A/HRC/32/11 the Committee that prepared this review included the President, members of the Cabinet and Parliament and that civil society and disability groups had also contributed to the national report. 71. The Constitution of Palau guarantees equal protection for women and men and no discrimination based on sex, race, place of origin, language, religion or belief, a fundamental right under the Constitution 72. The delegation stated that corporal punishment was strictly prohibited and the laws criminalized this act. There had been lawsuits against teachers for using corporal punishment against children. 73. The delegation indicated that Palau continued to work with relevant government agencies and different organizations on the issue of migrant workers. It affirmed that it was a challenging issue, as out of the 20,000 people in Palau, about 6,000 were foreign workers and there were seven labour officers to oversee the foreign workers. Despite the challenges, Palau continued to improve its work through regulations and legislation, such as the recently adopted Minimum Wage Act, which is applicable universally. 74. About women in politics, the delegation asserted that, of the 29 members of the Palau National Congress, three were women. During the last term, there were also three women members, so the number has been maintained. Palau hopes to increase the number of women in the National Congress in the upcoming general elections in November 2016. The delegation stated that, with the assistance of the Ministry of the Community and Cultural Affairs, the Government had conducted programmes to encourage more women to stand for election. 75. Djibouti welcomed the delegation of Palau and congratulated it for presenting the national report. It also welcomed the efforts made towards promoting and protecting human rights. 76. Egypt noted with satisfaction the measures taken to promote human rights in Palau as well as those taken by the relevant ministries in the areas of education, improving gender equality, promoting the rights of persons with disabilities and countering trafficking in human beings. It noted the adoption of laws to protect human rights, in particular the Family Protection Act and encouraged Palau to continue its efforts to counter trafficking in persons. Egypt invited Palau to ratify the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. 77. Estonia noted that Palau had ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Convention on the Rights of the Child and encouraged it to incorporate the provisions of both treaties into its domestic legislation. It also commended Palau for initiating the development of a national gender policy, but expressed its concern about the definition of rape, which was limited to sexual intercourse and spousal rape was still exempt from prosecution. Estonia encouraged Palau to establish protection services for survivors of domestic violence and child abuse. 78. Fiji noted the efforts made by Palau to keep abreast of its human rights obligations. It also noted that Palau had adopted the Family Protection Act, in 2012, which was designed to protect and empower the victims of domestic violence. Fiji congratulated Palau for ratifying the United Nations Convention Against Corruption and for its constructive participation in the peer review process under the Convention, in April 2015. 79. France noted the human rights commitments made by Palau since its first universal periodic review in 2011, in particular the signature of numerous international instruments. France invited Palau to continue its commitment. 12

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