A/HRC/8/39 Page 12 free education at the primary level, and asked about Benin’s combat against illiteracy in general, in particular among women. Tunisia recommended to Benin that it continue its efforts to ensure greater promotion of the rights of women in particular of girls in the areas of education and health care. 42. The Netherlands commended Benin for their commitment to the UPR and the work done in setting up a legal framework and policies in the field of human rights. It also noted with interest the efforts made to ensure freedom of press. It referred to the Human Rights Committee’s concern that the individual complaint procedure before the Constitutional Court is largely unknown to the public, and asked how Benin would raise awareness on this and address this lack of information which leads to a lack of access to justice. It also welcomed the de facto moratorium on the death penalty observed by Benin since 1987 and called on the Government to permanently abolish the death penalty. It asked further information about the findings of the multidisciplinary committee which reflects on the possibilities of abolition. While welcoming the efforts undertaken by Benin to improve the conditions of detainees, it noted the concerns raised by the Human Rights Committee and the Committee against Torture in that regard. It recommended that Benin take effective measures to ensure that prison conditions are consistent with international standards. It also commended Benin on new projects, programmes and laws to protect the vulnerable, including women, children and disabled persons. Despite these good initiatives, practices such as child abuse, child trafficking, FGM and sexual harassment still persist. It thus recommended that Benin continue to strengthen its efforts to provide for better legal protection for the vulnerable groups and to guarantee their rights on the ground. 43. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland welcomed the answers to its questions posted in advance, including on promoting access to education and the Optional Protocol to CAT. It commended Benin on the work undertaken to establish a national preventive mechanism as specified by the Optional Protocol and indicated the willingness of the United Kingdom to continue its bilateral cooperation in this regard. It recommended that Benin take measures to ensure that torture is defined and listed as a specific offence within its criminal law. It also welcomed Benin’s legislative reforms to eliminate discrimination against women and to protect the rights of children, specifically the adoption of legislation outlawing the practice of FGM, but noted that CEDAW had expressed concern that some forms of FGM are still practiced in some villages and referred to the concerns expressed on the absence of specific laws against domestic violence and the trafficking of women. The United Kingdom also expressed concern that a high number of adolescent girls are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation and domestic labour to other countries, asked whether Benin plans to further work in these areas and recommended that it take further steps to establish and implement laws against domestic violence and the trafficking of women and children, and to ensure that existing laws prohibiting FGM are reviewed and enforced throughout the country. The United Kingdom also noted that the Committee against Torture and the Human Rights Committee concerns about the poor prison conditions, including overcrowding, illtreatment and the delays in the judicial system and inquired on the measures taken by Benin to address these issues and tackled impunity of law enforcement officials. 44. Burkina Faso noted that the constraints and difficulties faced by Benin in the implementation of its international human rights obligations were common to many developing countries and recommended that the Human Rights Committee and the OHCHR examine more closely the effectiveness of the assistance provided to these countries, and noted that sociological difficulties still limit the defence of certain rights, in particular, of women and children, a difficulty faced by many African States, and asked Benin if it envisages to challenge harmful practices which limit the full enjoyment of rights.