PRESS RELEASE : 44th Universal Periodic Review – UK Review on Cabo Verde [November 2023]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 November 2023.
The UK delivered a statement during Cabo Verde’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Thank you, Mr Vice-President,
The United Kingdom welcomes steps taken by Cabo Verde to promote and protect human rights, such as improvement on action against gender-based violence. We urge the government to improve implementation of this legislation by increasing the number of cases taken to court and successful prosecutions.
We recognise and praise the steps the government has already taken to tackle child abuse through a national network of organisations, including the government’s child protection body, the Institute for Children. We urge Cabo Verde to take further legislative action to protect children and reduce instances of such abuse.
We recommend that Cabo Verde:
- Urge the National Assembly to debate and approve the anti-discrimination draft law presented by the National Commission on Human Rights and Citizenship in 2021.
- Improve prison conditions by increasing the number of officers and the use of alternatives to prison such as bail, home arrest, and plea bargaining, and improving sanitary conditions.
- Improve training for professionals in law enforcement and the judiciary to respond to sexual abuse of children and gender-based violence.
Thank you.
