A/HRC/11/27
Page 15
61.
The Holy See expressed concern about the killing of women. It was concerned that part
of the population lacks access to basic needs such as food, water, housing, sanitation and health
care, and (a) recommended that Mexico continue efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Stressing
the relatively high rate of maternal deaths, it (b) recommended that the Government redouble
efforts to reduce the number of maternal deaths, especially among indigenous women, by
training birth attendants and establishing more obstetric clinics. Noting the concern of the
Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants about reports of child labour, the situation of
unaccompanied minors, and violence against migrant women, which seemed to be widespread, it
requested information on measures taken to address this problem.
62.
Bangladesh was pleased to note that human rights feature prominently in the ongoing
constitutional reform. Bangladesh recommended that (a) the allegation of systematic and
excessive use of force and torture by law enforcement agencies be seriously dealt with to end the
culture of impunity; (b) the primacy of the civil legal system prevail over military judicial
process across the entire territory; (c) incidences of domestic violence and femicide be tackled
through a multi-pronged approach , including effective legal measures and social awareness
programmes; (d) the prevalence of corporal punishment on children be curbed in keeping with
Mexico’s international advocacy against such offences; (e) measures be undertaken to redress
marginalization of indigenous and migrant populations in line with the prominent role of Mexico
on the international scene, and (f) the safety and security of journalists and media personnel in
discharging their professional responsibilities be guaranteed.
63.
Responding to questions, the delegation explained that, pursuant to the Constitution,
human rights violations are investigated through jurisdictional and non-jurisdictional means. The
latter include national and international human rights organs, which gather all reliable
information to determine if a human rights violation was committed by military personnel. The
justice system includes the Military Prosecutor-General and courts, which determine whether
conduct constitutes an offence and apply the corresponding sanctions and reparations. In
addition, the Army’s Inspector- and Controller-General carries out administrative procedures to
determine if any infractions were committed within the scope of its mandate. In the past two
years there have been 27 instances of proceedings against a total of 40 members of the military
on charges related to human rights abuses. The armed forces maintain close cooperation with
national and international human rights mechanisms and NGOs.
64.
The delegation stressed that military jurisdiction exists in most countries, and that the
Constitution establishes military courts for offences against military discipline, limiting their
scope to the military.
65.
The 2008 constitutional reforms provided for a new police model that regulates and
certifies police personnel, establishes coordination mechanisms between the three levels of
government, enables corruption to be combated through strict controls, the establishment of
criminal databases, and the participation of society in the prevention of crime through citizen
observatories. The Ministry of Public Security established an agreement with ICRC to develop
protocols on the legitimate use of force based on principles of proportionality, necessity and
rationality. The National Programme for the Promotion of Human Rights among Police and
Prison Offficials at the three levels of government had reached 30 percent of police personnel
nationwide, having been adopted based on the Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials
and the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement
Officials. A national support network for crime victims, created in 2008, provides services
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents