A/HRC/18/3 irregular migrants. It also urged the establishment of a national human rights mechanism. Guatemala made a recommendation. 90. Freedom of religion and freedom of expression were protected under the Belgian Constitution. Islam had been a recognized religion in Belgium since 1974. Belgium had a wide array of legislative weapons for combating discrimination and hate crimes that were committed on the basis of religious or philosophical beliefs, and those provisions were effectively applied by the courts. A report issued by the Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism, which monitored cases of Islamophobia, showed that 13 per cent of all cases of discrimination involved religion and, of those, 40 per cent involved Islamophobia. 91. The Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism had three areas of action: discrimination, migration and poverty reduction. The Centre pursued its goals by organizing awareness-raising and training activities, following up on individual complaints and issuing opinions and recommendations. 92. The assistance provided to asylum-seekers and other categories of aliens was regulated by a law passed in 2007 which was designed to ensure that all persons should be able to lead a dignified life. The law also stipulated that material assistance should be provided for the duration of asylum procedures, together with medical, psychological, social and legal assistance. Special assistance was to be afforded to vulnerable persons, such as torture victims, older adults and unaccompanied minors. The latter benefited from a special intake programme. 93. Since 1 October 2008, accommodation in residential facilities instead of closed detention centres had been made available to families. 94. Asylum-seekers were not systematically detained in Belgium: at border crossings, only those aliens who did not meet entry requirements were taken into custody. 95. Human rights principles were covered in the special training programmes provided for judges and the forces of law and order, including the police and members of the Armed Forces. The Communities had also taken steps to include human rights education in school curricula. 96. Human trafficking was broadly defined in the Criminal Code to cover all acts of trafficking in persons for the purposes of sexual exploitation, begging, organ trafficking or forced criminal activity. The 2008 National Plan of Action included various measures to prevent trafficking and punish traffickers. The protection of children formed an integral part of the fight against human trafficking. Belgium had signed police cooperation agreements on human trafficking and human smuggling with States of origin and States in which trafficking took place. 97. Primary and secondary schooling was free, and there were no direct fees. The Communities had taken steps to reduce indirect expenses (such as the cost of textbooks and materials) and to provide financial assistance for schoolchildren who needed it. 98. Despite budget constraints, the amount of official development assistance provided by Belgium had reached a record high of 0.64 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010, largely on account of its cancellation of the debt of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That figure was projected to fall to 0.57 per cent of GDP in 2011 given the smaller amount of debts still to be cancelled. 99. Belgium was grateful to all the delegations that had participated in the interactive dialogue. The universal periodic review would undoubtedly serve as a valuable tool for the development of future human rights policies. The process was just beginning. Belgium 12 GE.11-14583