A/HRC/33/13 capacities in regard to gender in ministries, departments and agencies. Uruguay made recommendations. 64. Brazil noted with appreciation the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and encouraged Antigua and Barbuda to take concrete measures towards ratification of its Optional Protocol. Brazil appreciated the fact that Antigua and Barbuda had de facto abolished the death penalty, which had not been applied since 1991, and encouraged the formal abolition of capital punishment. Brazil expressed concerns about the situation of victims of domestic violence in Antigua and Barbuda and encouraged initiatives to prevent and eliminate violence and discrimination against women and girls. Brazil made recommendations. 65. Antigua and Barbuda reiterated that it was aware of the importance that the Working Group attached to abolition of the death penalty, noted that the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court had not used it for decades and stated that the Government could consider declaring a moratorium, or a similar gesture, in response to the concerns expressed during the review. 66. The delegation also restated its understanding regarding the concerns expressed during the interactive dialogue on the legal ban on consensual sex between adults of the same sex. It added that it understood that, from a human rights perspective, the fact that no one had been prosecuted under those provisions was unsatisfactory. Nevertheless, the delegation expressed its concern that a sudden change on these sensitive matters could generate a counterproductive reaction from public opinion. 67. The Government considered that gender-based violence was a serious issue and that it should be treated along with violent behaviour in general. The gender affairs department regularly went to schools to create awareness of the issue and to show how to resolve disagreements and problems without recourse to violence. 68. With regard to prison overcrowding, the delegation agreed that a new penal facility was urgently needed. In addition to the measures to address overcrowding already described, the delegation stated that the Government was trying to increase the number of prosecutors and judges in order to reduce the time that a detainee had to wait for trial. 69. Corporal punishment of children was another issue that appeared in laws and for which time would be required in order to change the views of Antiguans. 70. The delegation considered that the Government should not have major difficulties in acceding to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other core human rights treaties. It took the point that the fact that many matters were not a problem in the islands did not mean that Antigua and Barbuda could not become a party to the relevant conventions. 71. The Government was concerned at pregnancy among adolescents, even though the number of teenagers who became pregnant was relatively small. The Government had previously sponsored a programme for girls who had become pregnant to finish school, but it had not been possible to continue with it because of a lack of resources. 72. Responding to concerns raised regarding health care, the delegation stated that Antigua and Barbuda had a relatively new hospital and clinics throughout the country that provided services to those who needed them. Additionally, the Government had started a preventive programme to address the high incidence of diabetes in the islands — a problem that affected the Caribbean region in general. 73. The delegation acknowledged that there were large numbers of migrant workers residing in Antigua and Barbuda from Spanish-speaking countries, in particular from the Dominican Republic. The Government was making efforts to integrate that community and provided it with legal and health services in Spanish. 12 GE.16-10597