A/HRC/54/10 20. Officers of the Department of Corrections were trained to recognize mental health issues. It was expected that two psychiatrists and two psychologists would be employed full time in the Department of Corrections, which had incorporated the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules) into its core values, as well as into its curriculum for trainee correctional officers. Renovation of various housing units was ongoing. The Government expected to soon begin building a new highsecurity facility and a juvenile dormitory. 21. The landmark ruling on nationality by the Privy Council in May 2023 had affirmed that a child born out of wedlock in the Bahamas, in a situation in which the father was a Bahamian and the mother a foreign national, was a citizen of the Bahamas at birth and did not have to wait until the age of 18 to apply for citizenship. That ruling had enabled the Government to initiate legislative reforms to eliminate inequality in the transmission of citizenship, while addressing other citizenship issues, including granting citizenship to children born abroad to married Bahamian women and their foreign husbands. 22. Since the previous review cycle, a new medical clinic had been established at the detention centre with an onsite physician. 23. The Bahamas continued to implement the policy regarding the separation of women detainees with children in partnership with the Bahamas Red Cross. The Department of Immigration had continued to work closely on migration matters with the local office of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). 24. Notwithstanding the Government’s policy of detention and repatriation, all persons living in the Bahamas, regardless of their immigration status, had access to free education, health care and social services. The Refugee Administration Unit (RAU) had reaffirmed that all applications were considered on merit and each one was adjudicated on a case-by-case basis. The Refugee Administration Unit had made recommendations on providing alternatives to granting asylum in situations in which protection was warranted but the individual had not met the necessary criteria. In consultation with UNHCR, 705 persons had been screened, 9 persons interviewed and 2 processed for refugee status in 2022. 25. On the issue of statelessness, the Migration Working Group and the National Reporting Cooperation Mechanism had partnered with UNHCR to provide training on, and awareness-raising of, United Nations conventions that addressed the issue of the status of stateless persons and the reduction of statelessness in the Bahamas. 26. The Bahamas continued to act as one of the leading countries in the region seeking to find a solution to the ongoing crisis in Haiti. The Bahamas was the only member of the Caribbean Community that had an embassy in Haiti. The Bahamas and members of the Caribbean Community had been engaging in technical talks with Haitian stakeholders. The Bahamas, in conjunction with the secretariat of the Caribbean Community and its member States, had met with relevant international stakeholders, including Canada and the United States, certain African countries and the European Union to take a unified approach in assisting the Government of Haiti. The Bahamas had asked for more intervention, attention and involvement from the international community in providing a framework for stability and the rule of law in Haiti. 27. The delegation provided information about the launch of the trafficking in persons (TIP) hotline and the establishment of the TIP secretariat in 2019. The secretariat coordinated national anti-trafficking activities and those of the Inter-Ministry Committee and the Task Force. The Government had approved a five-year strategic action plan on trafficking in persons for the period 2019–2023 and was engaged in the various processes related to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. The Bahamas had also partnered with the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and countries in the region to target people smuggling and criminal networks involved in trafficking in persons. A major initiative of the secretariat was to provide assistance to victims of trafficking, which included the provision of a monthly stipend. 28. The Bahamas remained committed to ensuring that the voices of young persons were heard and that their rights were protected. As such, youth representatives were represented on various high-level committees within the country and were present as part of the 4 GE.23-11804