A/HRC/19/49 2008 and December 2010. It is also well known that violence and human rights violations in 1985, 2006 and 2007, and during the regime of Sekou Touré (1958-1984) were committed mainly by the security and defence forces. Successive Governments often manipulated the military for their own political objectives, at times using the security and defence forces to silence critics and put down protests. Irregular recruitment, including of ethnic militias, into the military services exacerbated the crisis in the security sector. Indiscipline grew, culminating in several mutinies over demands for higher wages and better working conditions. 37. In 2008, an assessment of the security sector conducted by an international team composed of representatives of the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations found structural deficiencies in the functioning of the army, police and judiciary that led to impunity for violations of human rights and increased mistrust between the security forces and the population. In its report, the team recommended the integration of human rights in the reform of the sector. At the universal periodic review of Guinea, in 2010, the promotion of human rights education for the security forces was also recommended. The Government has taken measures to move forward with the security sector reform. In March 2011, it organized a national seminar on security sector reform, which was followed by a planning workshop in May. 38. The Government also created a steering committee for security sector reform, supported by a number of technical committees. The steering committee submitted its findings to the President on 2 November 2011, including a plan of action, draft national security policy laws and draft decrees. These documents are not, however, rights-based. OHCHR, together with actors and partners, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, are advocating for human rights and international humanitarian law to be taken into consideration in the final document to be adopted by the Conseil national de transition. 39. As immediate measures, the Government demilitarized the capital, relocated heavy weapons to barracks in the interior of the country and took measures to strengthen discipline in the armed forces. It also introduced biometric identification of military staff members and submitted to the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund a project aimed at retiring 4,300 soldiers. The project is designed to pay a separation allowance and to establish a military pension fund. Development partners, such as the European Union, expressed their wish to assist in the establishment of the military pension fund. VII. Role of civil society organizations 40. Civil society in Guinea has limited capacity to conduct effective programmes to promote and protect human rights. Its interaction with United Nations human rights mechanisms is also minimal, primarily owing to a lack of knowledge of human rights principles and mechanisms. OHCHR has carried out several training workshops for civil society organizations to enhance their knowledge of human rights principles and understanding of United Nations mechanisms and how to actively use them, for instance in submitting shadow reports. The Office also organized workshops to train civil society organizations in investigating and reporting on human rights violations. 41. Human rights defenders still face harassment and the threat of arbitrary arrest and detention. In November 2011, for example, five members of a non-governmental human rights organization accompanying two individuals who had just been released after a prolonged period of detention were detained and interrogated for several hours on the orders of the Governor of Conakry. They were subsequently released without charge. 11