A/HRC/19/66 opportunities that exist in the country. They pointed out that quotas had been put in place to limit the number of women that can enrol in medicine, Masters and PhD programmes, thus discriminating against women that scored higher than males on entrance exams when female enrolment has exceeded the quota. Furthermore, eight universities have reportedly implemented gender segregation policies on their campuses, some of which have barred women from attending free day classes, forcing them to attend evening classes, which charge tuition fees. 43. According to Fars, eight children were severely burned (some suffering limb loss) on 5 December 2006.30 The Ministry of Education and Development was found guilty of negligence in the case of the fire,31 but the legal counsel for the children stated that the final ruling from the court allocated twice as much diyah (see paragraph 37 above) to the male victims than the female victims. After public outcry about the discriminatory outcome, State media reported that girls would be paid an equal amount.32 The Special Rapporteur commends the recent decision to overturn a court ruling to pay girls half the diyah allotted to boys for burns and injuries sustained in a school fire. He encourages the Government to reassess all laws that discriminate against women and girls, especially those that place unequal value on their lives and bodily parts. 44. In a report submitted to the Human Rights Committee, the Government noted that efforts to ensure equal representation in high Government offices, such as for judge, had resulted in 614 female judges being approved.33 The Special Rapporteur also wishes, however, to highlight other reports according to which women do not hold positions as presiding judges in courts of law and that they are deprived of the right to hold various offices of the State. The Special Rapporteur urges the Government to make an effort to improve female representation in decision-making positions of the judicial system and in other Government offices where they are underrepresented. B. Labour unions 45. Despite the ban on independent unions, some workers have reportedly formed small independent unions for the purpose of advocating for workers‟ rights; these include bakers in Kordestan, sugar workers in Khuzestan, bus drivers and metal workers in Tehran, and teachers nationwide.34 Many of these workers and their representatives have allegedly been harassed, intimidated and arrested for their activities. For example, authorities reportedly arrested more than 200 people in Laleh Park after forcibly dispersing a peaceful rally for International Labour Day in May 2009. All are believed to have been released by September 2009.35 46. On 24 October 2011, the International Transport Workers‟ Federation expressed its concern for the former treasurer of a bus drivers‟ union, Davood Razavi, who was summoned and appeared before the sixth branch of the Evin prison prosecutors office on 24 October 2011. The summons related to a 2006 case involving his organization‟s accounts and its newsletter. Reportedly, Mr Razavi has been notified that the charges have been dropped. The bus union treasurer, Reza Shahab Zakaria, was charged with “acting against 30 31 32 33 34 35 14 www.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8609140237. www.farsnews.com/printable.php?nn=8909130398. http://fars.isna.ir/default.aspx?NSID=5&SSLID=46&NID=18103 . CCPR/C/IRN/Q/3/Add.1, para. 9. Amnesty International, Determined to Live in Dignity: Iranian Trade Unionists’ Struggle for Rights (London, Amnesty International, June 2011). Ibid.