A/HRC/16/8 children from any risky situation, to establish the channels for action and to match the specialists and types of intervention to the seriousness of the situation. The procedure had been drawn up with the various social actors concerned to ensure that intervention was flexible and effective, safeguarded the best interests of the child and avoided the double victimization of the child. 70. Since empowerment, or re-empowerment, must take account of individual characteristics such as competence, awareness and social motivation, as well as characteristics related to environmental action, the Government’s programmes were designed to foster integration, inclusiveness and autonomy. 71. The Accessibility Act, passed on 6 April 1995, was based on the principle that accessibility and guaranteed access to the environment and public spaces were rights in respect of which no discrimination was permissible. In keeping with the Constitution, the act proposed the establishment of conditions conducive to real and effective equality and liberty of individuals. The Accessibility Regulations of 31 May 1995 went further, by establishing the Commission for the Promotion of Accessibility. 72. The Act Guaranteeing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted on 17 October 2002, did not deal specifically with disabled persons as a group, which could be taken as a form of discrimination, but rather introduced a number of measures to guarantee that persons with disabilities could exercise their rights and duties on a basis of equality. 73. The act had established the National Council of Persons with Disabilities, an advisory and participatory body responsible for follow-up, coordination and collaboration in government decision-making on disability-related issues. The Council was made up of representatives of disabled people’s associations, the Government, local authorities and the Andorran Social Security Fund. 74. Pursuant to article 28, the National Evaluation Commission had been set up by governmental decree on 10 June 2004 as a national body with both technical and public functions and responsibilities in the diagnosis and evaluation of dysfunction and disability. Its aim was to provide guidance and determine access to programmes, services, benefits and other measures to help persons with disabilities. 75. Access to education, for example, was expressly recognized for children, young people and adults with disabilities. Education was compulsory and free of charge for disabled children aged 6–16; if parents so requested, it could begin at the age of 3 and carry on until the age of 18. Pupils with disabilities were taught in mainstream schools, and special education was seen as a form of educational support to be provided in ordinary schools. The educational goals for children with disabilities were the same as for other pupils, although they were entitled to follow personalized courses adapted to their needs. There was also a programme called Integra, which included children with disabilities in the activities of leisure centres, and a programme called Agentas, which, among other things, helped people with disabilities to find work. 76. Andorra had signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 27 April 2007 and had taken into account and incorporated some of its provisions in the 2002 Act Guaranteeing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Realizing that the needs of old people and dependants were the concern of society as a whole, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Employment was currently working on various arrangements to introduce social and health-related care in the home. 77. Ms. Mingorance, an investigating judge working with the Andorran courts, replied to the questions on the changes to the Criminal Code adopted on 17 February 2008 in response to concerns expressed by the Committee on the Rights of the Child. 13