A/HRC/19/15 safeguard the rights of minorities. Belarus recalled recommendations made by the Committee against Torture and the Human Rights Committee to investigate alleged cases of torture and cruel treatment. Belarus made recommendations. 31. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland inquired about the implementation of the National Strategy for Combating Violence against Women and the extent of its success. It recalled Lithuania’s Copenhagen commitment to establish an independent national human rights institution in accordance with the Paris Principles. The United Kingdom welcomed Lithuania’s ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the action plan to implement the National Programme for Social Integration of Disabled Persons. The United Kingdom made recommendations. 32. The Islamic Republic of Iran expressed its concerns at discrimination against the Roma community as well as racist violence and hate speech against non-European minorities; at the fact that asylum-seekers cannot work irrespective of the time they stayed in Lithuania; and at allegations of excessive use of force by law enforcement officials against detainees. Iran made recommendations. 33. Belgium stated that new amendments to the Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information made secret any information “disparaging family values” or referring to marriage other than between people of the opposite sex. Belgium also noted that intolerance towards homosexuals increased over the past years due to discriminatory legislatives initiatives. Belgium made recommendations. 34. Regarding its family policy, Lithuania noted a recent ruling by the Constitutional Court which acknowledged partnership as another form of family and the current debate on how to better protect the rights of unmarried couples. 35. Replying to questions about the Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effects of Public Information, Lithuania stressed that the law was adopted in order to implement the requirement of the Convention on the Rights of the Child that appropriate guidelines be developed for the protection of the child from information and material injurious to his or her well-being. As the original wording of the law evoked misgivings about its possible interpretation in a manner discriminatory against sexual minorities, the law was amended. Its current version did not classify information on homosexuality as detrimental to minors and actually protected sexual minorities by classifying as detrimental information which humiliates a person because of their sexual orientation. 36. To explain the attitude of the State towards sexual minorities, Lithuania stated that the Parliament rejected legislative initiatives which contained suggestions that it impose administrative sanctions for propagating homosexual relationships. 37. Lithuania mentioned the trend toward prosecuting hate crimes more intensively and gave the example of a recent case related to commentaries on the internet about sexual minorities. 38. Replying to a recommendation to treat racial motivation as an aggravating circumstance, Lithuania noted that its Criminal Code was already amended to this effect. 39. Replying to a recommendation to implement its new law regarding restitution of Jewish communal property, Lithuania stressed its determination to do so. 40. The delegation of Lithuania stated that the network of the educational institutions of national minorities in Lithuania is one of the biggest in the EU member States. In the 201011 period, 136 general education schools with Polish and Russian as the main language of instruction were functioning in Lithuania. 7