Committee against Torture

List of issues prior to submission of the fifth periodic report of Slovakia *

Specific information on the implementation of articles 1–16 of the Convention, including with regard to the Committee’s previous recommendations

Issues identified for follow-up in the previous concluding observations

1.In its previous concluding observations, the Committee requested the State Party to provide information on the follow-up to the Committee’s recommendations on the definition of torture, the national human rights institution, the involuntary sterilization of Roma women and corporal punishment (paras. 8, 12, 24 and 38, respectively). Noting that replies concerning the information sought by the Committee were provided on 10 May 2024, and with reference to the letter dated 3 January 2025 from the Committee’s Rapporteur for follow-up to concluding observations, the Committee considers that the above-mentioned recommendations have not yet been implemented.

Articles 1 and 4

2.With reference to the Committee’s previous concluding observations and the State Party’s follow-up replies, please provide updated information on the legislative measures taken to amend section 420 of the Criminal Code to incorporate a definition of torture that covers all of the elements contained in article 1 of the Convention, in particular the intentional infliction of severe pain or suffering, the purposes of torture and acts committed by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of any person acting in an official capacity. Please specify the measures taken to ensure that all acts of torture, as defined in section 420 of the Criminal Code, and not only those committed under aggravating circumstances, are punishable by penalties that take into account their grave nature, in accordance with article 4 (2) of the Convention. Please indicate the measures taken to ensure that the offence of torture is not subject to a statute of limitations, even in cases where it is not classified as a crime against humanity or a war crime, in order to preclude any risk of impunity in relation to the investigation of acts of torture and the prosecution and punishment of perpetrators.

Article 2

3.Please describe the measures taken to amend the Criminal Code to include provisions to the effect that no exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture, in accordance with article 2 (2) of the Convention, and that, pursuant to article 2 (3) of the Convention, an order from a superior officer or a public authority may in no case be invoked as a justification of torture. In this regard, please indicate the steps taken to establish mechanisms and procedures to ensure protection from reprisals for subordinates who refuse to obey unlawful orders, including those relating to acts of torture, issued by a competent authority, and the measures adopted to ensure that all law enforcement officers are informed of the prohibition of obeying such unlawful orders and are made aware of these mechanisms and procedures. Please provide information on the measures taken to incorporate the principle of command responsibility or superior responsibility for acts of torture or ill-treatment committed by subordinates, even when such acts do not constitute crimes against humanity or war crimes, whereby those exercising superior authority are held criminally responsible for the conduct of their subordinates where they knew or should have known that such impermissible conduct was occurring, or was likely to occur, and they failed to take reasonable and necessary preventive measures or to refer the case to the competent authorities for investigation and prosecution.

4.In the light of the Committee’s previous concluding observations, please provide information on the measures taken by the State Party to ensure that all detainees enjoy, in practice, all fundamental legal safeguards from the outset of their deprivation of liberty, in particular the rights: (a) to be promptly informed of the reasons for their arrest, the nature of the charges against them and their rights, both orally and in writing, in a language that they understand; (b) to have ready access to an independent lawyer of their choice without delay and in full confidentiality, or to free and adequate legal aid for those who do not have sufficient means to pay for legal representation; (c) to notify a relative or any other person of their choice of their detention and whereabouts; and (d) to request and receive a confidential medical examination by an independent doctor, free of charge, or a doctor of their choice, to have such examinations conducted out of the sight and hearing of any police or prison officer, unless the doctor concerned explicitly requests otherwise, and to have the confidentiality of the results of medical examinations respected. Please describe the steps taken to ensure that all children alleged as, accused of or recognized as having infringed the law are provided, in practice, with free and specialized legal aid from the outset of their detention and throughout the legal proceedings, and that they are never interrogated without the presence of a parent, lawyer or other trusted person. Please indicate the monitoring measures taken to ensure that law enforcement or other officials respect, in practice, from the moment of deprivation of liberty, all fundamental legal safeguards of detained persons.Please provide information on any cases, since the consideration of the State Party’s previous periodic report, in which disciplinary or other measures were taken against public officials found responsible for failing to comply with these safeguards. Please inform the Committee of the percentage of places of deprivation of liberty and of interrogation rooms that include a video monitoring system, as well as the efforts undertaken to include them in all such places.

