We were commended at the UN for the significant advances that South Africa has made on the representation of women in political decision-making positions, access to education and health, particularly our response to HIV and Aids. Concerns were raised on the high levels of violence against women and children in the country. We also presented the country report on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, CEDAW, to the CEDAW committee in Geneva in January this year. The conclusions and recommendations of the committee are going to be incorporated into our national programmes to address the challenges facing women and girls.