A/HRC/17/8 51. Human rights education was an integral part of primary, secondary and university education as well as of the training of police and justice personnel. 52. Austria supported equal participation in society and independent living of persons with disabilities. Austria was among the first states to sign and ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol. An independent monitoring mechanism was established in the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection. High labour law standards in Austria, special measures to enhance integration in the labour market and the promotion of inclusive education further helped the empowerment of persons with disabilities. 53. Austria already benefitted from a high standard with regard to the protection of economic, social and cultural rights. The inclusion of such rights in the constitution was presently under discussion and numerous economic, social and cultural rights were already implemented by Austrian legislation and jurisprudence. In addition, since 2009 certain economic, social and cultural rights were made applicable in Austria through the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. 54. Roma were well integrated in Austria. Special programmes included language training, educational and cultural projects. Special support measures were provided to enhance integration in the labour market. 55. In addition to the general protection against discrimination on the basis of the European Human Rights Convention and the Law on Equal Treatment, since January 2010 same-sex couples in Austria had the possibility to register their partnership. Registered partnerships were in most aspects equal to marriage, e.g. the rights to subsistence and inheritance. There was presently no consensus in Austria with regard to the adoption of children by same-sex couples; therefore no legislative changes in this regard could be expected for the time being. 56. The possibility of serving in the Austrian army already at the age of 17 was on a purely voluntary basis and had to be seen in the context of the Austrian education system, which allowed young people to complete compulsory education at an early age. However, participation of soldiers below age 18 in combat was strictly prohibited. 57. Detention conditions for juvenile prisoners were constantly being improved in Austria, including by offering possibilities of training and education. In all detention centers, juveniles were detained separately from adults. A special detention centre for juveniles had been established in Gerasdorf. 58. In the framework of the planned revision of the Alien Law, it was foreseen to provide legal assistance free of charge, also during detention. 59. The two Austrian National Action Plans on Human Trafficking contained a comprehensive list of measures for prevention, victim protection and prosecution of perpetrators as well as for national and international coordination and cooperation. Austria intensively cooperated with its neighbours in the fight against human trafficking and organized crime. In the framework of its development cooperation, Austria also supported victims in the States of origin. 60. It was not foreseen to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, since this Convention was in contradiction with other international obligations. Many of the rights contained therein were already protected through national as well as European legislation. The Convention would restrict the authorities’ capacity to take regulatory measures in the access to the labor market. 9