A/HRC/22/13 of the Zambian citizenry; and also that this process would accord the people the opportunity to agree on a definitive position on the death penalty. 9. Since elections in 2011, there has been a significant and remarkable increase in the number of women in decision-making positions. The delegation provided a number of examples, including that of the Acting Chief Justice and the Deputy Chief Justice of Zambia, who were women, and that of five of the ten Judges on the Supreme Court, who were also women. Additionally, of the 37 Permanent Secretaries appointed, 17 (approximately 45.9 per cent) were women. 10. The delegation stated that the draft Constitution would protect women from discriminatory laws and practices in the area of personal and customary law, and cited article 27 in this regard. Consultations have also been finalized on proposed amendments to the Intestate Succession Act that will address discrepancies which disadvantage beneficiaries in the event that a male spouse dies without leaving a will. The amendments were expected to be taken to Parliament for enactment soon. 11. The delegation stated that Zambia has made major steps towards enhancing protection against gender-based violence and cited in this regard the enactment of the AntiGender-Based Violence Act. Implementation of this Act has commenced with the establishment of “safety shelters” and the allocation of funds under the 2013 national budget to establish more places of safety countrywide. Also addressed is the creation of awareness of gender-based violence and a response to this violence through the preparation of a joint programme of a number of activities to be carried out by various stakeholders in 2013. 12. The delegation stated that the goal of Zambia was to ensure that all people enjoyed the same rights without any discrimination based on sex, race, disability, status or any other recognized ground which makes it unjustifiable to deny any person a right to which they are entitled. 13. Zambia was committed to ratifying all human rights instruments and to ensuring that those undertakings under international law were properly translated into domestic law and that progress has been and will continue to be made in this regard. Since the last review, Zambia has enacted the Anti-Human Trafficking Act 2008, the Anti-Gender-Based Violence Act of 2011, the Persons with Disabilities Act 2012, and the Education Act No. 23 of 2011. Zambia will continue to domesticate the human rights instruments to which it is a party. 14. As regards the implementation of the Anti-Human Trafficking Act, the delegation stated that a national policy had been put in place and an Inter-ministerial Task Force had been set up to spearhead the implementation of this Act. Places of safety (shelters) had been established and a fund to provide material support, rehabilitation and counselling for victims had been set up. With support from cooperating partners, Zambia was conducting continuous awareness-raising and training programmes for law enforcement officers and relevant stakeholders. 15. The delegation stated that the Government would soon table the Freedom of Information Bill before Parliament for its consideration, which would be a major step in ensuring the protection of the right to information. 16. In light of the many concerns raised by civil society with regard to the NonGovernmental Organization Act, the Government was engaged in discussions with civil society to find the best way of creating an environment that enhanced the freedoms of civil society to operate without any unjustified restrictions. 17. Zambia has introduced the requirement to register mobile phone SIM cards, which was essential in protecting the general public against crime. It was committed to using this 4