A/HRC/10/62 page 14 been evicted by the Government several times. In Niamey, some remained homeless. The main challenge continued to be the high level of poverty, which had led to begging as the only option for people to feed their families. It was reported that there was no specific action planned by the Government to address the socio-economic rehabilitation of people affected by leprosy, but this was left to non-governmental organizations. Few children of people affected by leprosy attended secondary school owing to the living situation of their parents; (l) In Nigeria, it was reported that laws did not discriminate against people affected by leprosy; however, neglect by family and society continued. In some parts of the country, if someone had leprosy, family members would hide or kill and burn them in order to avoid shame for the family. People affected by leprosy were denied participation, socially, politically and economically, and some committed suicide. In the past, health-care providers had contributed to discrimination against people affected by leprosy as it had been considered an incurable disease. The Government had aggravated this situation by settling patients in villages distant from main towns. Marriage and commercial relations had been forbidden and hence charity was the only option. People affected by leprosy were rejected and separated from the national association of people with disabilities. The Independent Electoral Commission, a body vested with the responsibility of conducting elections, was reported to be highly discriminatory; for example, one person affected by leprosy whose thumbprint was not legible was not allowed to vote because a thumbprint was needed for identification. There were no alternative provisions on how people in such situations could exercise their right to vote; (m) In the Philippines, testimonies reported that a television programme, Imbestigador, on the GMA Network Center implied that the residents of Culion were still affected by leprosy today, and showed pictures which did not reflect the island’s current situation. This was contrary to the fact that Culion had been declared a leprosy-free island by WHO on 6 May 2006. It was reported that the television programme had been misleading, and debased the people, name and reputation of the island; (n) It was reported that, in the Republic of Korea, people affected by Hansen’s disease had to be registered in the health management system. Their records were maintained until the end of their lives, even if they were cured. Except for this specific administrative regulation, there was no formal discrimination against people affected by Hansen’s disease; nonetheless, many people had misguided notions about people affected by the disease, so those affected by the disease were not free from stigma and discrimination; (o) In Taiwan Province of China, the Lo-Sheng sanatorium was established in 1930 to isolate people affected by leprosy. People living there were deprived of their freedom, dignity, health, families, homeland, employment and education. They faced forced labour, prohibition of marriage, forced sterilizations, forced abortions, forced enrolment in clinical trials and medical malpractice. It was reported that, at present, there were about 280 residents who have been living in the sanatorium for years. It was reported that they faced the possible destruction of their homes and relocation owing to the construction of a transit system; (p) In the United States of America, it was reported that, on 6 October 2008, the Department of Health and the Human Services Center for Disease Control posted an interim final rule regarding medical screening of immigrants for entry into the United States, according to which “aliens” were not admitted into the United States if they had a communicable disease of