CAT/OP/CHL/1/Add.1 initial step towards implementation of the Subcommittee’s recommendations. With that in mind, the Chilean Government wishes to echo the Subcommittee’s observation that this marks “the beginning of a constructive dialogue …focusing on the fulfilment by the State party of its obligations under the Optional Protocol and the achievement of the shared goal of preventing torture and ill-treatment.”7 11. In addition, these efforts are framed by an international context in which Chile is playing a key role in the prevention of torture. As one of the five countries leading the Convention against Torture Initiative, it has defined torture as an offence (in Act No. 20968 and established protocols for action against torture in some services. Furthermore, it has tabled a bill designating the National Human Rights Institute as the national preventive mechanism, it has amended the Prison Regulations, and it has decided to make the report of the Subcommittee public, as requested by the Subcommittee in its recommendations.8 1.2 Justice Sector Round Table 12. In view of the role played by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights in a number of areas directly related to the mandate of the Subcommittee, this Ministry was charged with establishing and coordinating a Justice Sector Round Table, made up of representatives of the Public Criminal Defender Service, 9 the Prison Service 10 and the National Service for Minors (SENAME). 11 In particular, the Ministry and the associated services were responsible for finding solutions to approximately 30 of the Subcommittee’s recommendations. The Round Table was coordinated primarily by the Human Rights Unit of the Ministry and composed of members of the Social Reintegration Division of the Ministry, SENAME, the Prison Service and the Public Criminal Defender Service.12 13. The Justice Sector Round Table held three coordination and follow-up meetings between October and November 2016, during which a workplan was drawn up, specifying the time frames and persons responsible for each of the measures to be taken by the different services.13 Meanwhile, the Human Rights Unit met with the individual services and noted that the implementation of some recommendations would require collaboration with the Ministry of Health. A health subcommittee, involving the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, the Ministry of Health, SENAME and the Prison Service, was therefore set up. The following diagram shows the coordinating bodies involved: 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 GE.17-07762 Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture Visit to Chile undertaken from 4 to 13 April 2016: observations and recommendations addressed to the State party, CAT/OP/CHL/1, para. 132. Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture. Visit to Chile undertaken from 4 to 13 April 2016: observations and recommendations addressed to the State party, CAT/OP/CHL/1, paras. 10 and 133. According to article 2 of Act No. 19718 establishing the Public Criminal Defender Service, the purpose of the Service is to “defend persons who have been charged with or accused of a serious, ordinary or minor offence that is within the jurisdiction of a guarantees court or a criminal court that holds oral proceedings and the respective appeals courts and who do not have a lawyer”. According to article 1 of Decree-Law No. 2859 establishing the Organic Act on the Prison Service, the latter is “a public entity attached to the Ministry of Justice whose mandate, in addition to other functions defined by law, is to facilitate, promote and monitor the social reintegration of persons who, by decision of the competent authorities, have been detained or deprived of their liberty”. According to article 1 of Decree-Law No. 2465 establishing the National Service for Minors (SENAME) and the related Organic Act, this Service is “an entity attached to the Ministry of Justice that is responsible for helping to protect and promote the rights of children and adolescents whose rights have been violated and facilitating the social reintegration of young offenders”. Although there are other services attached to the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, they were not required to participate, owing to the nature of the Subcommittee’s recommendations. The services involved established their own working groups to address the recommendations. These meetings were held at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights on 3 October, 24 October and 14 November 2016. 5