A/HRC/19/13 reflected in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report, in which Iceland had been ranked first the two previous years. Although Icelandic women’s participation in the formal labour market is among the highest in the world and they were well educated, the gender pay gap persisted. 17. Sexual and domestic violence against women was a global concern. The uncomfortable and ugly reality of such violence was openly discussed in Iceland, because of the work of the Icelandic women’s movement which was the first step towards dealing with this problem. The Government was doing its utmost to stimulate and encourage this development. 18. The delegation pointed out that only a small number of rape victims file charges and only few of these cases lead to indictments or convictions. In this regard, a comprehensive consultation process involving the representatives of the judiciary, police, prosecutors, civil society organizations and victims associations, was initiated. Recommendations emanating from this initiative were being followed-up. 19. Further important steps in eliminating violence and discrimination against women included the establishment of a special task force by the Government to deal with human trafficking. Penalties for such crimes have been increased. Furthermore, Parliament has passed legislation criminalising prostitution and also declaring strip clubs illegal. 20. Iceland is in the process of ratifying the European Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse. Also, the Government Agency for Child Protection operated The Children’s House, which has become a model internationally for a child-friendly justice environment. It has also contributed to more numerous complaints, prosecutions and convictions for acts of sexual violence against children. However, preventive measures have not been sufficiently systematic but the Minister of the Interior indicated that he has placed particular focus on ensuring improvement in that area, in cooperation with other ministries. 21. Protecting human rights was not only a domestic issue but also an important aspect of Iceland’s foreign policy. The Government wanted its development policy to be rooted in the fundamental rights of all people as set out in the Charter of the United Nations and the Millennium Development Goals. 22. The delegation stated that there is an Icelandic saying “Glöggt er gests augað”, which when translated into English means “the guest has a sharp eye”, referring to the fact that a visitor can often notice things that residents cannot. This can be applied to all spheres of society – injustice can be taking place in one’s backyard without one noticing it. In this respect, international cooperation for human rights is an important factor in implementing and ensuring global and universal human rights. In this regard, many examples were cited including the guidance received from the United Nations human rights treaty bodies, which has had a positive impact on the protection of human rights in Iceland. The delegation stated that it looked forward to the important and constructive dialogue that followed. B. Interactive dialogue and responses by the State under review 23. During the interactive dialogue, 25 delegations made statements. Many delegations expressed appreciation for the national report and the comprehensive presentation made by delegation of Iceland. Recommendations made during the dialogue are to be found in section II of this report. 24. Algeria expressed appreciation for the participatory process undertaken in the preparation of the report. It noted Iceland’s commitment to adapting its national legislation to international human rights standards. It also took note of rising immigration and growing 5