A/HRC/31/17 rights. He reiterated that the Government had approved domestic administrative procedures that should ensure ratification of those conventions in the very near futu re, given that most of them had already been signed. The implementation of all those conventions was helping to protect human rights and guarantee peace, security and democracy in United Nations Member States. 85. The Minister emphasized that Sao Tome and Principe planned to continue the reform process under way and had in fact adopted its Code of Criminal Procedure even before ratifying all the relevant international conventions. 86. Sao Tome and Principe had already signed the conventions concerning child labour and guarantees of civil and political rights but had not yet ratified them. The Government was continuing its efforts to ensure that all those international conventions were ratified by the end of 2015, so allowing for a further reinforcement of the democratic rule of law with full respect for and protection of human rights. 87. Sao Tome and Principe was a sovereign, independent State underpinned by the rule of law and committed to building a free and fair society in which human rights were protected, as provided in article 1 of the Constitution. Citizens were free to exercise democratic political activities; Sao Tome and Principe had demonstrated its maturity as a democratic State by holding elections that had been free and transparent, with constructive support from international observers. 88. The Minister reiterated that the Government was firmly committed to implementing the recommendations of the Human Rights Council, to ratifying all conventions and to aligning national legislation with international best practice s for the fight against all forms of discrimination against children, the protection of women and respect for political rights. 89. In response to the written questions submitted in advance by the States speaking at the Human Rights Council, the delegation stated that the Constitution of Sao Tome and Principe enshrined the principle of the physical and psychological inviolability of the person, including the child. It also established that no person could be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; that criminal proc edures should provide full guarantees for the rights of defendants; and that any evidence obtained through torture, coercion or violations of the physical or psychological integrity of the person should be null and void. 90. The Constitution further provided that children had the rig ht to receive from the State and from society the respect and protection essential to their full development. The Penal Code adopted in 2012 reinforced those principles. Article 152 of the Code established a prison sentence of 4 years for any parent or guardian of a minor under 16 years of age, or any other person responsible for such a minor’s care, who treated the minor cruelly or with selfish intent, physically abused the minor or neglected the minor’s health-care needs. 91. Act No. 11/2008 on domestic and family violence established measures to prevent and punish domestic violence. Act No. 12/2008 on the reinforcement of legal mechanisms for the protection of victims of domestic and family violence established a prevention and support mechanism for victims of spousal and family violence (the Counselling Centre against Domestic Violence). To provide for enforcement, specialized units had been established in 2013 by courts dealing specifically with issues affecting minors. 92. A number of awareness-raising seminars and campaigns on the protection of the rights of the child had been organized with support from the United Nations, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Children ’s Fund (UNICEF). GE.16-00396 13/25