CCPR/C/TKM/CO/1 C. (a) The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, on 4 September 2008; (b) The Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, on 1 May 1997, and the Second Optional Protocol aiming at the abolition of the death penalty, on 11 January 2000; (c) The Convention on the Rights of the Child, on 29 April 2005. Principal matters of concern and recommendations 5. While welcoming the accession by the State party to the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the State party’s commitment to implement the Committee’s Views adopted under its individual complaints procedure, the Committee is concerned at the lack of a mechanism in the State party to implement the Committee’s Views as well as at the present non-satisfactory degree of implementation of the Views of the Committee concerning complaints related to the State party (art. 2). The Committee urges the State party to implement the Views of the Committee and to establish a mechanism with a mandate to implement the Views adopted by the Committee concerning the State party. In this regard, the State party should include in its second periodic report information on the measures that the State party has taken to implement the Committee’s Views in all communications in which the Committee has found a violation of the rights under the Covenant. 6. While noting that international human rights treaties ratified and promulgated by the State party take precedence over national laws, the Committee is concerned that none of the provisions of the Covenant have been invoked before national courts since the accession of the State party to the Covenant (art. 2). The State party should take appropriate measures to raise awareness of the Covenant among judges, lawyers and prosecutors to ensure that its provisions are taken into account before and by national courts. 7. While noting the establishment of the National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights (NIDHR), which has the mandate to act as a national human rights institution, the Committee is concerned that the NIDHR, as a part of the President’s office, is not independent (art. 2). The State party should establish a national human rights institution that can implement its mandate independently and in full accordance with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (Paris Principles). 8. The Committee expresses concern that women remain underrepresented in both the public and private sectors, particularly in decision-making positions. The Committee is also concerned at the prevalent negative stereotypes regarding the roles of women in society, which is partly perpetuated by the Labour Code that is overly protective of the traditional roles of women in society (arts. 2, 3 and 26). The State party should strengthen its efforts to increase the participation of women in the public and private sectors and, if necessary, through appropriate temporary special measures to give effect to the provisions of the Covenant. The State party should revise its Labour Code to eliminate the prevailing negative stereotypes against women that restrict their participation in public life, particularly in the employment sector. 9. The Committee is concerned at increased reports of torture and ill-treatment in places of detention where it is often used to extract confessions from accused persons, and 2