A/HRC/48/6 10. At the international level, there had been an increase in technical cooperation with the United Nations, including with the United Nations Development Programme, OHCHR and the special procedure mandate holders of the Human Rights Council. 11. The delegation provided information on the status of implementation of the recommendations from the previous review cycle. 12. In the framework of the dialogue for the achievement of peace and national reconciliation, a consensus had been reached between the Government and the largest opposition party, the Mozambique National Resistance, which permitted the approval by the parliament of new electoral legislation. 13. Concerning the right to political participation and the right to vote, there were few legal restrictions on political participation. The real barriers faced by the citizens of Mozambique included poverty, illiteracy, inadequate access to information and gender inequality. 14. In Mozambique, the rights to freedom of expression, of the press and to information were guaranteed by the Constitution. In recent years, the media landscape had expanded and diversified. 15. Several measures had been taken to combat trafficking in persons, including the adoption in 2018 of a law that incorporated into domestic legislation the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and established the legal framework for preventing and combating trafficking in persons. Additionally, a review of the anti-trafficking law was currently under way under the guidance of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. 16. The reform of the administration of justice system, including through the approval of the new Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure and the adoption of the Code on the Execution of Sentences, were important achievements. 17. As a result of the country’s economic and financial situation, the number of police officers remained very low despite recent efforts to recruit and train new police officers. Such training, which included a human rights component, was mandatory. 18. The Government had reformed the prison sector to guarantee fundamental human rights. The Government and cooperating partners had taken measures for the gradual improvement of prison conditions, placing particular emphasis on the rehabilitation of detention facilities and the correct application by magistrates of alternatives to imprisonment to address overcrowding, which continued to be the biggest challenge faced by the penitentiary system. Additionally, the Government had undertaken a vaccination campaign in prisons to protect prisoners from COVID-19. 19. To combat corruption and ensure transparency, the Central Public Ethics Commission had been created and Law No. 13/2020 of 23 December 2020 establishing the special legal regime for the extended confiscation and recovery of assets had been adopted, among other measures. 20. Measures taken to combat discrimination and violence against women included the gender policy and its implementation strategy (2018) and the National Plan to Prevent and Combat Gender-Based Violence (2018–2021). Mozambique had one of the highest percentages of women representatives in the national parliament, in both the continent and the world, and that proportion had increased over the years. 21. Numerous laws, policies, plans and other measures had been adopted to promote the well-being and protection of children. In particular, Law No. 19/2019 of 22 October 2019 on preventing and combating premature unions had been enacted and the Family Law had been revised to eliminate the provision allowing persons under the age of 18 years to marry with parental consent. 22. Mozambique had adopted rigorous measures to eliminate violence against children and had recognized the need for resources, multisectoral coordination, monitoring and data 3