A/HRC/10/70 Page 8 children against physical abuse. It would welcome further information with regard to the written questions concerning the standing invitation to special procedures. The Netherlands recommended that civil society be sufficiently consulted in the implementation of the recommendations of the universal periodic review, and that the Government report on these consultations at the next round of the review. While welcoming the statement made in the national report in paragraph 32, it recommended that the Bahamas accede to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and in this regard consider concrete time frames. The Netherlands noted that, despite several positive developments concerning the rights of women, the Government still faces some serious challenges, specifically with regard to violence against women. The Bahamas is party to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, but its national report is overdue. The Netherlands recommended that the Bahamas, as requested by treaty bodies, regularly report to them, and specifically to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. With regard to women rights, the Netherlands recommended that the Bahamas ensure the full and effective implementation of the Domestic Violence (Protection Order) Act. With regard to the prevention of physical abuse of children, it pointed out the recommendations that the Committee on the Rights of the Child made in this respect, and recommended that the Bahamas consider the implementation of the Committee’s recommendations. 25. Mexico recognized the efforts to reduce the gender gap and the advancement in the empowerment of women. However, it expressed concern that this does not apply to all areas and in particular that women are unable to transmit their nationality to their children and foreign spouses. Mexico identified several other challenges facing the Bahamas, including corporal punishment for certain offences to the detriment of minors, the excessive use of force by security forces, and the human rights of migrants, asylum-seekers, refugees and victims of trafficking in persons. In this context, Mexico asked which actions will be taken to protect and safeguard the human rights of these groups. Mexico recommended that the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights be ratified, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty and respecting the rights of all migrants without discrimination, and, in this context, that it ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. It also recommended that the Bahamas consider the ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and that it seek the support and advice of the various United Nations agencies in order to meet its international commitments in the protection and safeguarding of human rights. Furthermore, Mexico recommended that an invitation to the special procedures be extended and that the functions of the Office of the Attorney-General and the Ministry for Legal Affairs be strengthened, with a view to harmonizing national and international obligations in the field of human rights. 26. The Czech Republic welcomed the adoption of the Domestic Violence (Protection Order) Act in 2007, which can serve as both a basis and a useful tool to fight violence against women, and asked for more details about its use, recommending its full and effective implementation. It stressed the importance of cooperation with international human rights bodies and mechanisms, and recommended that the Bahamas accede to, inter alia, the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the Optional Protocol thereto. With regard to the rights of the child, it asked about measures taken to ensure compliance of national legislation with the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child with regard to, inter alia, children of detainees and prisoners and the registration of children. The Czech