5.Bearing in mind the Committee’s previous concluding observations and the State Party’s follow-up replies, please describe the steps taken to ensure the functional autonomy of the Slovak National Centre for Human Rights, particularly by providing it with sufficient human, technical and financial resources to enable it to fully carry out its mandate, in accordance with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles). Please provide information on the measures taken to ensure the independence of the Centre from the executive branch, particularly with regard to the selection and appointment of members and the Centre’s activities and decision-making processes. Please specify the measures taken to ensure that members of the National Council do not have voting rights on the Centre’s Administrative Board. Please indicate the steps taken to amend Act No. 308/1993 Coll. on the Establishment of the Slovak National Centre for Human Rights to strengthen and expand the mandate of this institution so that it may receive and examine complaints relating to torture or ill‑treatment, and to ensure the functional immunity of its members. Please inform the Committee of the measures taken to ensure that the Centre’s membership and staff are representative of the diverse segments of society.

Article 3

6.In the light of the Committee’s previous concluding observations, please provide updated information on the measures taken to ensure, in practice, that no person is returned to a country where there are substantial grounds for believing that he or she would be in danger of being subjected to torture. In particular, please describe the measures taken to ensure that all asylum‑seekers and other persons in need of international protection have access to fair and efficient asylum procedures and non-refoulement determinations within the territory of the State Party, regardless of their mode of arrival. Please inform the Committee of the measures taken to review the rules under which border police may refuse to admit persons seeking to enter the State Party’s territory on humanitarian grounds, including steps to clearly circumscribe their discretion and to strengthen safeguards against refoulement. Please detail the steps taken to ensure that all asylum-seekers are afforded procedural safeguards, including access to independent, qualified and free-of-charge legal assistance and interpretation services, at all stages of the asylum procedure and a genuine opportunity to effectively challenge any adverse decisions concerning their claims. Please indicate whether individuals facing expulsion, return or extradition are informed that they have the right to seek asylum and to appeal a deportation decision. If so, please indicate whether such an appeal has suspensive effect. Please provide detailed information on the plans and procedures in place to identify and immediately refer asylum-seekers in vulnerable situations, including victims of torture, to the appropriate services and to ensure that their specific needs are taken into consideration and addressed in a timely manner. Please describe the steps taken to establish a dedicated procedure for determining statelessness and create a central database of stateless persons in the territory of the State Party.

7.Please provide updated data, disaggregated by year, sex, country of origin or nationality and age group (minor or adult) of persons seeking asylum, on: (a) asylum applications received during the period under review; (b) successful applications for asylum, refugee status or other forms of humanitarian protection, specifying how many applications were accepted on the grounds that the applicants had been tortured or were at risk of torture if returned or expelled; (c) appeals against decisions regarding expulsion; (d) successful appeals, specifying the number of decisions regarding return or expulsion, as applicable, that were reviewed on the grounds that the applicants had been tortured or were at risk of torture if returned or expelled; and (e) persons extradited, expelled or returned, the grounds on which they were sent back and the countries to which they were returned. Please indicate the number of returns, extraditions and expulsions carried out by the State Party during the reporting period on the basis of diplomatic assurances, or the equivalent thereof, and specify the content of any such assurances or guarantees required by the State Party and what measures have been taken in such cases with regard to subsequent monitoring. Please also indicate any instances where the State Party has offered such diplomatic assurances or guarantees and the measures taken in such cases with regard to subsequent monitoring.

