(c) The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, on 24 April 2003; and (d) The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, on 20 February 2003. (4) Furthermore, the Committee welcomes the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention, on 14 September 2005, and the recent visit of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) to Sweden from 10 to 14 March 2008. (5) The Committee notes with satisfaction the ongoing efforts at the State level to reform its legislation, policies and procedures in order to ensure better protection of human rights, including the right not to be subjected to torture and ill-treatment, in particular: (a) The amendment of the Swedish Aliens Act in 2006, which introduces a new appeal system, includes an explicit provision on non-refoulement and provides for the granting of refugee status to persons claiming fear of persecution on grounds of gender and sexual orientation; (b) The adoption of new legislation on fundamental safeguards, including access to a lawyer and notification of custody that entered into force on 1 April 2008 (Law No. 2008:67); (c) The adoption of a national human rights plan of action for the period 2006-2009; (d) The adoption, in November 2007, of the action plan to combat men’s violence against women, violence and oppression in the name of honour and violence in same-sex relationships (Govt. Comm. 2007/08:39); (e) The common Action Plan developed by the Border Control Police, the Migration Board and the Social Services which aims to minimise the risks of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children disappearing and becoming victims of trafficking. (6) The Committee commends the State party for its commitment to international human rights obligations, in particular the clear and unequivocal stance that the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is absolute. (7) The Committee notes with satisfaction that the Government has allocated additional resources to the Prison and Probation Administration to create better facilities, both in prisons and remand prisons, and to build a number of new prisons and remand prisons to increase their capacity. (8) The Committee notes with appreciation that the State party is continuously reviewing and analysing its compliance with international human rights obligations through commissions and studies established for such purpose and the appointment of special investigators. C. Principal subjects of concern and recommendations Definition of torture (9) Notwithstanding the State party’s assertion that under the Swedish Criminal Code all acts that may be described as “torture” within the meaning of article 1 of the Convention are punishable, the Committee regrets that the State party has not changed its position with regard to the incorporation into domestic law of the crime of torture as defined in article 1 of the Convention (arts. 1 and 4). The State party should incorporate into domestic law the crime of torture and adopt a definition of torture that covers all the elements contained in article 1 of the Convention. By naming and defining the offence of torture in accordance with the Convention as distinct from other crimes, the Committee considers that States parties will directly advance the Convention’s overarching aim of preventing torture, inter alia, by alerting everyone, including perpetrators, victims, and the public, to the special gravity of the crime of torture and by improving the deterrent effect of the prohibition itself. 73