on domestic violence”, 6 which it accepted. Gender-based violence, particularly in a domestic context can be exacerbated by gender discriminatory nationality laws, in situations where women feel trapped in abusive relationships in order to ensure their children receive the father’s nationality. Further, Togo received recommendations on the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). For a full list of relevant recommendations, all of which Togo accepted, please see Annex 1. 11. In the second cycle, during the 26th session, Togo received and accepted six recommendations relating to birth registration as follows: from Slovenia to “ensure universal birth registration and take the necessary steps to achieve universal primary education and combat illiteracy”; 7 from Turkey to “take the necessary measures to ensure that birth registration is obligatory and free for all children and to put in place concrete measures to facilitate birth registration by extending the free registration deadline and through multiplication of awareness-raising activities thereon”; 8 from Namibia to “ensure that birth registration is free and compulsory in practice and guarantee that children without a birth certificate are not deprived of access to education, health care and other social services, in line with the recommendation of the Committee on the Rights of the Child”;9 from Germany to “establish a functional registry system reaching the whole population, by, inter alia, extending the time for free birth registration and offering birth certificate establishment procedures for the unregistered”; 10 and from Lebanon to “adopt laws guaranteeing compulsory birth registration”.11 12. Togo also received numerous recommendations on gender equality and to combat gender-based violence. 12 For example, the Ivory Coast recommended that Togo “strengthen the national gender equity and equality policy”;13 Cuba recommended that Togo “intensify its fight against violence against women and girls and continue the fight against stereotypes”; 14 and Portugal recommended that Togo “ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women”.15 Togo accepted these recommendations. 13. In 2012, both the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women expressed concern with regard to the right to a nationality for children and women’s equal nationality rights in Togo. The 6 A/HRC/19/10, Human Rights Council, Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review on Togo, 1st cycle, 14 December 2011, Recommendation 100.40. 7 A/HRC/34/4, Human Rights Council, Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review on Togo, 2nd cycle, 30 December 2016, Recommendation 128.26. 8 A/HRC/34/4, Human Rights Council, Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review on Togo, 2 nd cycle, 30 December 2016, Recommendations 128.27 and 128.28. 9 A/HRC/34/4, Human Rights Council, Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review on Togo, 2 nd cycle, 30 December 2016, Recommendation 129.13. 10 A/HRC/34/4, Human Rights Council, Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review on Togo, 2nd cycle, 30 December 2016, Recommendation 128.25. 11 A/HRC/34/4, Human Rights Council, Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review on Togo, 2nd cycle, 30 December 2016, Recommendation 129.12. 12 Please see Annex 1 for gender-related recommendations. 13 A/HRC/34/4, Human Rights Council, Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review on Togo, 2nd cycle, 30 December 2016, Recommendation 128.47 14 A/HRC/34/4, Human Rights Council, Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review on Togo, 2nd cycle, 30 December 2016, Recommendation 128.48 15 A/HRC/34/4, Human Rights Council, Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review on Togo, 2nd cycle, 30 December 2016, Recommendation 128.7 3