A/HRC/8/34 Page 12 United Kingdom also pointed to other concerns raised by the Committee against Torture in relation to delays in the judicial system which meant that cases could take years to be tried. The United Kingdom stated that this situation affected the human rights of those detained without trial, made the presentation of evidence more difficult and generally eroded public confidence in the justice system. It asked for further information on the steps Argentina had taken to tackle this problem. Additionally, the United Kingdom stated that the training of police and other enforcement agencies was key to human rights delivery. While noting the efforts to improve police training, it expressed the view that public confidence in the police had been damaged by allegations of abuses in some cases. Witness protection was also considered to be another key element to ensuring effective trials and in that regard the United Kingdom recommended that the Government ensure that an adequate witness protection programme be implemented. The United Kingdom also welcomed Argentina’s recent ratification of the Optional Protocol to CAT and asked for further information on Argentina’s plans for its full implementation. It was noted that the national report highlighted the problem of social exclusion, including poverty associated with the 2001 economic crisis and while welcoming the progress Argentina had made, a gap between rich and poor remained which the Government had noted was a priority to be addressed. Traditionally vulnerable groups including migrants, indigenous people and children were at risk from exclusion. Women also still suffered from inequalities, especially in the workplace. The United Kingdom recommended that Argentina takes further steps to address discrimination against women and vulnerable groups, including children, minorities and indigenous peoples. 47. Given the impressive developments mentioned in paragraph 101 of the national report relating to the empowerment of women and making them more visible in the political arena, the Syrian Arab Republic asked the delegation to further elaborate on those efforts, as in Syria’s view they could be a part of best practices to be shared with other countries. 48. Italy wished to refer to two questions and recommendations. With the ratification of the International Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Argentina is completing the ratification of most existing international and regional human rights instruments. Concerning the progress made to combat discrimination, Italy asked what was the relation between the national action plan against discrimination adopted in 2005 and the other national (human rights) action plan. Italy noted that the progress achieved with the adoption of the 2005 law for the protection of children and adolescents, that according to the reports of some NGOs this legislation was not fully in line with the provisions of the Convention of the Rights of the Child, in particular concerning the legal definition of the child and its non-application to many sectors and intervention areas. Italy recommended that the Argentinean authorities adopt the necessary steps to bring their legislation into conformity with the norms and principles for the overall protection of children and adolescents. 49. Norway focused on issues raised by CEDAW and the Committee against Torture. It stated that CEDAW had expressed concern about the high incidence of violence against women including rape, domestic violence and sexual harassment in the workplace, and that perpetrators were often not brought to justice. CEDAW had recommended the enactment of a law aimed at combating and eradicating violence against women, ensuring that women have access to protection and effective redress and that perpetrators of such acts were effectively prosecuted and punished. Norway asked what steps Argentina had taken in that regard. Reference was also made to several recommendations made by the Committee against Torture, including with respect to the establishment of effective machinery within the prison system to receive and investigate reports of sexual violence and provide protection and assistance to victims. Norway asked what measures had been taken to implement those recommendations. Lastly, Norway referred to concerns raised by the