A/HRC/13/3 Plan to promote the rights of women. To ensure that the Plan is followed up, it has also established gender equity and development offices in all Government branches. 17. On the subject of children’s rights, the delegation reported that the Labour Code and subsequent regulations issued by the Ministry of Labour prohibit the employment of children under 14 and protect children under 18 from the worst forms of child labour. The State regretted that violations of the law and regulations in this area still occur. 18. Under the national strategic plan for the eradication of the worst forms of child labour, 27,300 children have already been removed from risky situations and work exploitation. The authorities have launched an additional programme, which has achieved a significant decrease in the number of children and teenagers exposed and subjected to the worst forms of child labour. 19. In its efforts to ensure that all minors attend school, in 2003 the Ministry of Education authorized undocumented school-aged children to attend the compulsory basic years of education. Furthermore, a programme that offers subsidies to needy families in exchange for acceptance that their children of school age will attend school has been established and benefited more than 208,000 families in 2008. 20. With regard to the right to work, the Dominican Republic stressed that all workers are free to organize and join the union of their choice and that the Labour Code establishes a system of labour tribunals to handle disputes. 21. The State referred to reports from a number of non-governmental organizations indicating that, between 2003 and 2008, most of the undocumented Haitian workers employed in various farming and construction ventures did not assert their rights for fear of being dismissed or deported. The State explained that for every reported case there are dozens of counter-examples. 22. The Government indicated that its priorities in giving effect to the right to work are the creation of more and better jobs, the eradication of forced labour and child labour and the promotion of social dialogue. 23. Although the Dominican Republic has not been able to eradicate poverty, it has implemented important programmes in this area, such as “Eating Comes First” (Comer es Primero), which has become an integral part of the Solidarity Programme. By means of its electronic debit card, the Solidarity Programme ensures that citizens living in extreme poverty have their education, health, transport and nutritional needs met and that the elderly are cared for. 24. The Dominican Republic indicated that the establishment of the new social security system has been one of the most significant achievements in recent years. The coverage under the subsidized family health insurance scheme for the poor has risen from 65,000 beneficiaries in mid-2004 to 1,224,643 people nationwide. In addition, the undocumented population can benefit from free medical care. 25. The great challenge regarding education in the country is related to its quality, since the Dominican Republic has the second-highest school enrolment rate in Latin America, with 91.1 per cent of children between 6 and 18 attending school. A 10-year plan for the period 2008-2018 has been elaborated for all levels of education, and the Government has supported a gradual increase in the budget for the education sector. 26. Referring to vulnerable groups, the Government indicated that, despite efforts made over the last 40 years to counter poverty in the countryside, rural dwellers are the most vulnerable social group when it comes to unequal distribution of opportunities and wealth. 27. As regards food security, not even the second part of the first of the eight Millennium Development Goals -- halving the proportion of people suffering from hunger 5