A/HRC/48/17 76. The Government had expressed concern about the issue of land rights and about the disadvantage that women were at, due to customary laws, in regard to the transfer of land. The authorities were fully committed to respecting and protecting equitable and legal land ownership. 77. To address the problem of equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water, and to ensure proper sanitation and hygiene, Parliament had passed three acts in 2017. The delegation stated that even though challenges remained, important strides had been made. 78. With regard to freedom of expression, the criminal libel law that had given political leaders the power to silence their critics or opponents had been repealed in 2020. As a direct result of this repeal, all criminal libel cases in court had been dismissed. 79. The delegation stated that the Government regretted that some political demonstrations had led to deaths, injuries and destruction. The police and the National Human Rights Commission had investigated those cases and prosecutions were currently ongoing, and an Independent Commission on Peace and National Cohesion was in the process of being set up. 80. On the cybercrime bill, according to the delegation nothing in the bill could be used to stifle freedom of expression or the media. Moreover, Sierra Leone had consulted its regional and development partners in drafting the bill. 81. Regretting some instances of excessive use of force by officers, the delegation stated that errant officers would be investigated, and punished if convicted, and that more intensive training of the police was planned. 82. Regarding anti-corruption measures, three commissions of inquiry had been established to investigate alleged graft by officials of the previous administration. The Government would follow the commissions’ recommendations, focusing on the restitution of stolen wealth rather than punitive criminal actions. 83. The delegation indicated that the policy banning female genital mutilation initiation of girls under the age of 18 remained in force and that there had been a decline in the rate of female genital mutilation from 98 per cent in 2007 to 78 per cent in 2019. 84. With respect to the rights of the child, Sierra Leone was gradually moving towards education for all children and was addressing the discrimination against children affected by HIV/AIDS or orphaned by Ebola and other child protection-related issues. The delegation added that Sierra Leone was taking steps to prevent child labour in all its manifestations. 85. Sierra Leone remained committed to ensuring that the birth of every child was registered on time, to providing refugee children with a birth certificate and to continuing to fund the National Civil Registration Authority. 86. The delegation noted that in 2020 Sierra Leone had submitted its first country report under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 87. India thanked the delegation for its presentation. 88. Indonesia praised the “Saving Lives and Saving Livelihoods” strategy to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. 89. The Islamic Republic of Iran commended the progress made and the continued efforts to promote and protect human rights, and made recommendations. 90. Iraq welcomed the establishment of a committee to implement the National Action Plan on Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security, and the Medium-term National Development Plan. 91. Ireland welcomed the implementation of previous recommendations to repeal the criminal libel provisions of the Public Order Act and to lift the ban on pregnant girls attending school. 92. Italy commended the vote in favour of the General Assembly resolution for a universal moratorium on the death penalty and praised the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy. 7