Articles 5–9

8.Please provide information on any new legislation or measures that have been adopted to implement article 5 of the Convention. Please indicate what measures have been taken by the State Party during the period under review to comply with its obligation to extradite or prosecute (aut dedere aut judicare). In particular, please provide updated information on cases in which the State Party has agreed to extradite a person for torture or related offences. Please also indicate whether the State Party has rejected, for any reason, the request of a third State for the extradition of an individual suspected of having committed torture and whether it has started prosecution proceedings against such an individual as a result. If so, please provide information on the status and outcome of such proceedings. Please inform the Committee of any extradition treaties concluded with other States Parties and indicate whether the offences referred to in article 4 of the Convention are included as extraditable offences in those treaties. Please describe the legislative and administrative measures taken by the State Party to ensure that the Convention may be invoked as a legal basis for extradition in respect of the offences referred to in article 4 of the Convention when the State Party receives an extradition request from a State with which it has no extradition agreement or treaty. Please give details of any treaties or agreements on mutual legal and judicial assistance that the State Party has entered into, and whether such treaties or agreements have led in practice to the transfer of any evidence in connection with prosecutions concerning torture or ill-treatment. If so, please provide examples.

Article 10

9.Bearing in mind the Committee’s previous concluding observations, please provide up-to-date information on any educational and training programmes developed by the State Party to ensure that all law enforcement officials, prison staff, immigration and border control officers and members of the military and intelligence agencies are fully acquainted with the provisions of the Convention and the absolute prohibition of torture and are made aware that breaches will not be tolerated, that allegations of torture and ill-treatment will be investigated and that offenders will be prosecuted. Please indicate whether these training courses are mandatory or optional, how often they are conducted, how many law enforcement officials, prison staff, immigration and border control officers and members of the military and intelligence agencies have already completed them, what percentage of all such officials have completed them and what measures have been taken to train the remaining officials. Please provide details on the programmes used in the training of police officers and other law enforcement officials in non-coercive investigating and interviewing techniques, taking into account the Principles on Effective Interviewing for Investigations and Information-Gathering. Please indicate whether the State Party has developed a methodology to assess the effectiveness of training and educational programmes in reducing the number of cases of torture and ill-treatment and, if so, please provide detailed information on that methodology. Please provide information on the programmes aimed at training judges, prosecutors, forensic doctors and other medical personnel who deal with persons deprived of their liberty to detect the physical and psychological consequences of torture, ensure the effective documentation of torture and verify the admissibility of confessions. Please indicate whether these programmes include specific training on the Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Istanbul Protocol), as revised. Lastly, please indicate the measures taken to give effect to the provisions of article 10 (2) of the Convention.

Article 11

10.Please describe the procedures in place for ensuring compliance with article 11 of the Convention and provide information on any interrogation rules, instructions, methods and practices, or arrangements for custody, that may have been introduced since the consideration of the State Party’s previous periodic report. Please indicate the frequency with which these rules, instructions, methods, practices or arrangements are reviewed and report on the procedures in place for reviewing them.

11.Please provide, for the period under review, annual statistics on the total capacity of all detention facilities and their occupancy rates, disaggregated by place of detention. Please indicate the number of remand and convicted prisoners at each facility, disaggregated by the sex, age, ethnic or national origin and nationality of the detainee. With reference to the Committee’s previous concluding observations, please describe the steps taken to amend section 76 (a) of the Code of Criminal Procedure to reduce the maximum duration of pretrial detention and to ensure that judicial proceedings are conducted within a reasonable time, in accordance with the requirements of due process.

12.In the light of the Committee’s previous concluding observations, please provide detailed information on measures taken to improve conditions of detention in police stations, penitentiary institutions and other detention facilities, in line with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules). In particular, please indicate the steps taken to further reduce the prison population, including through the use of alternatives to imprisonment both before and after trial, and to improve sanitation, ventilation, access to natural light and the healthcare provided to detainees, including psychiatric care, as well as the quality of prisoners’ medical records. Please inform the Committee about the measures adopted to remedy the lack of recreational, educational, vocational, physical and intellectual activities, in particular for pretrial detainees and inmates held under a maximum security regime. Please report on the steps taken to increase the number of adequately trained prison staff, including medical personnel. Please describe the efforts made to address the special needs of: (a) children in conflict with the law, including with regard to rehabilitation and education services; (b) women deprived of their liberty, in particular pregnant women and women detained with their children; (c) persons with disabilities; (d) lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons; and (e) older persons.

