A/HRC/37/9 101. Brazil welcomed the efforts of Guatemala to ensure all citizens’ enjoyment of human rights. It suggested that Guatemala adopt effective measures to protect the life and physical integrity of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons. 102. The judiciary and the Supreme Court of Justice of Guatemala welcomed the boost to the draft law on a national sex offender registry and a genetic databank and the security measures granted to victims of domestic violence and femicide. It underscored the measures that had been taken to safeguard the freedom of individuals and to combat overcrowding in prisons through alternatives to incarceration, as well as to follow-up the cases of victims of the fire at the Virgen de la Asunción children’s home. 103. The Public Criminal Defence Institute of Guatemala underscored its work on gender issues, women’s rights, human rights and disadvantaged groups, including patients at the Federico Mora National Mental Health Hospital. It drew attention to the work of the national office to coordinate legal aid for women who had been the victims of any form of violence and for affected family members, the cultural training provided to judges on indigenous law, and the use of early release of prisoners as a means of combating overcrowding. 104. The Public Prosecution Service of Guatemala highlighted the creation of a protocol for inter-agency coordination on protection and assistance for victims of human trafficking, and a general directive regulating the activities of the assistance, coordination and intervention mechanisms of the service responsible for victim assistance and criminal prosecution of trafficking cases. It underscored the work of the child protection system and the child pornography unit, as well as the creation of the Children and Young Persons Section. 105. The Ministry of the Interior of Guatemala drew attention to the establishment of the Sexual Crimes Unit and the Anti-Trafficking Unit, the ratification of the Arms Trade Treaty, the financial support aimed at preventing domestic violence and violence against women, the improvement of internal and external security according to the new penitentiary management model, and the creation of the first detention centre for women under that model. The Government was committed to continuing its efforts to protect the life and physical integrity of human rights defenders and journalists. 106. The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare of Guatemala highlighted the adoption of the national employment policy, the promotion of the workplace breastfeeding strategy and the inclusive employment policy for persons with disabilities. It reported on progress achieved in the eradication of child labour, the reform of the Labour Code, under which the labour inspectorate could issue sanctions, and draft law 5199 on bringing national legislation into accordance with international treaties, particularly the ILO Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87), which was currently before Congress. 107. The Guatemalan Presidential Commission on Discrimination and Racism against Indigenous Peoples underscored the efforts that had been made to uphold the rights of indigenous peoples through, inter alia, improved coordination between the indigenous and official legal systems. Moreover, with regard to indigenous women deprived of their liberty, a women’s unit focused on assisting indigenous women accused of criminal acts and ensuring them prompt and full access to justice had been set up, and a protocol had been developed for the provision of assistance to women victims of various forms of violence. 108. The Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare of Guatemala, under the protocol for victims of sexual violence, had authorized the opening of several offices of the Public Prosecution Service in hospitals, trained hospital staff and health professionals on the use of the comprehensive care guide for pregnant women under 14 years of age, and had taken steps to ensure comprehensive sexual education and the prevention of teenage pregnancies. 109. The Food and Nutritional Security Secretariat of Guatemala noted that it had drawn up the National Strategy to Prevent Chronic Malnutrition, which had incorporated the recommendations of the impact assessment of the Zero Hunger Pact Initiative. The law on 10

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