A/HRC/12/4 Page 5 18. NCFC has spearheaded the development and implementation of the National Plan of Action for Children and Adolescents 2004-2015. The Plan of Action, which focuses on education, health, child protection, HIV/AIDS, family and culture, enjoys bipartisan political support. 19. The Government has increased the age of marriage with parental consent from 14 to 16 years and the age of criminal responsibility from 9 to 11 years, following recommendations from the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. 20. The Government has appointed a Special Envoy for Children to work in tandem with NCFC and the various stakeholders in safeguarding the rights of children. 21. The Government has established a permanent, multi-sectoral Anti-Trafficking in Persons Committee. The Committee emphasizes prevention and maintains a widely accessible public awareness campaign on human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children. It invests in providing protective services for victims and works on strengthening national prosecutorial capacity. The Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Act is under review with a view to enacting stiffer penalties and more robust provisions on commercial sexual exploitation of children and child adoption. 22. Rising levels of crime and violence continue to present significant challenges on various fronts. Over the last decade Belize has emphasized rehabilitation within its prison, offering prisoners programmes for rehabilitation, skills training and fellowship. 23. There are other challenges reflected in the national report as priorities, including HIV/AIDS, youth development, good governance, persons with disabilities and education. 24. The situation of the Maya of Belize is a matter of national importance. Belize intends to engage the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people. 25. On 12 October 2004, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued recommendations pertaining to the case Maya Indigenous Communities of the Toledo District of Belize. The parties were unable to agree on an implementation mechanism. 26. The villages of Conejo and Santa Cruz of the Toledo District sought to have their customary rights recognized by the Supreme Court of Belize in the Cal case. The Government respectfully refrained from taking any measures to implement the recommendations of IACHR as soon as the matter became the subject of litigation. 27. On 18 October 2007, the Supreme Court issued its ruling, which contained provisions similar to the recommendations of IACHR but pertaining only to the villages of Conejo and Santa Cruz. 28. The Government is committed to implementing the Court’s decision. 29. There are many complex matters affecting implementation. Parts of the land in question are within declared national parks; and some are settled or owned by non-Mayans. In some instances, cessation of existing licenses would have a direct economic impact. More importantly, there is a lack of consensus among the Maya themselves and, in the case of the