13.Please provide details on the State Party’s legislation and practice on solitary confinement and indicate its maximum and average duration. Please specify whether solitary confinement and other segregation regimes are subject to monitoring by an independent mechanism and indicate the measures taken to ensure that the use of such regimes is prohibited in respect of children in conflict with the law, as well as persons with disabilities when their conditions would be exacerbated by such measures. Please explain the steps taken to ensure that the use of restraints is limited to circumstances in which it is absolutely necessary, is proportionate, is strictly regulated and is applied for the shortest possible period of time. Please indicate the measures taken to ensure that strip-searches of prisoners are carried out only in exceptional circumstances, when strictly necessary and proportionate to a legitimate aim, in the least invasive manner possibleby qualified staff of the same sex, and with full respect for the dignity of the person concerned.Please provide information on the measures taken to put an end to the practice of handcuffing detained persons to fixed objects for prolonged periods of time in police stations.

14.Please provide data regarding deaths in custody during the period under consideration, disaggregated by year, place of detention, the sex, age, and ethnic or national origin and nationality of the deceased, and the cause of death. Please provide detailed information on the number and outcome of investigations conducted in such cases, specifying whether forensic medical assessments, including autopsies, were performed, with due regard to the Minnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death, and on the number of deaths suspected of having been caused by assaults committed or tolerated by public officials, involving the excessive use of force or failure to provide detainees with needed medical attention and timely treatment. Please also provide information on the number of sentences handed down, the criminal and disciplinary penalties imposed and the steps taken to prevent the recurrence of such acts. Please indicate whether the relatives of the deceased persons received compensation in such cases. Please describe the steps taken to reduce the incidence of inter-prisoner violence in penitentiary institutions, to investigate all incidents of violence and to ensure that prison officials are held accountable in cases where they failed to take reasonable measures to prevent and respond to such violence.

15.Please provide information on progress made to ensure that the Public Defender of Rights (ombudsperson), the Commissioner for Children and the Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, which together constitute the designated multi-body national preventive mechanism under the Optional Protocol to the Convention, have the resources and the functional and operational independence necessary to effectively fulfil their mandates, including by undertaking regular, independent, unannounced and unrestricted visits to all places of deprivation of liberty, without prior authorization from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and by speaking confidentially to all detained persons, in accordance with the Optional Protocol to the Convention and the guidelines on national preventive mechanisms of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Please inform the Committee of the efforts made to build the capacity of the Public Defender of Rights to coordinate the work of this multi-body national preventive mechanism. Please provide information on the visits to places of detention carried out during the period under review by the various national and international bodies mandated to monitor and oversee such places, as well as on the steps taken by the State Party to implement the recommendations made by those bodies following their visits, in particular where allegations of torture or ill-treatment are raised in their reports. Please clarify whether the non-governmental organizations that are mandated to monitor places of detentionare granted access to such places in practice and under what conditions.

16.With reference to the Committee’s previous concluding observations, please indicate the measures taken by the State Party to ensure that the detention of asylum-seekers and migrants in an irregular situation is used only as a last resort, where it is justified as reasonable, necessary and proportionate, and that it is used for as short a period as possible, and to implement alternatives to closed immigration detention in practice.Please provide information on measures taken to ensure that families with children are not detained solely because of their immigration status. In this regard, please include statistical data for the reporting period, disaggregated by year, sex, age, ethnic or national origin and nationality, on the number of asylum-seekers and migrants in detention,including families with children, the average and maximum time of detention and the use of alternatives to detention. Please describe the steps taken to improve the living conditions in immigration detention facilities and report on efforts to guarantee access to adequate mental and physical health, social and education services. Please provide details on the procedures in place to identify people who may face a particular risk of harm as a result of their detention, including victims of torture, and on the measures taken to ensure that such individuals are not detained in the context of asylum procedures.

