A/HRC/12/13 Page 6 21. Israel expressed concern about forced early marriages, draconic methods of execution and punishment, and discrimination and violence systematically directed against women and children. 22. Qatar noted the significant developments occurred in Yemen since unification and the Constitutional and legislative guarantees for the protection of human rights. 23. Canada welcomed the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Arab Charter on Human Rights, and the Parliament’s recent law banning marriages under the age of 17. Canada expressed concern about the use of capital punishment, particularly about reports of an execution of a minor in 2008. 24. The United Kingdom welcomed Constitutional guarantees for fundamental freedoms and stressed that significant achievements have been made since 1990. It noted that challenges remained, referring to concerns expressed by CEDAW Committee about ongoing discrimination against women; the Committee on the Rights of the Child on issues of the definition of a child, family law and juvenile justice; the Human Rights Committee on offences carrying the death penalty; and the Committee against Torture on the practice of de facto incommunicado detention. 25. Saudi Arabia noted the National Strategies for Youth and Children and Basic Education. The establishment of the Ministry of Human Rights to strengthen human rights and to assist in the formulation of legislation and procedures, and the Constitutional and legislative reforms to ensure compliance with international norms, demonstrated Yemen’s commitment to human rights. 26. Bahrain referred to policies developed to promote economic, social and cultural rights, including women’s and children’s rights. Bahrain noted the firm political will of Yemen to advance the role of women in society, notably through initiatives aimed at removing discriminatory measures in national law. It asked for clarification about efforts undertaken to raise the level of education for women. 27. Cuba stressed that despite limited resources, Yemen has demonstrated a clear will to improve the daily life of its citizens, particularly in the areas of education, health care, food and combating poverty. Cuba welcomed measures taken in the field of health care to expand coverage and improve the quality of services. It referred to the national report containing information on measures taken to promote the rights of women and voluntary commitments. 28. Austria referred to recommendations made by treaty bodies that Yemen adopt a definition of torture consistent with the Convention against Torture; end the practice of incommunicado detention; and raise the age of criminal responsibility in accordance with international standards. Austria was concerned about the widespread application of the death penalty and about reports that victims’ families are involved in deciding whether a death penalty should applied. 29. France enquired about measures preventing the application of the death penalty when the age of the convicted person could not be determined. Recalling the worrying situation of Jewish and Baha’is people, France asked about policies undertaken to combat discrimination based on religion or belief. Taking into consideration the observations of the CEDAW Committee, France enquired about plans to remove discriminatory provisions from laws on citizenship and personal status.