A/HRC/22/15 103. Slovakia welcomed the adoption of the Equal Opportunities for Men and Women Act and the ratification of CRPD and its Optional Protocol. It welcomed the National Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons and the preparation of a new human rights plan. It noted Peru’s signature of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure. It made recommendations. 104. Slovenia welcomed the Government’s commitment to combating discrimination against women and implementing affirmative measures benefiting women. It outlined the significant progress achieved in providing citizens with identification documents. It welcomed improvements in timely reporting to treaty bodies but regretted that since 2008 Peru had only provided answers to 8 out of 20 communications by special procedures. Slovenia made recommendations. 105. Costa Rica highlighted the important steps regarding protection of the environment, combating poverty and trafficking of persons, such as the adoption of the related law, and the National Plan of Action 2011–2016. It acknowledged Peruvian cooperation with treaty bodies and the progress in establishing the national preventive mechanism. It urged Peru to appoint that body shortly. Costa Rica requested more information about the coordination function carried out by the National Human Rights Council. It made recommendations. 106. Peru stated that, in accordance with the standing invitation of Peru, it would like to extend an invitation on behalf of the State to all thematic special procedures of the Human Rights Council to visit Peru. The Council was also informed that a bill already existed to ensure the harmonization of domestic law with the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and which also contemplated the Kampala agreements. 107. With regards to reprisals against journalists, it was indicated that the Government had scrupulously respected freedom of expression and of the press. Peru already had numerous legal and other guarantees for the unrestricted exercise of freedom of the press. 108. Regarding the issue of access of women to sexual and reproductive health services, Peru provided detailed information on progress achieved. It was noted that a strategy had been developed to reduce maternal mortality. Peru provided details regarding the budgetary programme on neonatal women health and programmes created to give advice to adolescents on sexual health. 109. It was added that measures to combat maternal mortality, which had targeted poor and vulnerable women, including strategies to reduce unplanned pregnancies, complications during pregnancies and increase deliveries in institutions, had resulted in a decrease of 49 per cent in the number of deaths between 1993 and 2011. However, reduction of maternal mortality remains one of the State’s major challenges, especially in mountain, rainforest, and rural areas. 110. On the question regarding the criminalization of consensual sex of adolescents, it was stated that the judicial branch had decided that consensual sex between adolescents would not be criminalized. A bill was currently before Congress to decriminalize consensual sex of adolescent aged of 14–17. 111. With regard to therapeutic abortion it was explained that it could be practiced by a doctor with consent of the pregnant woman when that was the only way to save her life or avoid grave and permanent harm to her health. Following recommendations of the Human Rights Committee, a draft technical guide regarding its application had been developed and was under consultation. It was stressed that therapeutic abortion was not a crime in Peru. The Maternal Perinatal Institute, the main body on that issue had a clinical protocol which addressed the issue of when an abortion could be carried out, which was currently used as reference in such cases. 14