A/HRC/48/6 123. Poland urged Mozambique to make every effort to effectively combat and eradicate child and forced marriage, as well as other harmful practices such as initiation rites, which had a detrimental psychological and physical effect on children and women. 124. Portugal expressed concern about the human rights situation in Cabo Delgado and the growing restrictions to the civic space. 125. Qatar welcomed the efforts made to promote human rights through laws, constitutional reforms and programmes and to improve conditions for all without discrimination. 126. The Republic of Korea acknowledged the efforts made by Mozambique regarding gender issues, especially women’s increased participation in decision-making bodies. 127. The Russian Federation welcomed the ongoing efforts made by the authorities to strengthen national human rights capacities. 128. Rwanda acknowledged the adoption by Mozambique of stringent measures to combat violence against children through the application of criminal sanctions. 129. Senegal welcomed the major efforts made to strengthen the legal and institutional framework for the promotion and protection of human rights. 130. Serbia welcomed women’s increased participation in decision-making bodies, a step designed to ensure greater gender parity. 131. Sierra Leone welcomed the adoption of a national plan to combat gender-based violence and the implementation of gender equality policies. 132. Singapore welcomed the efforts made to guarantee the right to education, especially for children, including by raising the compulsory schooling age. 133. Slovenia was concerned by the worsening human rights situation in Cabo Delgado, where the conflict had affected children and adolescents. 134. Somalia welcomed the measures taken to combat corruption and the increase in women’s representation in government institutions at all levels. 135. South Africa welcomed the efforts made to improve the capacity of human rights institutions and the reforms to the judicial system. 136. South Sudan thanked the delegation for the national report. 137. Spain applauded the delegation for participating in the review exercise. 138. Sri Lanka wished to highlight the efforts aimed at increasing the institutional and response capacity of national human rights institutions. 139. The State of Palestine commended the Government on the steps taken to respond to the impacts of climate change. 140. The Sudan was encouraged by the constructive engagement with human rights mechanisms and the cooperation with different regional and international bodies. 141. Sweden commended the Government’s efforts to end child marriage and acknowledged the steps taken to combat corruption. 142. Switzerland expressed concern about the resurgence of violence in Cabo Delgado, which had led to great suffering among civilians. 143. The Syrian Arab Republic noted that Mozambique faced enormous economic, security and climate-related challenges and welcomed the measures taken to protect older persons. 144. The delegation noted that the National Human Rights Commission had the capacity to investigate abuses by the security forces. The Commission had deployed commissioners specialized in various thematic areas so that they could monitor, in a coordinated fashion, the situation in Cabo Delgado, including through regular visits. In addition, the Government had been following up on attacks through various mechanisms, to monitor the human rights situation of the civilian population. 9