A/HRC/31/5 8. Despite its limited economic and financial resources, its small surface area and the political instability, Lebanon had always opened its borders to refugees from many countries without any discrimination as to their ethnicity, religion or political affiliation. Refugees were hosted in the country based on humanitarian reasons only. Although Lebanon was not a signatory to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and despite its limited capacity, it had never closed its borders to anyone seeking safety or fleeing persecution. 9. The world had recently begun to feel the serious challenges faced by the economically robust, politically stable and geographically vast Europe, as a result of the influx of just a few thousand refugees, while Lebanon, a small country, had hosted millions. Lebanon had been hosting Palestinian refugees for over half a century and there were currently about half a million of them. Since 2011, Lebanon had also hosted nearly 1.5 million Syrian and 50,000 Palestinian displaced persons. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Lebanon was hosting the largest per capita number of refugees and displaced persons in modern history. The United Nations had depicted that situation as a national disaster. 10. Refugees and displaced persons were sharing basic services such as water, electricity, health and social services with the Lebanese people. As a result, State institutions were facing tremendous challenges and were severely overburdened. The influx of refugees represented a demographic threat to Lebanon as an entity. Lebanon therefore reiterated its appeal to the international community to share that burden. The emergency conditions had affected its programmes to promote human rights and its ability to fulfil its international obligations. 11. Owing to the marked increase in the number of people residing in Lebanon, the prison population had increased, hindering the implementation of plans to reduce prison overcrowding that had been adopted by the prison authorities. The Lebanese authorities, however, were continuing in their efforts to combat and prevent torture in prisons and places of detention. In April 2014, the Council of Ministers had presented a bill on the establishment of a national human rights institution and a national independent body on the prevention of torture, in accordance with the provisions of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which had been submitted to the parliament for adoption. Another bill had been submitted to the parliament to amend the provisions of the Penal Code on the definition of torture, in line with the Convention against Torture. 12. Lebanon continued its efforts to combat human trafficking and to guarantee the protection of victims of trafficking. Major steps had been taken in that field, including the adoption by the parliament in 2011 of Act No. 164 on punishment for the crime of trafficking in persons. 13. Concerning the prohibition of discrimination against women in law and in practice, the parliament had adopted a law in April 2014 on the protection of women and other family members from domestic violence. 14. As for labour rights, the Ministry of Labour continuously monitored the application of the Labour Code and the amendments thereto with regard to Lebanese and foreign workers alike. The rights of women and juveniles in the workplace were protected. The Ministry was in the process of aligning Lebanese labour laws with the provisions of the international labour conventions, in particular those to which Lebanon was a party. Special emphasis was placed on health and social security for workers. Public sector employees had set up a Civil Service Board to defend their rights. 4