A/HRC/49/15 explicitly repealed and all corporal punishment prohibited in all settings where adults had authority over children. 55. South Africa commended Antigua and Barbuda for its accession to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. 56. Spain expressed appreciation for the accession of Antigua and Barbuda to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and its ratification of the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean (Escazú Agreement). It welcomed awareness-raising campaigns to combat discriminatory gender stereotypes. 57. Togo welcomed the adoption by Antigua and Barbuda of the National Social Protection Act (2020) and the 2017 Disabilities and Equal Opportunities Act (2017), its accession to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and its ratification of the Escazú Agreement. 58. The delegation of Antigua and Barbuda thanked the delegations and responded to questions put forward during the interactive dialogue. 59. In the area of gender-inclusiveness, Antigua and Barbuda promoted inclusiveness for young girls and women, both in schools and in all areas of employment. Within the government sector, there were many female permanent secretaries at the highest level of the civil service, and within the political sphere, there were presently two female sitting members of parliament as well as female senators. The Directorate of Gender Affairs, along with the Caribbean Union Bank, was working to establish a national gender policy to promote the inclusiveness of women and girls within all sectors of society. 60. The Marriage Act had been amended to raise the minimum age for marriage to 18 years. 61. In the area of trafficking in persons, major work had been undertaken. In 2019, the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention) Act had been amended to establish the Trafficking in Persons Prevention Committee. The Committee worked in the area of education and established training programmes within schools and communities to identify and prevent trafficking in persons and increase understanding of modern-day slavery. The Trafficking in Persons Prevention Unit within the Ministry of Public Safety was responsible for reporting situations of trafficking in persons to its international partners and United Nations treaty bodies. The Unit had a strong referral system, and worked with the Directorate of Gender Affairs to assist victims of trafficking in persons and potential victims of modern-day slavery. Victims identified as vulnerable were provided with physical protection and psychosocial counselling as required. Continuous and constantly updated training was provided for the police and other relevant stakeholders on changes in relevant legislation and governmental policies. Victims were also assisted with housing and food, and a repatriation programme was in place, in cooperation with other agencies in the region, for when victims were identified and chose to return home. 62. Antigua and Barbuda recognized that corporal punishment remained an issue, but it was seldom used. On the basis of guidelines disseminated by the Ministry of Education, schools often promoted positive behavioural management as a strategy for managing or disciplining students. The guidelines on positive behavioural management guidelines were prepared in accordance with the child-friendly school initiative of the United Nations Children’s Fund. 63. In the area of disability, Antigua and Barbuda had passed the Disabilities and Equal Opportunities Act in 2017 to bring the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into its domestic legislation. Some of the positive aspects of the legislation were that it allowed for adaptation and for accessibility provisions in the construction of new buildings, especially those that were required to have public access, such as government buildings and private institutions such as banks, credit unions and supermarkets. Some shortfalls identified were that some policy mandates needed to be more clearly defined and 7