A/HRC/29/9 23. On the issue of corruption, the Directorate of Corruption and Economic Offences had been established and a National Anti-Corruption Strategy and Action Plan had been designed. There was also the Prevention of Corruption Bill 2013, which sought to strengthen the legislative and institutional framework and elevate the status of the Directorate to that of a Commission. 24. Old correctional facilities were being demolished and new ones built. A full-time HIV and AIDS coordinator had been employed and HIV testing, counselling and treatment were provided. Condoms were being provided and all correctional facilities had a nurse and dispensary to attend to minor illnesses. All inmates received free medical care in government hospitals. 25. In response to advance questions, the delegation stated that the Children’s Protection and Welfare Act, 2011, had curbed child labour. Labour Inspectors could now inspect the formal sector to ascertain the existence of child labour and investigate crimes relating to the worst forms of child labour. However, there were no available statistics on reported labour cases in the Children’s Court. A programme on the elimination of child labour involving various stakeholders was currently being developed. 26. Awareness-raising and educational campaigns on gender-based violence continued to be run in an effort to prevent and combat domestic violence. There was a support programme for victims, which included counselling. The 6th Amendment to the Constitution Act of 2011 enhanced the support available to victims. Alleged perpetrators were prosecuted. The Domestic Violence Bill had been referred back for further consultations and research and , with new drafting instructions as a result. 27. The reservation to article 2 of CEDAW was partially withdrawn in 2004, and the reservations remained only with regard to succession to the throne and to chieftainship. An elected government had to be considerate to the traditional values of the society that formed its electorate. 28. Lesotho retained the death penalty under Statutory Law as a form of deterrence. However, the death penalty had not been carried out since 1995. There were appropriate safeguards in place, such as the Pardons Committee and the prerogative of mercy by His Majesty the King. Nonetheless, the Government took note of the international trend towards abolition of the death penalty. 29. With regard to the administration of justice, reforms had been undertaken to mitigate the backlog of cases and to modernize the operations of the judiciary, including the introduction of a case management tool in the High Court and the establishment of a small claims procedure in the magistrate court. 30. The Government was continuing to renovate and refurbish correctional facilities throughout the 10 districts, notwithstanding budget limitations. The use of restorative justice and other alternative dispute resolution mechanisms had been scaled up and the courts also imposed non-custodial sentences, including community service sentences, to reduce the overcrowding in correctional facilities. 31. Lesotho was committed to preventing illicit trafficking of conventional arms. The International Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons had been ratified and the Arms Trade Treaty had been signed. The Internal Security (Arms and Ammunition) Act of 1966 prohibited the possession, sale or transfer of a firearm and/or ammunition without a licence. The Counter Crime Unit had been established in March 2009 and tasked with searching for unlicensed firearms and arresting alleged perpetrators. 32. It was the ambition of Lesotho to expeditiously adopt the best human rights practices. The pace at which that ambition would be fulfilled would be determined by the 6