A/HRC/28/6 8. On the right to education, the delegation stated that the Gambia was one of the leading African countries that had met the Millennium Development Goals with respect to primary school enrolment free of charge as well as gender parity. The Government plans to expand free education to secondary schools by 2015 for both boys and girls. The delegation added that more schools with a proximity range of three kilometres had been built to provide access to education for every Gambian child. Moreover, according to the delegation, the University of The Gambia continues to register annual increases in the number of students and has launched a new undergraduate degree programme in journalism. 9. With regard to the right to health, the delegation noted that the Gambia offered health services to the public at a very affordable flat fee for consultation and prescription medicine. There are several health centres with qualified nurses in every region, and referral hospitals manned by qualified doctors. The delegation added that maternal and antenatal health care was offered free of charge in all public health facilities. The delegation stated that, with the advent of the Ebola virus epidemic, the Gambia had taken strong preventative steps, including sensitization of the public, increased surveillance at border points and the provision of protective clothing to all personnel concerned, as well as Ebola test kits. 10. In the domain of the rights of women, children and persons with disabilities, the delegation noted that the Gambia had taken great strides to reinforce their rights. In order to combat gender-based violence, two pieces of legislation were enacted in December 2013. The Domestic Violence Act addresses domestic violence and provides protection for the victims of domestic violence, particularly women and children, and the Sexual Offences Act criminalizes every form of sexual assault, exploitation and harassment. 11. The delegation mentioned that the Gambia had ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the provisions of this Convention had been domesticated in the Children’s Act 2005. It also noted that law enforcement officers had been trained on children-related laws, that police stations countrywide had Child Welfare Units manned by officers trained on issues relating to children and that shelters for children had been established. 12. The delegation also noted that campaigns to create awareness of the danger of child sexual abuse and exploitation had been launched and sensitization of stakeholders had been undertaken in the tourism industry to ensure greater protection of children from sexual exploitation. 13. In terms of juvenile justice, the delegation said that two additional children’s courts had been established; child offenders were provided with free legal representation; and children were always separated from adults, from the pretrial to trial stage. 14. On the rights of persons with disabilities, the delegation mentioned that the Gambia had ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) as well as its Optional Protocol (OP-CRPD) and that a draft Disability Bill was under consultation. 15. Regarding the fight against trafficking in persons, the delegation mentioned the establishment of the National Agency Against Trafficking in Persons, which had started its operations in December 2011, and had engaged in a countrywide sensitization programme to enlighten the public on the dangers and legal consequences of human trafficking. 16. With regard to asylum, the delegation recalled that in 2013, the Government had signed and ratified the Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons and the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Moreover, the Gambia Commission for Refugees, which is responsible for the security and protection of refugees, issues visitor passes to refugees, which enable them to travel freely within the member States of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). 4