A/HRC/16/7 challenges posed by the lack of trained personnel in the legal and judicial system, and inquired about plans to reform the legal and judicial system. It made recommendations. 63. Australia welcomed the new Constitution and commended the Government for having drawn the attention of the Human Rights Council to the issue of climate change. It urged Maldives to guarantee freedom of religion. Australia made recommendations. 64. Spain congratulated Maldives for efforts to accede to international human rights conventions. Spain asked whether Maldives planned to review legislation to end limitations on freedom of religion and to reform provisions in the Constitution that prevented nonMuslims from acquiring nationality. It also asked whether Maldives planned to stop applying the provisions of Shariah law criminalizing apostasy. It made recommendations. 65. Turkey welcomed that the new Constitution provided for separation of powers and recognized the independence of judiciary, including the appointment of women judges. Turkey stated that the Constitution would enhance freedom of religion with a view to fighting extremism. Turkey observed the achievements made in education and the development of private media, and encouraged Maldives to reinforce freedom of expression. It also encouraged States to support Maldives in addressing the threat of climate change. 66. Maldives stated that the Government had been decisive in taking measures against domestic violence. Referring to the newly submitted domestic violence bill, Maldives noted that, despite its wide scope of application, the bill fell short of allowing for expert evidence from social workers and provided for a dual role for family protection authorities: to act as an agency working on individual cases and as a regulatory body. To remedy those shortfalls, the Government had provided its comments to the political parties that had submitted the bill, and was working with non-governmental organizations to obtain support for the comprehensive bill. 67. The Ministry of Home Affairs was the main agency for implementing the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation protocol on trafficking in women and children. The Maldives police service was working with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to establish information-sharing mechanisms in the region. The police service had established a sub-unit within the organized crimes division that addressed human smuggling using a comprehensive database. Moreover, the Department of Immigration was leading efforts to draft a new national law on anti-trafficking, with financial and technical expertise provided by the Government of Australia. Several important pieces of legislation were in the pipeline that would strengthen legal safeguards for women’s rights. These included a sexual harassment bill, a draft evidence bill and a draft revised penal code. 68. While the Penal Code did not prescribe flogging as a punishment, it was administered under Shariah. The Government was looking at ways to ensure that such punishment was not applied to women in such a discriminatory manner, and it was considering a moratorium on the punishment pending national consultations, including an opinion from Parliament. 69. Various steps to promote equity, access and the rights of women, including the development of an action plan and positive statements addressing a range of such key concerns as health and well-being, violence and safety, decision-making relationships and economic security, had been taken at the national and community levels. The national equality policy was aimed at promoting substantive equality through gender mainstreaming in all areas and action on empowerment in specific sectors. 70. Work was under way to ratify the ILO Convention on discrimination in the workplace. Moreover, the Government had recently facilitated scholarships for girls and women. Media guidelines had been formulated on gender-based violence reporting. With 10