A/HRC/32/13
65.
Haiti noted the self-evaluation by Seychelles of the National Human Rights
Commission and the Office of the Ombudsman in order to bring them into compliance with
the Paris Principles.
66.
The Holy See acknowledged the development of a five-year national action plan on
human rights and recognized the attention given to promoting education through the
medium-term strategy on education for the period 2013-2017 and beyond.
67.
India encouraged the Government to further review the effectiveness of the current
framework of the National Human Rights Commission and welcomed the efforts to
eliminate the judicial backlog. It also encouraged Seychelles to continue harmonizing
domestic legislation with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and to take a
systematic approach to gender mainstreaming.
68.
Indonesia welcomed the efforts to strengthen the National Human Rights
Commission in conformity with the Paris Principles and develop a national action plan on
human rights. It recognized the measures taken by the Government to ensure the
implementation of international human rights instruments ratified by Seychelles.
69.
Iraq expressed its appreciation for the efforts of the Government to implement
first-cycle recommendations. It noted the achievements of the Government in the area of
human rights, such as the establishment of a national human rights commission and the
adoption of a medium-term strategy for the education sector for the period 2013-2017.
70.
Jamaica noted that, since its first review, Seychelles had made strides in reforming
and enacting legislation in various areas, in cooperation with civil society and the
international community. It commended the Government for its advocacy on behalf of the
blue economy and climate change, and for strides made in renewable energy.
71.
Libya commended Seychelles for the positive developments since the first cycle of
its universal periodic review, including a national campaign to combat smoking and the
adoption of the flexible employment programme aimed at increasing employment
opportunities for vulnerable groups.
72.
Maldives noted high levels of educational enrolment and achievement by girls. It
encouraged Seychelles to continue reaching out to international partners, including
OHCHR, for financial and technical assistance and commended Seychelles for raising the
challenges of small island developing States in international forums, and for initiatives to
combat the effects of climate change.
73.
With regard to the concrete measures that the Government was taking to shorten the
length of pretrial detention, the delegation of Seychelles indicated that the strategic plan of
the judiciary for the period 2010-2014 recognized case backlogs as a key area in need of
attention. Significant improvements had been made in that regard. The number of judges
had been increased and the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal had moved into new
premises, enabling the improved use of technology in court proceedings, which had
allowed for easier disposal of cases and reduction of delays. The introduction of an
electronic case flow management system had also improved the speed and efficacy of case
flow management. The delegation stated that such measures had led to all criminal cases
filed prior to 2008 having been concluded in the Court of Appeal, Magistrate Court and
Supreme Court. Ninety-six per cent of ongoing cases had been filed between 2013 and
2015.
74.
On the question on the ways in which Seychelles enforced existing laws to protect
women and children from domestic violence and abuse, the delegation noted that domestic
violence and gender-based violence cases could often go unreported, an unfortunate
occurrence seen across the world. It added that legislative measures against domestic and
gender-based violence must be implemented in a cohesive and harmonized manner in order
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