anyone suspected of having committed an offence under article 4 of the Convention and who happened to be in New Zealand, regardless of his nationality. 155. Concerning article 10 of the Convention, he provided information training handbooks and other publications prepared for or distributed police, prison personnel and medical and nursing personnel to educate matters relating to the difficult situation of refugees or to prevent of ill-treatment and torture. on the to the them about any form 156. In respect of questions raised with regard to article 11 of the Convention, the representative informed the Committee that the new Mental Health Act of 1 November 1992 limited compulsory treatment in psychiatric hospitals, defined very carefully the rights of patients and provided for legal remedies. He also explained that under the Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act, a "child" was someone under the age of 14 and a "youth" was someone over 14 but less than 17 who had never married. 157. With regard to article 14 of the Convention, the representative indicated that the reservation entered by New Zealand was considered by his Government to be compatible with the purpose and goal of the Convention and not contrary to international law. He also explained the procedure in place for accident compensation, and stated that the term accident covered rape and torture and that such compensation did not prejudge criminal proceedings. Conclusions and recommendations 158. The Committee expressed its gratitude for the report, its presentation and the clarifications provided by the representative of New Zealand. It considered the report to be comprehensive and objective. It also expressed its satisfaction that the report indicated that no one in New Zealand had been convicted of or charged with committing an act of torture and that there had been no report of torture having taken place in New Zealand, either in the period under review or before or since that time. 159. The Committee considered that the articles of the Convention seemed to be incorporated in New Zealand’s legislation, specifically in the Crimes of Torture Act of 1989, which had been promulgated in connection with New Zealand’s ratification of the Convention. 160. The Committee during its discussions raised the issue of the State party’s reservation to one of the core articles of the Convention, article 14, regarding compensation for victims of torture. The Committee expressed the hope that the New Zealand authorities would review that reservation to ensure its full compliance with the articles of the Convention. Germany 161. The Committee considered the initial report of Germany (CAT/C/12/Add.1) at its 128th and 129th meetings, on 16 November 1992 (see CAT/C/SR.128, 129 and 129/Add.2). 162. The report was introduced by the representative of the State party, who stressed that the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment was a feature of the German Constitution and other legislation. That prohibition was part of the principle that human dignity should be respected, as established by the Federal Constitutional Court. He then pointed out that the German Penal Code did not contain a general offence of "torture"; however, there were specific offences such as assault and battery in office which would be penalized in the manner provided for by the Convention. -28-