A/HRC/8/50 Page 13 It also recommended the continuation of the efforts to abolish the death penalty. Portugal expressed concern at the high percentage of illiteracy among women, and recommended that Mali enhance its policies regarding access to education in particular for girls. Portugal also expressed concern at the high incidence of certain practices that violate the rights of young women, such as FGM and forced marriages, and asked what laws existed to combat these phenomena. Portugal recommended that Mali ensure that such laws are compatible with its international human rights obligations and that resources are allocated, including through multilateral international cooperation, to fully implement such laws and raise awareness regarding human rights and the rule of law. 50. Bangladesh encouraged Mali to continue to seek technical and financial assistance from the international community to bolster national efforts to promote the enjoyment of all human rights, including the realization of the right to development. Bangladesh asked about specific measures that have been taken or will be taken in the future to increase school enrolment and to bring gender parity into schools, as stipulated in the Millennium Development Goals. 51. The Syrian Arab Republic praised Mali’s efforts in specifying and determining the particular technical assistance it needs to further promote human rights, as well as with regard to its voluntary pledges made when presenting its candidature to the Human Rights Council. It asked the delegation to elaborate more on the pioneer project of setting up a Parliament of children. The Syrian Arab Republic recommended that Mali be provided with the necessary technical assistance it is seeking in order to promote human rights in the country. 52. Djibouti noted that one of the objectives of the UPR was the sharing of best practices in the promotion and protection of human rights, and in this regard, requested further details on the EID, one of the initiatives brought by Mali as a model of best practice. 53. Guatemala welcomed the efforts made to improve the quality of life of Mali’s population, above all the political will to improve the situation of women and children, in particular regarding access to health services and education. With regard to FGM, one of the worst traditional practices, Guatemala welcomed that the Government recognizes that legislation prohibiting this practice must be adopted and also welcomed the creation of a national programme to combat FGM. Guatemala agreed that eradicating this practice will only be possible through awareness-raising, which must however be accompanied by adequate legislation and its efficient implementation. 54. Replying to the comments and questions from various delegations, the representative of Mali confirmed that the National Human Rights Commission functioned in conformity with the Paris Principles. A project to set up children’s courts in other regions of the country was under way. With regard to freedom of the press, he said that there was a tendency to decriminalize offences related to press freedom. On the subject of female genital mutilation, he reiterated that his country preferred awareness-raising and education to the adoption of punitive measures. In that context, the national programme to combat the practice of excision had been adopted in 2002 and a national action plan to combat the practice of excision was also planned for the period 2008-2012. Awareness-raising and education had led to a reduction in the excision rate from 94 per cent in 1996 to 85 per cent in 2006. As for the vulnerability and exploitation of rural girls who worked as domestic servants in urban areas, he pointed out that the Labour Code protected all employees. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that domestic workers should be covered by special provisions in order to give them greater protection. The Government, together with UNICEF, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), had launched and implemented a project chiefly aimed at informing migrant girls about their rights, organizing them in networks and offering them access to microfinance. On the subject of discrimination, he acknowledged that, despite the General Statute on the Civil Service Rules and the Labour Code,