A/HRC/8/50 Page 10 committees to combat HIV/AIDS had been set up in all ministerial departments and in certain private enterprises, and a special programme had been prepared for children with AIDS and AIDS orphans. His Government would inform the Council in due course of its decision regarding the standing invitation to special procedures mandate-holders. He acknowledged that the delay in submitting reports to treaty monitoring bodies had been due to technical difficulties experienced by his country, and announced that an inter-ministerial committee had been set up to take rapid measures and produce reports within the established time limits. A plan was under way to relieve overcrowding in prisons. It provided for the holding of a sufficient number of special and regular court hearings. Turning to discrimination against women, women’s participation in political life and their access to education and employment, he said that the General Statute on the Civil Service and the Labour Code provided for equal treatment of men and women. Discrimination might, however, persist in practice owing to the weight of tradition. That was why the institutional development programme that was being carried out would, and in some cases already did, include a gender approach in State institutions. The 2005 Political Parties Act contained incentives to encourage women to stand as candidates in various elections. Moreover, the draft Personal and Family Code would abolish all provisions that discriminated against women. The National Human Rights Commission would be established by a law during the second quarter of 2008 in order to bring it into conformity with international requirements in that respect. Lastly, he said that a charter of judicial values, drafted on the basis of commitments made by various judicial bodies had been prepared with a view to ensuring the independence of the judiciary and combating corruption. There were plans to conduct a survey of the charter’s impact on the credibility and rehabilitation of the judiciary among citizens in July and August 2008. 31. Mexico enquired about the possibility for the national human rights commission to receive and uphold individual complaints, and about the possible results that can be obtained from the submission of such complaints. Mexico recommended that, together with sensitization and awareness-raising campaigns, the Government also take the necessary legislative measures to prohibit FGM. Furthermore, Mexico recommended that the juvenile justice system be extended to the whole country and that alternative forms of deprivation of liberty for children in conflict with the law be created. 32. Turkey noted that Mali is in the process of undertaking appropriate measures to implement recommendations made by CEDAW and encouraged Mali to speed up the process for the adoption of the draft law to suppress the discriminatory provisions against women and children, and to ensure the prohibition of FGM. Turkey also noted the importance of education in countering the discriminatory effects of traditional practices and expressed support to Mali’s efforts to prioritize education and to reduce the rate of illiteracy. 33. Madagascar noted Mali’s responses to questions sent in advance but requested nevertheless more information on problems encountered in implementing the national programme to combat trafficking in women and children and on solutions and results obtained so far. To eliminate this scourge, which is developing disturbing proportions in Africa, Madagascar asked how Mali ensures that its actions can continue over time. 34. Brazil enquired about practical measures taken by the Government to combat child labour, particularly of girls in rural areas, and to facilitate the reintegration of street children and begging children into the society. Recognizing Mali’s efforts to combat child trafficking, including the signing of cooperation agreements with neighbour countries, Brazil asked what practical measures the Government was taking to fight cross-border trafficking of children. Finally, Brazil recommended to Mali to implement effective measures to fight child labour and trafficking in children.