b. The alignment of legislation to the Constitution is ongoing and the Prevention of Discrimination Act will be reviewed in order to ensure its conformity to the Constitution. c. The Government has increased its budget support to the Independent Commissions. Furthermore, these Commissions now appropriate their funding directly from Treasury and they also receive technical and financial support from cooperating partners. 3. Article 3: Equality before the Law and Equal Protection of the Law Constitutional and Legislative Measures 3.1. The Constitution provides for equality of all persons before the law and the right to equal protection and benefit of the law including equality of rights and obligations of spouses during marriage and at its dissolution18. In order to ensure equality before the law and access to justice by all, Section 31 of the Constitution mandates the Government to provide legal representation in civil and criminal cases for people who need it and are unable to afford legal practitioners of their choice. 3.2. Section 319 (a-h) of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act provides for the protection of vulnerable witnesses who are protected by the law and may give evidence in an environment where they are free to do so without intimidation or undue influence. Administrative Measures 3.3. In order to enhance access to legal services for the indigent, the Government has decentralised the operations of the Legal Aid Directorate to all the provinces. Furthermore, the Judicial Service 18 Section 26 and 56 of the Constitution Page | 6