A/HRC/29/16 of the Judicial Review Act 2010, the appointment of an Ombudsman in January 2014, the recent parliamentary approval of the Ethnic Relations Commission, the functioning of numerous institutions and the implementation of a number of initiatives. 26. Guyana had made major progress towards promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women. In its Global Gender Gap Report 2013, the World Economic Forum had ranked Guyana 33rd out of 136 in the area of overall political empowerment. The country ranked 41st in the Report for wage equality for similar work. 27. Better-coordinated efforts were being made with regard to persons with disabilities since the enactment of the Persons with Disabilities Act. Those efforts would continue to improve as Guyana strove to implement its treaty obligations under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). 28. Guyana was part of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Reparations Commission, which called for reparations relating to Africans who had been enslaved and brought to work in the British, French, Dutch and Spanish colonies. Guyana had established a broad-based committee which was preparing the country’s submission to CARICOM on its reparations claims for the former colonial powers. 29. The delegation indicated that although there had been some reduction, interpersonal violence, including sexual and domestic violence, continued to cause grave concern. The delegation highlighted some achievements and challenges in that area. In July 2014, the National Task Force on Sexual Violence had held a special session to review the draft protocols for the police, prosecutors, magistrates, social workers and medical practitioners under the Sexual Offences Act 2010 and to examine the new draft action plan. With the assistance of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the plan of action had been completed and was submitted in January 2015 for Cabinet review. The draft protocols and new regulations to strengthen the 1996 Domestic Violence Act had also been completed. 30. Over the past four years, the media, civil society and community and faith-based organizations had played a more proactive role with regard to combating violence against women and children. 31. The total number of reports of domestic violence had decreased by more than 50 per cent, and the number of persons charged increased from 25 per cent to 52 percent. While the number of persons charged and sentenced by Magistrates for domestic violence offences had increased significantly, the number of successful prosecutions and convictions of sexual offences had been disappointing. 32. The delegation recalled information provided in its national report on legislative reforms to enhance the protection of children’s rights. The Child Care and Protection Agency had continued to investigate child abuse cases reported throughout the country. The delegation expressed its regret that the draft Juvenile Justice Bill was still not complete and that, as a result, Guyana had been unable to implement the recommendation with regard to the age of criminality. 33. The delegation also highlighted efforts to combat trafficking in persons, including the work of the broad-based Ministerial Task Force on Trafficking in Persons. 34. Guyana had taken major steps and made significant financial investments in the justice sector. A number of initiatives had been introduced to improve oversight, monitoring and accountability and to enhance coordination within the sector. Such initiatives included establishing civil and criminal justice committees; increasing the number of judges; and removing the annual budget of the judiciary from under the Ministry of Legal Affairs and establishing it as a direct charge on the Consolidated Fund to enhance its independence. 6