A/HRC/42/3 58. Greece commended Norway for strengthening constitutional provisions on human rights. It expressed concern about the reports of a disproportionate use of out-of-home placement for children. 59. The delegation of Norway stated that the Government had made efforts to ensure that the Sami people had the opportunity to develop, protect and preserve their traditional livelihoods. Legislation guaranteed the realization of the right to culture of the Sami people. The Government was following up on measures proposed by the Sami Language Committee to increase knowledge of the Sami language in the public sector and in the education system. The Government was planning to develop a coherent policy for the national minorities through a dialogue with minority organizations. 60. Norway allocated funding, amounting to over 10 million euro, to the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery for 2018 to 2022 to support the Fund’s programmes. In the context of its international development assistance, the Government has been developing a targeted programme on combating modern slavery. 61. As regards the establishment of a national mechanism for implementation, reporting and follow-up, Norway was of the view that each respective ministry should follow up on the implementation of relevant recommendations in their daily work. The Norwegian National Human Rights Institution had compiled all the recommendations received from various human rights bodies between 2017 and 2019, which served as a tool for ministries in the follow-up of recommendations. 62. In addition to its efforts to address past assimilation practices applied against the Tater and Roma minorities, the Government took several measures to improve the living conditions of Roma and their access to education. The authorities maintained effective dialogue with Roma parents in order to increase the school attendance of Roma children. 63. Municipal health-care providers ensured the provision of adequate health care for prisoners with mental illnesses. The Government had been working to reduce the isolation of such prisoners, given the negative effect of the isolation. 64. The Government had been implementing action plans to combat violence and abuse against, and forced marriage of, women and girls. The delegation mentioned the establishment of support centres and improved services for victims of violence among other measures taken in that regard. Norway had ratified the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse in 2018. 65. The delegation provided clarifications regarding the issue of the legal definition of rape in the Penal Code. While the definition of rape did not include the wording “without consent”, the provision described circumstances that implied a lack of consent; thus, no further revision of legal provisions was required. 66. Norway had taken serious measures to counter sexual harassment. The Government had proposed a bill to Parliament to introduce a low-threshold system for handling cases of sexual harassment and to authorize the anti-discrimination tribunal to effectively deal with harassment cases, as courts were slow and costly in addressing such cases. 67. Haiti welcomed the commitment of Norway to the promotion of human rights and development assistance. It noted the Government’s excellent cooperation with human rights mechanisms. 68. Honduras commended Norway for the progress made since the previous reviews, and acknowledged achievements in combating gender discrimination. 69. Iceland welcomed the efforts of Norway to ensure gender equality and equal pay, the adoption of the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act and the strengthening of constitutional provisions on human rights. 70. India noted the strengthening of the Constitution through the adoption of a separate chapter on human rights, and the establishment of a national human rights institution. 71. Indonesia welcomed the efforts of Norway to incorporate core human rights conventions into its laws, and noted the adoption of the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act. 6

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