A/HRC/23/8 domestic in nature, characterized by a dispute between the parties themselves, and had not been provoked by any form of discrimination. 30. The Bahamas had been the first country in the Commonwealth Caribbean (in 1991) to decriminalize consensual sex between persons of the same gender. Also, in 2010, and again during the current sixty-seventh session of the General Assembly, the Bahamas had voted in support of the retention of language in a resolution condemning killings for any discriminatory reason to specifically include “sexual orientation” as a discriminatory ground for such killings. The Bahamas would remain engaged in the international discussions on the matter. 31. The Head of Delegation reported that, in 2009, a bill was tabled to amend the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act to criminalize marital rape where the couple was living together. Consultation with civil society indicated that public opinion was strongly against the bill, and it was subsequently withdrawn. At the same time, spouses who might be subject to sexual abuse by their partners were not without legal protection under Bahamian laws such as the Domestic Violence (Protection Orders) Act. In addition, the Government had embarked, in schools, through its social agencies and in conjunction with civil society, on a variety of programmes to sensitize persons to this issue, which, it was hoped, would contribute to a decrease in domestic violence generally, including all forms of spousal violence. 32. The Head of Delegation noted that they were aware of the concerns with respect to the high incidents of reported rape. She told of steps taken to reduce such incidents, such as taking action to effectively investigate and prosecute rape cases and respond sensitively to the victims, when they did occur. On the Strategic Plan for the Management, Prevention and Elimination of Family Violence, she stated that a multi-disciplinary team had been established in March 2012 to review the plan and make recommendations on the way forward. The team expected to have the report completed by March 2013. 33. The Head of Delegation reiterated that the Bahamas had for many years attracted a steady flow of immigrants, mainly from its sister CARICOM (Caribbean Community) country of Haiti, although in recent times this had included vulnerable migrants from other countries. Such persons were housed in a detention centre until they could be repatriated to their countries, unless they qualified for refugee status after appropriate screening. Where children were involved, every effort was made to repatriate, determine refugee status or resettle them as quickly as possible. In this regard, the Department of Immigration adhered to guidelines based on the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) mandates to screen immigrants to determine whether they were at risk of persecution in their country. The Government and UNHCR enjoyed a regular dialogue, whereby national asylum assessments were shared with UNHCR and, when necessary, advisory opinions were requested. In addition, the Government was reviewing existing policies in respect of both the Carmichael Road Detention Centre and asylum seekers. The Government had also begun a process of renovating the physical infrastructure at the Detention Centre, beginning with the refurbishment of plumbing facilities. 34. The Bahamas continued to engage in very close cooperation with the United States in addressing this issue, and members of the TIP (Trafficking in Persons) Committee had received American-sponsored training to identify and respond to victims and perpetrators of trafficking. 35. The Government had undertaken several cross-cutting, bilateral and multilateral initiatives to deal with the scourge of trafficking in persons. In addition to putting in place the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention and Suppression) Act, 2008, it had established a National Inter-Agency Committee and Task Force, drafted national protocols for the Security Forces and Health and Social Services, conducted awareness programmes in 7