Further, the Government has implemented programmes to raise awareness on the illegitimacy of slavery and to disseminate the 2007 Act with the support of religious leaders and the participation of civil society organizations. It has taken part in several activities conducted in this respect by the CNDH and civil society organizations. Mauritania ratified ILO conventions 29 on forced labour and 105 on the abolition of forced labour and integrated them into its domestic legislation as reflected in the Constitution, the Labour Code and Law nr. 2015/033 criminalizing slavery practices. With this legal arsenal, dozens of cases have been dealt with. Freedom of association is a tradition enshrined in the Constitution. Mauritania has ratified and integrated into its domestic legislation international conventions 87 (freedom of association) and 98 (right to organize and collective bargaining). There are currently 21 trade unions. Collective bargaining is customary between social partners. The Government, as part of its efforts to promote this culture of freedom and social dialogue, created a permanent framework for social dialogue to determine trade union representation. Paragraph 3: Family’s right to protection Protection of the family is a key focus area of the Government both in terms of consolidating its place in society and providing it with adequate support for the performance of its duties. The right to marriage is an inalienable, natural and basic right of every man and every woman. Future spouses enter into marriage of their own free will. The complementary relationship between men and women to enter into marriage and to freely choose their spouse is enshrined in Article 1 of the Personal Status Code which defines marriage as “a legal contract which joins a man and a woman in lasting matrimony”. The Personal Status Code provides for the right of each spouse to own assets and affirms the capacity of the woman to manage her assets herself. It describes, in a detailed and standardized manner, the rights and duties of spouses both during marriage and after its dissolution. Several awareness-raising campaigns were conducted with a view to enhancing the stability of marriages and preventing sexually transmissible diseases. The Personal Status Code sets the marriage age at 18 years for both men and women stipulating in its Article 6 that: “eligibility to enter into marriage is granted to all persons of sound mind who have reached the age of 18”. The following measures were implemented in order to give effect to the Personal Status Code (CSP): 39