A/HRC/28/14 8. With regard to overdue reports to treaty bodies, CEDAW and CERD had discussed reports from Iraq in 2014 and national committees had been set up to implement their recommendations. 9. Iraq and the Kurdistan region had enacted a number of laws aimed at promoting and protecting human rights since the first UPR cycle, including the Journalists’ Rights Act. In addition, strategic plans had been adopted to support education, health care and employment and to combat poverty and corruption. 10. Iraq had established the Court of Human Rights, the Court on Publishing and the Media and the Family Court. Four courts dealt with cases of domestic violence, and complaints from the High Commission for Human Rights could be channelled to the Chief Public Prosecutor through a department in the Office of the Public Prosecutor. 11. Iraq had issued three reports containing statistical data and reporting on progress towards achieving the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. Considerable progress had been made in combating poverty, increasing school enrolment and lowering infant and child mortality rates. 12. With regard to the empowerment of women, there were currently 83 women members of the Council of Representatives out of a total of 328 members. The fact that 22 of the women concerned had been elected without relying on the quota system reflected increased awareness of women’s potential. Support was also provided for women’s economic empowerment, for instance through the High Commission for the Advancement of Women in Rural Areas. 13. Iraq had adopted a National Strategy to Combat Violence against Women and a national action plan to implement Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security. 14. Major challenges in the area of children’s rights included street children, child labour, early marriage and internally displaced children. The unstable situation in the country since 2003 made it extremely difficult to ensure the speedy implementation of CRC, OP-CRC-AC and OP-CRC-SC. However, the relevant authorities were taking vigorous action to address the challenges by enacting legislation and establishing the requisite institutions. The Ministry of Education offered special support to gifted students. A law enacted in 2001 had provided for the creation of schools for gifted children in the different governorates. The Ministry of Health had created paediatric hospitals and child psycho-neurological centres. It had organized, with international assistance, special training courses in the treatment of child mental and behavioural disorders for medical staff. 15. Pursuant to the Act concerning persons with disabilities, Iraq was currently establishing an agency to support the rights of people with disabilities. They would be allocated a quota of jobs in public institutions and measures would be taken to equip buildings with the requisite access facilities. Support would also be provided for training centres for persons with disabilities. 16. A number of measures had been taken on behalf of minorities, for instance allocation of plots of land for the construction of new places of worship, restoration and rebuilding of places of worship damaged by terrorist acts and compensation of members of minority groups exposed to terrorist attacks. Minorities were also granted quotas in the Council of Representatives and local councils. Anyone who sought to force members of minorities to change their nationality was liable to prosecution. 17. The National Human Rights Plan was designed, inter alia, to serve as a tool for sound public administration, good governance and the strengthening of the rule of law, to promote a culture of tolerance of cultural and ethnic diversity, to generate awareness of 4