A/HRC/16/6 8. The preparation of the report had begun in March 2010, with various activities by governmental institutions and two civil society consultations having been held in May. The delegation acknowledged the cooperation provided by the OHCHR regional office in Panama and by the Government of Brazil. 9. The delegation proceeded to address the issues of most interest to the international community, as well as those raised in the advance questions sent by some delegations. 10. Regarding international obligations, Panama had ratified 27 human rights instruments. In addition, in September 2010, during the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly, Panama had signed the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Furthermore, following a recommendation of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the Government had sent to the National Assembly a bill to bring the national definitions of torture and enforced disappearance into compliance with international standards. 11. The National Institute for Women, established in December 2008, was aimed at the full incorporation of women into the sustainable development of the country, through a public policy of providing equal opportunities and guaranteeing full rights. Following the issuance of the Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, formulated in February 2010, a new public gender policy had been designed through wide consultations with stakeholders. Thirty-two equal opportunity offices had been established at the national level to promote a society free of gender discrimination. The low participation of women in politics had been also a source of concern for the Government. Thus, the National Commission of Electoral Reform had unanimously agreed to propose a reform of the Electoral Code that would ensure parity of representation between men and women. The proposal had yet to be approved by the National Assembly before becoming a law. 12. Concerning the issue of violence against women, the Penal Code, adopted in 2007, included a definition of aggravated homicide that punished domestic violence with sentences ranging from 20 to 30 years in prison. However, given the increase in violent acts against women, a bill had been submitted to amend the penal and judicial laws in order to further increase those sentences and to define the crime of femicide. 13. The Panamanian Constitution provides that work is both a right and a duty, and bans labour discrimination on the grounds of race, birth, disability, social class, gender, religion or political ideas. Additionally, the Administration had enacted the highest increase in the minimum wage for public servants in the past 50 years. In 2000, unemployment had seemed an insurmountable problem, with rates reaching 14 percent. Since then, thanks to the creation of some 52,000 jobs per year, unemployment had declined to 6.6 per cent. That number should drop further in the future. 14. The Administration was concerned by the expansion of child labour. To address that problem, a committee to eradicate child labour and protect adolescent workers had been set up. Moreover, in June 2006, an Executive Decree had included a list of dangerous forms of child labour to guide policies and programmes and comply with the recommendations resulting from the most recent Convention of the International Labour Organization (ILO). 15. The National Budget allocated 48 per cent of its funds to social development, particularly in geographic areas with high poverty levels, to improve education, health care, nutrition and housing projects. In addition, the Government carried out a special programme for seniors consisting of the delivery of $100 per month to seniors aged 70 or older who lacked pensions. In addition, the Network for Opportunities was a programme providing monetary transfers and health, education and birth certification services, reaching more than 63,000 households. 4