A/HRC/19/2 recommendations that had already been implemented or were being implemented, as well as those recommendations that would undergo in-depth examination before Iceland’s next review. Three recommendations had not been accepted, the first of which concerned the withdrawal of its reservations to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The reasons underlying those reservations remained applicable. 683. The other two recommendations encouraged legal definitions that were different from those in Icelandic legislation. With regard to “discrimination”, the legal definition in Icelandic legislation was in line with Iceland’s obligations under the agreement on the European Economic Area. Extensive preparatory legislative work was ongoing, aimed at enacting comprehensive equal treatment legislation further in line with legal initiatives on equality protection in Europe. The delegation emphasized that non-discrimination was a vital aspect of human rights protection in Iceland, and efforts would continue to ensure nondiscrimination in Iceland. 684. With regard to torture, the current legislation prohibited torture as a form of inhuman treatment as described in the Constitution of Iceland. Any legislative change could undermine the main principle on the strict protection of freedom that was firmly enacted in Icelandic law and legal practice. 685. The delegation stated that recommendations had been made on issues regarding violence against women and domestic violence, relating in particular to structural aspects in society, such as a lack of effort to increase awareness and to better enable victims of violence to find their way to and through the legal system. These recommendations were a valuable encouragement for the strong emphasis that the Government of Iceland had put on ending violence against women and domestic violence, which included a new plan of action. 686. The delegation referred to the recommendations on the protection of children from sexual abuse, and stated that the establishment of Barnahús, a child-friendly, interdisciplinary and multi-agency centre where different professionals worked under one roof in the investigation of child sexual abuse cases, had had a positive impact on the protection of children and was an example that other European countries had looked to when investigating and processing cases of sexual violence against children. Nevertheless, the prevention of sexual abuse against children needed to be strengthened. To that end, the Government of Iceland had presented a legislative amendment to the General Penal Code in order to ratify the Lanzarote Convention of the Council of Europe and allocated financial resources for a prevention and awareness-raising campaign. 687. The delegation emphasized that, under the General Penal Code, all children under the age of 18 were effectively protected from sexual exploitation. Individuals from the age of 15 were permitted to engage in consensual sexual intercourse. This did not diminish their legal protection from sexual exploitation or sexual violence, as there was a clear difference between sexual relations and sexual violence or exploitation. The Government of Iceland was of the view that the criminalization of sexual relations between teenagers would not be useful in ending violence against children. 688. The delegation stated that the Government had put emphasis on protecting the welfare system during the challenging economic times arising from the financial crisis in 2008. It stated, that by way of an example, a consultation group consisting of relevant stakeholders had been established to monitor the situation and to make recommendations to the Government. The economic turbulence had triggered a lively and substantial social debate on the concept and implementation of human rights, and the positive obligations of the Government in protecting and ensuring those rights. The universal periodic review had given valuable input in that discussion. 236 GE.13-14768