A/HRC/33/15 Transnational Organized Crime (Palermo Protocol), and the State’s continuing cooperation with other States to combat trafficking in persons. It remained concerned about reports that the crime rate was increasing, and encouraged Trinidad and Tobago to continue to apply a human rights-based approach when implementing security reforms. 39. Portugal welcomed the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It highlighted that no executions had been carried out in Trinidad and Tobago since 1999. 40. The Republic of Korea noted the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the enactment of the Trafficking in Persons Act and the Children Act 2012, and the adoption of the national refugee policy. Those measures represented major progress towards ensuring protection for the most vulnerable groups. 41. The delegation of Trinidad and Tobago noted the comments and recommendations made by all the intervening States. It welcomed the comments and indicated that they would refer them to the authorities, and that they would seek to engage not only the Government but also civil society in establishing whether or not those comments and recommendations could be incorporated into the national human rights machinery. 42. On the issue of child marriage, the delegation explained that, in Trinidad and Tobago, child marriage was a critical issue and that amending existing legislation, which reflected traditional norms and values, required an extensive and inclusive consultation process. The issue of child marriage was currently the subject of lively debate at the national level and the recent amendment to the Children Act had increased the age up to which a person was still considered a child to 18 years, in compliance with international standards. Consultations would continue to ensure that there were no inconsistencies between increased age of majority and other practices that did not conform to that age limit. 43. In response to the questions posed in advance by the delegation of Norway, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago recognized that discrimination against any group was a scourge to be tackled. Thus, taking into consideration the culture and the diverse nature of society in Trinidad and Tobago, any changes to statutory law would require extensive nationwide consultations involving not only the affected groups, but society as a whole. 44. With regard to the establishment of a human rights institution in accordance with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles), the delegation indicated that the Government would continue to consider the matter. More in-depth studies were being carried out and a holistic approach had been adopted to ascertain whether or not existing institutions, such as the Equal Opportunity Commission and the Office of the Ombudsman of Trinidad and Tobago, could be restructured and potentially converted into a national human rights institution. 45. In response to the questions submitted in advance by the delegation of Slovenia with regard to corporal punishment, the delegation referred to the extensive information provided in the opening statement and the prohibition of corporal punishment in schools. 46. Regarding the question posed by the United Kingdom on the three-tiered classification of murder and on matters relating to the abolishment of the death penalty, the Constitution (Amendment) (Capital Offences) Bill, 2011, was being debated and the issue of the abolishment of mandatory imposition of death penalty was under discussion. Trinidad and Tobago continued to address the issue of the death penalty and no executions had been carried out without observance of due process of law. 47. On the issue of the empowerment of women, the head of the delegation of Trinidad and Tobago mentioned the increasing number of women in Parliament and in the Senate, noting that the presiding officers of the two houses were women. 8