A/HRC/10/71 page 4 8. Primary education had been free for all since 2005. The associated budgetary increases had resulted in a 69 per cent increase in enrolment in primary schools between 2005 and 2008. The Government had also started to extend free access to health services, which had resulted in significant improvements in the relevant indicators. 9. The right to work and related rights were guaranteed by the labour and social security codes. The Government was combating unemployment, notably by setting up the National Employment Observatory and by taking measures to improve pay conditions. It was also drafting a national policy on social protection. The protection of copyright was guaranteed and a bill had just been adopted by the Government with a view to protecting industrial property rights. 10. Civil and political rights were protected by the Constitution and legislation. A law on disarmament was being prepared and the draft of the new criminal code criminalized genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. It also criminalized acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment and provided for the compensation of victims by the State. Rape and violence against women were also criminal offences and carried dissuasive penalties. Judicial guarantees for persons deprived of liberty were provided for by law. Freedom of thought, conscience, religion and expression were protected and there was a multitude of newspapers and media organizations. In addition to government aid for the press, there were plans to lift the tax on press imports, to decriminalize acts considered as press offences and to set up a support fund for the media. The laws relating to political parties and non-profit organizations recognized and protected freedom of association. There were 39 political parties in Burundi, as well as more than 3,000 registered non-profit organizations, with an increase in the number of registrations over the last few years. State support for political parties of all persuasions had been particularly noticeable during the 2005 elections. 11. Burundi was planning to eliminate the difference between the age at which boys and girls could marry in the draft of the new code of individuals and the family. Furthermore, the Constitution provided for a minimum level of participation of women in political institutions. Under the draft of the new criminal code, the offences of rape and violence against women and girls were severely punished. School enrolment for girls no longer posed major problems. A draft code on inheritance, matrimonial regimes and bequests, which recognized the right of women and girls to inherit property, was under consideration. Finally, a married woman no longer required her husband’s authorization to be gainfully employed. 12. With regard to minority rights, the Constitution granted the Batwa ethnic group three seats in the National Assembly, as well as in the Senate, and a vast governmental programme, supported by NGOs and the churches, was under way to effectively integrate the Batwa into Burundian society. 13. The Constitution prohibited discrimination against persons living with HIV/AIDS, who received free medical care and were protected against dismissal for reasons of ill health. A multifaceted programme to help the poor, repatriates and displaced persons was being implemented. 14. An independent, national human rights commission would be functional from January 2009. The Government had just adopted a bill on that subject, which would be submitted to Parliament for adoption during the current session. The entry into force of the new criminal