A/HRC/10/70 Page 6 whereas physical abuse of a child is punishable under the law. In the Government-operated school system, corporal punishment may only be administered by a principal, vice-principal, senior master or senior mistress, and the Department of Education sets out very clear guidelines as to the limited circumstances when corporal punishment may be administered. The law permitting corporal punishment as a sentence from a court of law was repealed in 1984 but reinstated in 1991, and has only been imposed twice since. In the last instance, the sentence was of a 33-year-old man, convicted of burglary, attempted rape and causing harm to an 83-year-old woman. The delegation noted, nevertheless, the intention of the Government to once again repeal the law permitting corporal punishment for adults during the next legislative term. 17. With regard to the protection of human rights during natural disasters, the Bahamas stated that the responsible national emergency management agency has, as its target, the entire resident population, including visitors and illegal immigrants. Official hurricane advisories over radio and television are given in English and in Creole, the primary language of the significant Haitian population now living in the Bahamas. 18. The Bahamas stated that, on 26 September 2008, it ratified the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children. It will sign the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights before the conclusion of the third session of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review. In concluding, the Bahamas stated that outstanding reports due to the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women will be submitted by 31 December 2008 and that the report for the Committee on the Rights of the Child will be submitted early in 2009. B. Interactive dialogue and responses by the State under review 19. During the ensuing interactive dialogue, 27 delegations made statements. A number of delegations commended the Bahamas on its national report, including on the open and inclusive manner employed in its preparation. Appreciation was also expressed for the informative and comprehensive introductory statement, in which it also replied to advance questions. The Bahamas was praised for its human rights record, and among others, the freedom of expression and opinion and the freedom of assembly. Considerable efforts in the field of education and gender equality were highlighted, as well as the constraints due to climate change. 20. Algeria recommended, in the light of the national report and the compilation and summary report drawn up by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), that the Bahamas complete its accession to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as announced by the delegation. It recommended that the Bahamas consider the possibility of acceding also to the other major human rights instruments, in particular the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. Algeria recommended that the Bahamas consider withdrawing its reservations to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, in particular article 2. Noting the absence thereof, Algeria recommended that an independent body for the promotion and protection of human rights be established in conformity with the Paris Principles. Algeria recommended that the Bahamas, with the assistance of OHCHR, step up its efforts in human rights training.