9.7.3 Civil and political rights Suggested national action plan content: • Commitment to enact legislation protecting civil and political rights, including legislation addressing issues such as violence against women and exploitation of children; • Legal reform with a view to bringing the criminal procedure code and other key legislative acts into conformity with the relevant human rights treaties; • Proposed measures aimed at strengthening the independence of the judiciary; • Proposed training on human rights issues for the judiciary, police, correctional services workers and security authorities; • Provision of adequate resources to ensure that the court system and the general administration of justice operate effectively, that police operations are able to give full attention to the rights of citizens and that correctional institutions are better able to observe the rights of detainees; • Establishment of standing monitoring mechanisms (such as a prison inspectorate) and commissions of inquiry where needed to investigate and formulate recommendations on specific issues; • Abolition or limitation of the death penalty; • Establishment of operational policies and guidelines for the judiciary, police, correctional service workers and security authorities that ensure actions are in accordance with internationally recognized human rights standards; • Steps to strengthen the electoral system to ensure it provides for genuine periodic elections in accordance with international human rights standards and international best practice; • Establishment of effective mechanisms aimed at the eradication of impunity, including grievance procedures in relation to public administration and effective measures of redress for violations of human rights; • Steps to promote freedom of information, particularly access to State-owned broadcasting media; • Steps to promote freedom of religion; • Establishment or strengthening of provisions for legal aid. National action plans should focus on administration of justice issues, which are often the source of serious human rights problems, particularly for minorities. This involves improving the protection and promotion of the human rights of persons coming into contact with the police, the courts and prisons. Legal reform is another area that is often of relevance to civil and political rights, as many legislative acts may never have been brought into conformity with the applicable international human rights obligations of the government. Sometimes acceptance of a human rights treaty may require new definitions in the law (such as “torture”, as defined under article 4 of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment); the criminalization of certain acts (such as incitement to racial hatred or violence, as required by article 4 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination); or the setting of minimum standards (such as a minimum age for marriage, as required under article 16 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women). 80