A/HRC/31/12
125. The State of Palestine welcomed the National Action Plan on Human Rights and
measures taken on integration and on business and human rights.
126. France welcomed the ratification of the International Convention for the Protection
of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and the Optional Protocol to the Convention
against Torture.
127. The Republic of Korea welcomed the inclusion in the Criminal Procedure Code of
more human rights-based provisions.
128. Uruguay welcomed the withdrawal by Austria of its reservation to article 11 of the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and efforts
on gender equality and domestic violence, and encouraged Austria to continue such efforts.
129. The delegation reiterated that criminal provisions against hate speech and hate
crimes had been amended to make penalties harsher. Criminal provisions on anti-Semitism
had been strictly implemented. Thus, progress had been achieved in combating hate crimes
and it was expected that further measures would be taken.
130. Austria provided protection to all recognized religions, including Islam, and
supported the teaching of those religions by the relative communities. In that respect, legal
measures and public awareness campaigns were necessary to combat discrimination.
131. In view of the increasing number of asylum seekers, the Government had every
intention to ensure the same human rights standards as it had in the past. However, the
asylum-processing support staff had been overloaded and the ability to provide shelters and
health care had become limited owing to the increasing demand. Furthermore, the
delegation reported on measures taken to ensure equal access to quality health care to all,
including children and persons with disabilities, irrespective of their legal status.
132. The delegation reiterated that protection against violence, especially against
children, remained a core priority of the Government. Corporal punishment was prohibited
by domestic constitutional legislation. All relevant agencies, teachers and health officials
had a legal obligation to report any violence against children, including psychological and
physical violence.
133. Ombudsman boards for children and young people had been established in each of
the nine states and had been working to assess the sociopedagogical situation in children’s
homes and foster families to ensure that children were protected against violence, abuse and
neglect. The Government had been studying changes in public awareness and attitudes on
domestic violence; the results of the study would be presented during a high-level global
conference on the theme “Towards a childhood free from corporal punishment”, to be held
in 2016.
134. The delegations reported on measures taken to ensure adequate investigation into
allegations of ill-treatment, including measures addressing conflicts of interest during
investigations and involving the Austrian Ombudsman Board.
135. The delegation reiterated the commitment of Austria to reach the international target
of allocating 0.7 per cent of its gross domestic product to ODA but said that that could not
be achieved overnight, taking into account current budget constraints and the need to direct
funds to address the refugee situation. The development cooperation activities of Austria
were based on a human rights-based approach and the rule of law.
136. The delegation stated that a task force on human trafficking that included civil
society representatives had been very active. It had created several working groups on
issues related to human trafficking, including the exploitation of children, and prepared a
guidebook for the identification and handling of potential victims of child trafficking.
13
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