A/HRC/26/13 20. The delegation stated that any contract of marriage between persons below 18 years of age was null and void. Spouses and witnesses to such marriage faced punishment under the Penal Code. 21. The Government had outlawed the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) and cutting and that an extensive campaign was ongoing. Reported cases submitted to the courts had been penalized. However, challenges still remained in addressing that problem, including reaching nomadic populations and bringing about behavioural changes through knowledge and awareness. 22. The rights of the child were at the centre of Government policies and strategies. Efforts had been made to strengthen the family unit, provide a better environment for the growth and development of children and empower communities to coordinate and promote good child care and appropriate socialization practices. The community-based orphan reintegration programme had also been successfully expanded.. 23. The delegation stated that there were no cases of child labour in Eritrea. Children were not recruited for labour, but there was a culture, tradition and practice of children participating in family activities and work. Raising the monitoring capacity and awareness of all concerned were major challenges. 24. The Government had established a probation service to provide counselling and to integrate children who had been in conflict with the law into schools and neighbourhoods after their release. 25. The political and social roles of women in political activities, the elected assemblies, administration at local and regional levels and in other government positions had improved in the past four years. 26. The delegation provided information on the efforts made to bridge the gender gap in education and enhance the quality of girls’ education in the school system. With regard to combating adult illiteracy, data from the 2011/2012 academic year showed that 52,747 adults had participated in adult literacy programs, with women constituting 95 per cent of the participants. Similarly, the number of vocational training programmes for women had also been significant and during that academic year, 38 per cent of the 4,640 students enrolled were women. 27. The delegation stated that Eritrea continued to encourage the voluntary repatriation of persons who might have left the country illegally and in violation of the immigration laws, and that several rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for people returning on their own volition had been created. The Government was working to establish a mechanism to facilitate access to relevant international bodies, particularly the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in accordance with recommendation 107 from the first UPR cycle. 28. The delegation provided information on the reorganization and restructuring of its structures, starting from the local level, in accordance with the motto, “political dynamism, effective management and organization”. The Government was focusing on activating the involvement of communities in managing their own affairs, with emphasis on local empowerment through greater devolution of authority to local governance and regional administrations. 29. The delegation stated that the political landscape respected fundamental freedoms, namely freedom of expression, association and religion. No one had been detained for expressing his or her views or ideas, including for criticizing government policies and actions; there had never been any restriction on accessing the Internet and religious harmony, mutual respect, mutual understanding of the religions continued to flourish. 5