Police generally refrain from intervening in cases of domestic violence, and some women have charged credibly that the courts are lenient in such cases. While the role of women in society is not legally restricted, economic conditions tend to limit women to home and family, particularly in rural areas, although some women work as domestics, in agriculture, or in the large tourism sector. Although the Government pledged to provide better family planning services, educational opportunities, and job training, it has been slow to implement new programs. The Directorate of Women's Affairs exists to help women advance in government and the professions, but progress was slow. The Government provides education for children through the age of 16, and children have access to health care and other public services.
Child abuse remains a hidden problem.
While the Government has repeatedly expressed its commitment to children's rights, it has done little to protect those rights in practice. The Government pledged to establish a committee on children's rights and indicated it intends to strengthen monitoring and implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The United Nations Children's Fund helped support a study of the needs of children and families, and its recommendations are being used to develop a National Plan of Action on Child Survival, Development, and Protection. There are no specific laws mandating accessibility for the disabled, but there are constitutional provisions that prohibit discrimination against the physically disabled in employment and education. There is no evidence of widespread discrimination against physically disabled individuals, although the Government does not visibly enforce the constitutional antidiscrimination provisions.