A/HRC/17/12 sentence commuted, he could petition the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy before which he had the right to make representation. 13. On the matter of corporal punishment, the delegation indicated that Saint Kitts and Nevis adhered to the belief that discipline in a society was an integral aspect of the development of responsibility and maturity. Traditionally, its people had supported the view that corporal punishment was an acceptable means of instilling discipline in children. However, in an effort to reduce or remove any arbitrary infliction, the Education Act of 2005 clearly outlined restrictive methods for its use. There were also provisions for its abolition within the Act, and the Government would continue to explore alternative and effective measures. The procedures were designed in such a way as to ensure that the infliction of the corporal punishment would not cross the line into the abuse. 14. Saint Kitts and Nevis accepted that the criminalization of sexual relations between consenting adults under sections 56 and 57 of the Offences against the Person Act was controversial. While it was aware of the many arguments advanced by those who would wish to see them repealed, the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis had no mandate to do so. In fact, there was strong opposition to them being repealed. However, despite their existence on the books, there had been no known prosecution of sexual activity between consenting adults in private within recent years. 15. Saint Kitts and Nevis had signed the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women, the Inter-American Convention on the Granting of Civil Rights to Women and the Inter-American Convention on the Granting of Political Rights to Women. It was also signatory to the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, the Beijing Platform for Action, the United Nations Millennium Declaration, and Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security. It had also enacted the Domestic Violence Act of 2000 to promote and protect the rights of all women. 16. Saint Kitts and Nevis was aware that, although many women occupied senior positions in its society, where more than 50 per cent of households were managed by single women, the problem of domestic violence against women persisted. The Department of Gender Affairs continued its intense awareness-raising programme, including training for police, nurses and counsellors, and also implemented an intervention programme in order to educate those who batter. There was recognition that there was a need for social transformation on an even deeper level that necessitated not only an examination of the root causes of that evil but also a cultural re-education to build healthy relationships between families and the sexes. The Government was willing to buttress the law with supporting infrastructure to facilitate most effective forms of implementation. However, a lack of resources was a continuing constraint on all activities. 17. The delegation indicated that, when CRC was first opened for signature on 26 January 1990, Saint Kitts and Nevis was among the first to sign and ratify it, demonstrating its commitment thereto. The care and protection of children was provided for under the Probation and Child Welfare Board Act. Saint Kitts and Nevis had also been involved in the development of the model legislation for the protection of the family, which was intended to replace the existing laws concerning the family. The Department of Probation and Child Protection Services was charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the rights of children were protected. The Probation and Child Welfare Board Act provided for the protection of children whose health and welfare were adversely affected and further threatened. 18. Regarding the question on prisons, the Government had mandated the implementation of a rehabilitation programme to reduce recidivism. As regards overcrowding of prisons, prisoners had been relocated from the main prison in Basseterre to 5