personal security, impunity, arbitrary detention and forced labour. There are also sections on human rights education and international action. A selection of some of the short-term proposals gives some idea of the approach: • • • • • To improve the quality of treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS; To propose penal legislation against the exploitation of child labour; To stimulate the creation of shelters for women who are victims of violence; To ratify ILO Convention No. 169 (on indigenous and tribal peoples); To propose a draft law regarding the use of firearms by police officers during their time off and rigorous control of access to weapons and ammunition. The plan does not refer to any monitoring or review mechanism. 4.6 Ecuador (1998) Ecuador’s “National Human Rights Programme” is set out in book form. The programme itself is 50 pages long and is published in five languages, including Quichua, the language of one of the indigenous peoples of Ecuador. The programme was developed on the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during more than a year of intense negotiations and consultations with diverse sectors of Ecuadorian society and the administration, including the Government, civil society, the church and the military. A three-day conference involving all parties was the centrepiece of this process. The programme benefited from international support. Its content has been converted into legislation as an Executive Decree, which is included in the programme document. The programme does not attempt an assessment of current human rights problems, nor is it restricted to any particular time frame. The programme begins with an Introduction and a Mission Statement that assert the importance of human rights in the daily life of peoples and recognize the rights contained in international standard-setting instruments. The content of the programme is structured around four “strategic axes” – Legislative Development, Civil and Political Rights, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and Collective Rights. The Collective Rights are is further subdivided into the following areas, focusing particularly on vulnerable groups: • • • • • • • • • • • The Environment Communications Indigenous Nationalities Black People Children Teenagers Women The Elderly Sexual Minorities Detainees The Disabled 31