A/HRC/17/6 28. On the issue of gender equality and the empowerment of women, Saint Lucia indicated that the Government has demonstrated its commitment by creating a Division of Gender Relations. 29. Additionally Saint Lucia provided information on the following positive developments, including the increased participation of women in public and political life at the highest levels of decision-making; the fact that the Equality of Opportunity and Treatment in Employment and Occupation Act 2000 specifically provides redress for gender discrimination in the workplace, and also expressly prohibits sexual harassment; the introduction of the offence of marital rape in the Revised Criminal Code; the fact that female representation outnumbers that of males at all levels of the educational system; and the enactment of the Domestic Violence (Summary Proceedings) Act in 1994 which provides redress to victims of domestic violence, and the establishment of the Women’s Support Centre. 30. Saint Lucia stated that as a consequence of the strides made with respect to women, stereotypical attitudes are becoming far less prevalent. Through the existence of a national curricula for secondary and primary schools, females have access to the same curricula and examinations as males. Available data consistently indicate that overall female participation and attendance at these institutions outnumbers that of males. 31. Regarding the question on the alleged link between prostitution and the tourism industry, it was clarified that prostitution is unlawful in Saint Lucia and that the Government does not condone this activity. It was further stated that there is no official data or research supporting any link between prostitution and the tourism industry in Saint Lucia. 32. Regarding the justice system, Saint Lucia stated that over the past decades, the level of crime in the country has escalated to unacceptable levels and new policies and programmes are being put in place to combat crime. 33. A number of positive developments in the overall administration of justice were noted, including: the formulation of a Strategic Plan for the Royal Saint Lucia Police; the enactment of a Police Complaints Act in 2003, which provides for the establishment of a Police Complaints Unit; and the establishment of a Legal Aid Authority board pursuant to the enactment of the Legal Aid Act 2007. 34. In response to the advance question regarding compensation for persons who allege police brutality, Saint Lucia clarified that, while there exists no State mechanism for compensation arising from such cases, with the introduction of legal aid it is possible for litigants to access the Legal Aid Fund to initiate such proceedings. 35. Saint Lucia also noted, inter alia, the following action with regard to the administration of justice: the enactment of the Criminal Code Amendment Act which came into effect in November 2006 and which addresses several gender issues; the fact that the Evidence Act 2002 secures and guarantees the effective testimony of children in legal proceedings in a child-friendly courtroom atmosphere; and that the Counter-Trafficking Act of 2010 is now in effect and its legislative provisions are very similar to that contained in the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons. 36. Saint Lucia added that a major step in fulfilling its human rights obligations with regard to the incarcerated, was taken in 2003 when it opened the Bordelais Correctional Facility, which houses five hundred (500) inmates. The operationalization of this Correctional Facility with its emphasis on rehabilitation of prisoners replaced a more than one-century-old prison compound, which offered very limited scope for proper rehabilitation measures, and housed inmates in unsanitary and less than humane conditions. 6