A/HRC/32/13 8. In terms of education, the delegation stated that Seychelles provided free primary and secondary education to all children and that compulsory secondary schooling had been increased by one year as of 2016, bringing the total years of compulsory education to 11. It also mentioned the medium-term strategy on education for the period 2013-2017 and beyond, which ensured that necessary investments were made in the sector of education. 9. The delegation noted that Seychelles remained fully committed to fighting violence against women through prevention, protection and prosecution. In that regard, the national action plan for gender-based violence for the period 2011-2015 focused on a review and harmonization of existing laws on gender-based violence, the sensitization of front-line enforcement officials, public education campaigns and mainstreaming of gender perspectives into national development plans. The delegation highlighted the fact that the Government of Seychelles was in the process of developing specific legislation on domestic violence, with regard to which wide consultation was taking place. 10. The delegation reported the enactment of the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons Act in 2014, which formalized legislative and administrative measures to effectively combat that crime, as well as the establishment of a national coordination committee on trafficking in persons. 11. The delegation recalled that Seychelles had undergone a free, fair and peaceful presidential election process in December 2014, whereby the incumbent President, James Alix Michel, had been re-elected. The elections had been observed by local, regional and international organizations. The delegation explained that, since the first universal periodic review of Seychelles, a fully fledged electoral commission had been established and the Elections Act and Political Parties Act had been modified. 12. Regarding the right of freedom of expression, the delegation noted that licence fees to operate media establishments had been significantly reduced through legislative amendments. It added that there had been an increase in the number of newspaper outlets, as well as the opening of a new radio station and the introduction of a new Internet protocol television system. Furthermore, Seychelles was starting to work on legislation on access to information. 13. The delegation noted that Seychelles had launched its third national drug control master plan in 2014, which had been developed in recognition of the need for a coherent and holistic national response. 14. The delegation reported that Seychelles had established a national AIDS council to improve upon the national response to HIV/AIDS. A policy entitled “test and treat” had also been put in place in 2014, as part of the global strategy to reach zero deaths from HIV and AIDS infection by the year 2030. 15. The delegation stated that health education, including sex education, was provided to children in school. Furthermore, Seychelles was currently in the process of finalizing two documents: the national policy on sexual and reproductive health and the national adolescent sexual reproductive health policy, which were aimed at responding effectively to the various sexual health challenges of the country. 16. The delegation noted that Seychelles remained committed to fostering non-discrimination and equality for persons with disabilities. For instance, the national employment policy promoted employment without discrimination, including for persons with disabilities. The delegation added that the Government was in the final stages of approving the national policy and strategic framework for disability, which was designed to empower persons with disabilities to claim their rights as citizens, and to change stereotypes regarding such persons. 4