A/HRC/43/74 recommendations that the Government accepted included the continued implementation of measures to minimize, investigate and prosecute civilian casualties and allegations of torture and ill-treatment; the enforcement of the law on the elimination of violence against women; ensuring women’s full participation in public and political life, including in the peace and reconciliation process; and the protection of journalists and human rights defenders. The recommendation partially accepted concerned the commutation of death sentences of persons below 17 years of age at the time of the crime commission (accepted) and an immediate moratorium on executions (noted). The recommendations that were noted concerned the establishment of a moratorium on the death penalty and/or its abolition, and the accession to human rights treaties and other treaties to which Afghanistan was not yet a State party. 70. The Government announced its intention to establish a national mechanism for reporting and follow-up to facilitate the implementation of recommendations made by the treaty bodies, the special procedures of the Human Rights Council and in the context of the universal periodic review. XI. Conclusions 71. The plight of civilians continued to the same or to an even greater degree in 2019. Unlike in 2018, there was no ceasefire during the period under review. Civilian casualties decreased slightly in comparison to the numbers documented in 2018, and hope for peace remained elusive. 72. The right to political participation came under serious threat by antigovernment elements, with intense violence affecting civilians, particularly on the day of the presidential election. Civil society actors, human rights defenders, journalists and media workers continued to face threats, intimidation and harassment. 73. During the accreditation process in October, the A status of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission was confirmed, underscoring its important role in the promotion and protection of human rights and in preserving the human rights gains made to date. 74. Violence against women and girls and harmful traditional practices remain prevalent, affecting their enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms and impeding their active participation in civic and public life, not least because impunity for perpetrators continues. The enactment of the Child Rights Protection Law, with provisions on the prohibition of bacha bazi and the recruitment and use of children, was a positive development in 2019. 75. Despite the decrease in allegations of torture and ill-treatment of persons in the custody of the Government, such practices remain prevalent, and the procedural safeguards critical for prevention were insufficiently implemented. The Government has not taken concrete steps to establish a national preventive mechanism. XII. Recommendations 76. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights recommends that the Government of Afghanistan: (a) Create a climate conducive to respect for human rights by expanding and implementing the human rights-compliant legal framework and strengthening relevant institutions, and continue to fulfil its voluntary pledges and commitments made to the General Assembly in support of its candidature for the Human Rights Council; Protection of civilians (b) Continue to implement the national policy on civilian casualty prevention and mitigation, strengthen measures to investigate all incidents of conflict-related harm to civilians to ensure accountability, and further strengthen the efforts of the National 12