E/CN.4/1999/15 page 8 harassment, one of the Republic of Croatia’s top policy priorities has been to normalize inter-ethnic relations, especially the relations between Croats and a section of the Serb ethnic and national community or minority in Croatia. A number of confidence-building measures have been implemented in order to remove the motive of revenge and to foster greater harmony and tolerance within Croat society. 16. A wide range of legislative and practical measures has been introduced through government policies designed to promote equal opportunities at various levels of administrative, social and economic life. Some of these measures have been implemented primarily in the education system and in cultural activities. 17. Effective measures have been taken in particular in the field of education and vocational training in order to fight the prejudices which lie at the root of racial discrimination and intolerance. Since independence, the Croatian education system has undergone a major transformation; national curricula and syllabuses now reflect new principles of economic, social and political development, thereby enabling pupils to gain access to the skills and responsibilities required in a democratic society. The new curricula reflect recommendations made in the field of education, including those found in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In addition, several projects in such areas as tolerance and human rights are being carried out in pre-school establishments and primary schools under the auspices of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). 18. Croatia also informs the Commission that it is taking all necessary measures against incitement to racial hatred in both electronic and printed media, while at the same time fundamentally protecting freedom of thought and expression and freedom of the press as guaranteed under article 38 of the Constitution. As stated above, all manifestations of racism such as racist propaganda or hate speech are constitutionally and legally forbidden. Pursuant to article 56 of the Telecommunications Act, Croatian Radio and Television is obliged to respect human dignity and fundamental human rights, in addition to promoting understanding of members of ethnic and national communities or minorities. 19. The right to equal treatment before the courts and other judicial bodies is guaranteed in article 26 of the Constitution. This constitutional right, in addition to other constitutional rights and freedoms, is protected by the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia (art. 124, para. 1, of the Constitution). According to article 28, paragraph 1, of the Constitutional Act on the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia, anyone may file a constitutional complaint with the Constitutional Court if he or she believes that a decision handed down by a judicial, administrative or other authority violates his or her guaranteed rights and freedoms under the Constitution. 20. In the new Criminal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure, which came into force on 1 January 1998, provisions relating to the prevention and suppression of discrimination have been strengthened by increasing the minimum level of envisaged punishment from three to six months’ imprisonment, with a possible maximum sentence of five years. The provisions of previous criminal