17.Further to the Committee’s previous concluding observations, please provide information on the number and living conditions of persons deprived of their liberty in psychiatric hospitals, forensic psychiatric establishments and other institutions for persons with psychosocial or intellectual disabilities.Please inform the Committee about further legislative and other measures taken to move away from the involuntary hospitalization and forced institutionalization of persons with psychosocial or intellectual disabilities and indicate whether other forms of care are being used, such as community‑based rehabilitation services and outpatient care programmes, including through the effective implementation of the National Strategy to Deinstitutionalize the System of Social Services and Alternative Care. Please indicate the measures taken to ensure that the right to liberty of patients voluntarily admitted to psychiatric care facilities is effectively upheld, including by providing adequate safeguards and accessible legal remedies to challenge any deprivation of liberty. Please specify the steps taken to eliminate the use of cage beds in all psychiatric institutions and to ensure that alternative practices, including the use of seclusion rooms, are compatible with international human rights standards. Please describe the measures taken to ensure that instruments of restraint and force are used in accordance with the law, under appropriate supervision, for the shortest time possible and only when strictly necessary and proportionate. Please indicate the measures taken to prohibit and prevent medical treatment, including electroconvulsive therapy, and medical interventions, such as sterilization and the administration of contraceptives, from being imposed on persons with psychosocial or intellectual disabilities without their free, prior and informed consent.

Articles 12 and 13

18.Bearing in mind the Committee’s previous concluding observations, please provide information on the measures taken to ensure that all complaints of torture and ill-treatment committed by law enforcement officers, prison staff, immigration and border control officers and other public officials are promptly, thoroughly and impartially investigated by an independent body and that alleged perpetrators are prosecuted for acts of torture or ill-treatment, rather than for lesser offences, and, if found guilty, punished with penalties commensurate with the gravity of the crime committed. Please indicate the steps taken to ensure that there is no hierarchical or institutional link between investigators and suspected perpetrators of acts of torture or ill‑treatment. Please also provide more detailed information regarding which authorities are competent to initiate and carry out investigations, at both the criminal and the disciplinary levels, and describe how those authorities interact with the Public Prosecutor’s Office during investigations. In this regard, please also specify:

(a)Whether the State Party has set up a dedicated, effective, accessible and independent system of confidential complaints that can be lodged with an independent body in all places of detention, and the measures taken to protect victims of torture and ill-treatment from any form of intimidation or reprisals that may result from the lodging of a complaint;

(b)Whether the Public Prosecutor’s Office is required to initiate an ex officio investigation wherever there are reasonable grounds to believe that an act of torture or ill‑treatment has been committed and to request that alleged victims undergo a forensic medical examination;

(c)Whether alleged perpetrators are automatically relieved of their duties while a criminal and/or disciplinary investigation is being conducted, particularly when there is a risk that they might otherwise be in a position to repeat the alleged act, commit reprisals against the alleged victim or obstruct the investigation.

19.Please provide annual statistical data for the period under consideration, disaggregated by type of offence, by the sex, age group (minor or adult) and ethnic or national origin and nationality of victim and by the services to which the persons accused of committing acts of torture belong, on: (a) the number of complaints received by prosecutors or other competent authorities regarding offences, such as actual or attempted acts of torture or ill-treatment or complicity, participation or acquiescence in such acts; (b) the number of complaints that have led to criminal or disciplinary investigations and the number of cases dismissed; (c) the number of ex officio investigations opened into the above-mentioned offences; (d) the number of prosecutions carried out; and (e) the number of convictions secured, including the penal and disciplinary sanctions imposed, specifying the length of any prison sentences handed down.

