A/HRC/8/25 Page 5 amended so that parents who cause physical injury to their children could be prosecuted, and could no longer use the “reasonable punishment” defence for assaults occasioning cruelty, actual or grievous bodily harm. The United Kingdom will invest over £118 million in family support in England in 2008-2009 and it is funding an ongoing four-year strategy to help raise standards of child protection in the United Kingdom Overseas Territories in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Regarding its child poverty strategy, the United Kingdom’s target is halving child poverty by 2010 and eradicating it by 2020, and it would invest £125 million in related pilot schemes over the next three years. It remained firmly committed to the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict to the CRC. The Government recognized the importance of providing special treatment for young people under the age of 18 serving in the armed forces, and the United Kingdom has robust and effective safeguards in place to ensure that under 18 year olds in the armed forces are cared for properly and are not placed unnecessarily at risk. 11. Since the signing of the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (OP-SC) to the CRC the law has been strengthened and a range of practical measures have been developed to assist enforcement. The United Kingdom is currently assessing how far its domestic legislation is compliant with the Optional Protocol, prior to its ratification. The United Kingdom’s reservation to article 37 (c) of the CRC - about separation of children from adults in custodial establishments - was currently under review. In the view of the United Kingdom, custodial establishments in England and Wales meet the requirements of the article. The Scottish Executive is also considering changes to ensure that policy, legislation and practice meet the requirements of article 37 (c) of the CRC. The Northern Ireland Government is currently legislating to end the practice of accommodating 17-year-old girls with adult female prisoners. The Minister noted that the United Kingdom is currently reviewing the need for the reservation relating to the application of its immigration laws in the light of recent developments in policy and practice on safeguarding children, and in view of the intention to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings later this year. 12. Referring to the question by France about the possible ratification of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the United Kingdom expressed its support of the Convention and recognized its importance internationally. The United Kingdom was currently considering the implications of signing it, and the changes that would be needed in domestic legislation including to create an offence of enforced disappearance. Regarding the question from Italy about the United Kingdom’s experience with its various human rights institutions, the United Kingdom noted that this arrangement reflected the different legal and political systems in different parts of the United Kingdom, and the different interests and concerns in those areas. Concerning the forthcoming consultation on a bill of rights and responsibilities and the question posed by the Netherlands, the State noted that any Bill of Rights would build on the ECHR and its recognition in the United Kingdom through the Human Rights Act. The United Kingdom has derived tremendous benefits from the Human Rights Act but was keen to encourage discussion about how responsibilities in the exercise of individual rights might be articulated in a new bill; and how rights existing already, for example, in common law, might be codified. Recalling that this was the tenth anniversary of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom noted that Northern Ireland today represents an example to the world of how previously divided communities can find a way to work together towards a shared future based on partnership, equality and mutual respect, and an understanding of how human rights underpin a decent society.