djibouti welcomed the adoption of a national programme to abolish female genital mutilation. It encouraged Mauritania to mobilize in favour of a quota system to improve women’s participation in political life. 99. The delegation of Mauritania recalled that the question of the return of 24,000 to 26,000 Mauritanians who were in exile in Senegal had been definitively resolved: all had been reintegrated and had received citizenship documents, a measure confirmed in the text of a tripartite agreement. 100. As to the recommendations on ratification of international instruments, particularly certain optional protocols, the delegation stated that the Government would study the matter. 101. With regard to child labour, the delegation explained that it was prohibited by the Labour Code for children under the age of majority, in conformity with the spirit and the letter of the International Labour Organization Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138), which Mauritania had ratified and applied. GE.15-22687 11/26