20.In the light of the Committee’s previous concluding observations, please provide information on the measures taken to investigate all allegations of police violence, including violence based on racist motives, as well as verbal abuse and incidents of harassment, particularly against members of the Roma community,to prosecute the alleged perpetrators, to punish them appropriately, if convicted, and to provide full redress to the victims. Please specify the steps taken to ensure that racist motives are considered as an aggravating circumstance in criminal prosecutionswhenever they are suspected to have played a role in the commission of an offence. Please provide, for the period under review, data disaggregated by the type of offence and the sex, age, national or ethnic origin and nationality of the victim on complaints filed with the Bureau of the Inspection Service, investigations carried out, prosecutions initiated, convictions secured and sentences and disciplinary measures imposed, as well as on the redress obtained by the victims or their families in cases of excessive use of force by the police, in particular during violent police raids in Roma settlements, including the raid in the settlement of Budulovská in Moldava nad Bodvou on 19 June 2013.Please describe the measures taken to ensure that the Bureau of the Inspection Service is made institutionally independent from the Ministry of the Interior, so that investigations into allegations of police violence are carried out in an independent manner. Please indicate whether police officers regularly receive mandatory training to ensure that they apply non-violent measures before they use any force and that they respect the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, non-discrimination and accountability.Please inform the Committee about the steps taken to ensure that all police operations are video recorded, including through the use of body‑worn cameras.

Article 14

21.With reference to the Committee’s previous concluding observations, please indicate whether the State Party has taken further measures to ensure, in law and in practice, that victims of torture or ill-treatment, including excessive use of force, committed in the State Party or abroad may seek and obtain prompt, fair and adequate compensation and as full rehabilitation as possible, including in cases where the civil liability of the State Party is involved. Please provide statistical data on redress and compensation measures, including means of rehabilitation, ordered by the courts or other State bodies and actually provided to victims of torture or ill-treatment or to their families during the period under review. Please include data on the number of applications for State compensation for torture and ill-treatment, the number of time-barred claims owing to the courts’ inaction, the number of applications granted and the range of awards in successful cases. Please clarify whether the State Party has taken legislative and administrative measures to ensure that victims of torture and ill-treatment have access to effective remedies and can obtain redress in cases in which the perpetrators have not been identified or found guilty of an offence. Please also provide information on any ongoing rehabilitation programmes for victims of torture and ill-treatment and on the resources allocated to them and specify whether measures have been taken to increase the number of mental health professionals to provide adequate psychological and psychiatric support to such victims.

Article 16

22.Please provide information on the measures taken to protect journalists and human rights defenders against threats, harassment, intimidation, smear campaigns, surveillance and physical or verbal attacks, as well as on the steps takento ensure that all such allegations are promptly, thoroughly and impartially investigated and that those responsible are brought to justice. Please provide statistical data for the reporting period on the number of related complaints, the outcome of any investigations opened following those complaints and the sentences and penalties handed down.

23.In the light of the Committee’s previous concluding observations and the State Party’s follow-up replies, please provide information on the measures taken to ensure that all allegations of forced or involuntary sterilization of Roma women are thoroughly and impartially investigated, that those responsible are held accountable and that adequate redress is provided to the victims. Please indicate whether the State Party has adopted legislative and policy measures to prevent and criminalize the forced or involuntary sterilization of women, in particular by clearly defining the requirement of free, prior and informed consent to sterilization, and report on the steps taken to raise awareness of that requirement among Roma women and medical personnel. Please describe the measures taken to conduct a proactive analysis to identify all those who may have been subjected to involuntary sterilization and to reach out to them in order to raise awareness of the proposed compensation scheme. Please specify whether any steps have been taken to increase the amount of compensation provided to the victims to ensure that it is commensurate with the harm they have suffered, and to extend the time frame for the submission of compensation claims for involuntary sterilization. Please inform the Committee of the measures taken to remove all financial barriers to obtaining compensation, including the costs associated with legal affidavits attesting to involuntary sterilization and with travel to regional centres to lodge the required documentation, and to facilitate victims’ access to medical records and the disclosure of pretrial evidence to support their claims. Please indicate the measures taken to review relevant legislation and regulations to ensure that transgender women are able to obtain legal recognition of their gender and change their names in civil registries without undergoing involuntary sterilization.

