A/HRC/10/75 Page 5 representative body and enhancing its role and authority, landmark elections in 2006 saw half its members elected to public office via an electoral college of nominated citizens. Moving forward, the country is considering how to increase the Council’s scope of authority and responsibility leading to comprehensive and direct elections of half its members. On 2 December 2008, constitutional amendments were approved by the Supreme Council to fulfil a part of this plan. 15. Secondly, contrary to misconceptions that women are a restricted group in society, women are in fact at the forefront of the Government and private sectors. Currently, nearly half of students registered in 1,259 schools across the country are girls; about 75 per cent of all university students are women. 16. Women account for nearly 30 per cent of the national workforce and currently occupy posts ranging from civil servants to engineers and bankers, as well as traditional jobs in teaching and health care. In recent months, the judiciary has appointed women to a number of high-level positions, and more such efforts are expected. In politics, 63 of the 452 candidates who contested the elections were women. One woman was directly elected and the Government also nominated eight others to the 40-member Council, which translates into a 22.5 per cent share of seats, compared to the world average of 17 per cent. Women form 60 per cent of Government sector employees, of whom 30 per cent occupy high-level posts. In February, a Cabinet reshuffle increased the number of women ministers to four. 17. The Government’s holistic approach to women’s issues has resulted in a number of social support initiatives; among these, the Dubai Shelter for Women and Children was established to provide support and psychological care to victims of human trafficking, domestic violence, family neglect or employer abuse. Other organizations offer similar social services. Further, the Government has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. 18. A large part of the country’s population is made up of culturally-diverse foreign workers, with over 200 nationalities represented, attracted by positive employment opportunities. As a member of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Arab Labour Organization and other labour-focused multilateral organizations, the United Arab Emirates seeks to work transparently with regard to its obligations. Over the past few years, federal and individual emirate governments have instituted sweeping reforms to improve working conditions and worker rights. 19. More than 3.1 million foreign workers are contractually employed and the Government is fully committed to creating the necessary mechanisms and safeguards to protect all who reside and work in the country. Ensuring fair, punctual payment of workers is a particular priority of labour policy enforcement. In 2007, 122,000 facilities were inspected by labour ministry personnel, resulting in penalties for 8,588 violations relating to working conditions and workers’ rights. More importantly, the Government is working on a new law to protect domestic workers, which will afford them far greater protection and assurances. 20. This takes forward the 2006 decision of enforcing mandatory employment contracts to protect the rights of domestic workers in relation to salary, accommodation, health care and working hours. The State is also finalizing a revised version of Federal Labour Law No. 8 of 1980, which has already been amended (in 1981, 1985 and 1986). The Ministry of Labour has introduced a complaints hotline for the general public. The State has improved dialogue with individual labour-exporting countries and established consultations at the multilateral level. This