A/HRC/31/10 the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure. Sierra Leone enquired on the role that civil society played in addressing human rights. and. It made recommendations. 38. Slovenia welcomed the adoption by Saint Lucia of programmes to include marginalized youth in education and to reduce the number of dropouts. Slovenia commended Saint Lucia for engaging in awareness-raising activities against corporal punishment as well as training sessions and parenting programmes to promote alternative forms of punishment, while it remained concerned that corporal punishment remained legal. Slovenia expressed concern at the persistence of child labour and at the lack of a constitutional prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, which meant that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons could be persecuted and harassed. Slovenia noted with regret that Saint Lucia had still not become a party to several core human rights treaties. Slovenia made recommendations. 39. South Africa was encouraged that Saint Lucia intended to meet its obligations on the ratification of international instruments and on reporting, despite capacity constraints. South Africa welcomed the major strides made in ensuring the empowerment of women and the fact that women in rural areas had better access to education and vocational training programmes. It also welcomed the affirmation of the rights of all children to receive an education and the prohibition of students being refused admission to schools on discriminatory grounds. South Africa was encouraged by the fact that the Constitution of Saint Lucia prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex, race, place of origin, political opinion, colour or creed. It made recommendations. 40. Spain recognized the efforts and proactive policies of Saint Lucia for the recognition and protection of human rights, including the ratification of two of the optional protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the signature of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Spain expressed its appreciation for the non-application of the death penalty in Saint Lucia and for the Government’s efforts to combat gender discrimination. Spain made recommendations. 41. Trinidad and Tobago noted with satisfaction that, since the first universal periodic review, in 2011, Saint Lucia had increased its commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights, despite the lack of financial and technical resources. Trinidad and Tobago was pleased to note the legislative advances made to protect the rights of children and, in particular, the establishment of the National Action Child Protection Committee in 2012. Trinidad and Tobago made recommendations. 42. The United States of America noted that certain actions had been taken to reform the police force since extrajudicial killings allegedly took place in 2010-2011. The United States remained deeply concerned at the apparent continued impunity for officers possibly involved in those alleged killings, and the resulting lack of accountability and diminished respect for law enforcement and the rule of law. It asked whether, in line with the Prime Minister’s address in March, a special investigative committee had been established to investigate those allegations and implement the recommendations in the report of the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security. It remained concerned at the criminalization of same-sex sexual conduct between consenting adults, which contributed to pervasive discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons. It made recommendations. 43. Uruguay praised Saint Lucia for acceding to the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, ratifying two optional protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and signing the International 7