24.Further to the Committee’s previous concluding observations, please provide updated information on the measures taken to prevent and combat all forms of violence against women, especially those cases involving actions or omissions by State authorities or other entities that engage the international responsibility of the State Party under the Convention. In particular, please indicate the steps taken to amend section 199 of the Criminal Code to bring the definition of rape into line with international standards and to introduce a specific criminal offence of domestic violence into the Criminal Code. Please describe the measures taken to strengthen capacity-building activities for law enforcement officers and members of the judiciary to ensure that all cases of gender-based violence, including domestic and sexual violence, are effectively investigated, that alleged perpetrators are prosecuted and, if found guilty, punished with penalties commensurate with the gravity of the crime, and that victim protection orders are adequately enforced. Please provide updated information, including statistical data, disaggregated by the age and ethnic origin or nationality of the victims, on the number of complaints of gender-based violence, on the investigations and prosecutions carried out, the convictions secured, the sentences imposed on perpetrators and any redress provided to victims.

25.Please provide information on the measures taken to remove, in practice, the obstacles that women and girls face in gaining access to legal and safe abortion, such as the requirement for mandatory counselling, medically unnecessary waiting periods and third-party authorization in the case of girls under 18 years of age.

26.With reference to the Committee’s previous concluding observations, please provide information on measures taken to prevent and combat domestic and cross-border trafficking in persons,especially trafficking in women and children for forced labour and sexual and other forms of exploitation. In particular, please indicate the steps taken: (a) to enforce the existing legislative framework, notably section 179 of the Criminal Code, and ensure that all cases of trafficking in persons are thoroughly investigated, including in the absence of a complaint, and that alleged perpetrators are prosecuted and, if convicted, punished with appropriate sanctions; (b) to ensure that all victims of trafficking have access to adequate redress, including adequate compensation and rehabilitation; and (c) to strengthen the capacity of police officers, judges, prosecutors, border guards, immigration officials, labour inspectors, social workers and healthcare professionals to improve the early identification and referral of victims of trafficking, including Roma women and children, to appropriate social and legal services. Please provide updated information, including statistical data, disaggregated by the age, sex, ethnic or national origin and nationality of the victims, on the complaints received, the investigations and prosecutions carried out, the convictions secured, the sentences imposed and any redress provided to victims in cases of trafficking in persons during the period under consideration.

27.Bearing in mind the Committee’s previous concluding observations and the State Party’s follow-up replies, and noting that the Family Code, as amended, provides for the right to use “adequate upbringing measures”, please indicate whether the State Party has taken the legislative measures necessary to explicitly prohibit corporal punishment in the home. Please provide information on the measures taken to investigate cases of corporal punishment of children and to expand awareness-raising and education campaigns for parents and professionals working with and for children to promote positive, participatory and non-violent forms of child-rearing and discipline.

Other issues

28.Please provide updated information on the measures taken by the State Party to respond to threats of terrorism. Please describe whether those measures have affected human rights safeguards in law and in practice and, if so, how they have affected them. Please also describe how the State Party has ensured that counter-terrorism measures are compatible with all its obligations under international law, in particular the Convention. Please indicate what training is given to law enforcement officers in this area; the number of persons who have been convicted under legislation adopted to combat terrorism; the legal remedies and safeguards available in law and in practice to persons subjected to counter-terrorism measures; and whether there have been complaints of the non-observance of international standards in applying measures to combat terrorism and, if so, what the outcome was.

General information on other measures and developments relating to the implementation of the Convention in the State Party

29.Please provide detailed information on any other relevant legislative, administrative, judicial or other measures taken since the consideration of the State Party’s previous periodic report to implement the provisions of the Convention or the Committee’s recommendations. Such measures may include institutional developments, plans or programmes. Please indicate the resources allocated and provide statistical data. Please also provide any other information that the State Party considers relevant.