A/52/471 English Page 18 "5. Concerning the dissemination of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, it is worth mentioning the publication of the tenth periodic report to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. This joint initiative by the Ministries of External Relations and Justice made possible the dissemination of knowledge about the rights guaranteed in that juridical instrument and contributed to raising awareness about the international obligations of Brazil in the matter. The dissemination of the Convention was helped through seminars held in different regions of Brazil, with the participation of diplomats and officials of the Ministry of Justice. "6. As far as legislation is concerned, it must be noted that the National Congress has approved and the President has sanctioned a law which foresees a penalty of one to three years' imprisonment for those who commit a crime of racism by uttering insults of a racial nature or discriminating on grounds of race, ethnicity, colour, religion or nationality. The principal innovation introduced by this law is to characterize as a crime of racism insults or prejudice in labour or personal relations, thus widening the scope of the previous law on the subject which foresaw sanctions only for cases of racism involving the media and restrictions of access to public places on grounds of race. "7. It should be mentioned also that Law No. 9.455 of 7 April 1997, defining the crime of torture, contains specific reference to the racial question, which demonstrates how the subject has been definitively incorporated in the national agenda. The reference is: 'Art 1 - The crime of torture is characterized when: A person constrains another using violence or grave threat, with the infliction of physical or mental pain: (...) c) for reason of racial or religious discrimination'." 42. The Special Rapporteur takes note of and commends the Brazilian Government for these measures. He is, however, concerned about the potential drawbacks of including a mention of race on school and birth certificates, as well as other documents, however laudable the original intent (affirmative action). The Special Rapporteur also continues to be concerned about the fate of indigenous peoples, with whom he had a number of working meetings during his mission to Brazil. He hopes to continue the dialogue with the Government on this matter and looks forward to receiving, at the earliest juncture, information about measures taken or envisaged in favour of these peoples. E. Australia 43. As mentioned above (para. 11), the Special Rapporteur wrote to the Australian Government on two occasions to solicit a response to allegations contained in two communications which he had received in 1996. Since no reply was forthcoming, the Special Rapporteur requested and received permission from the Government of Australia to undertake a mission to that country in the near future. The Special Rapporteur expresses his appreciation to the Australian /...