lack of information about other forms of assistance, including medical or psychosocial rehabilitation, provided to these victims. However, the Committee welcomes information provided by the State party on the amendment in March 2007 of Senate Act No. 1216 referring to the introduction of the crime of torture, in order to introduce a domestic fund for the victims of torture (art. 14). The State party should strengthen its efforts in respect of compensation, redress and rehabilitation provided to victims, including the means for as full rehabilitation as possible and develop a specific programme of assistance in respect of victims of torture and ill-treatment. Furthermore, the State party should provide in its next periodic report information about any reparation programmes, including treatment of trauma and other forms of rehabilitation provided to victims of torture and ill-treatment, as well as the allocation of adequate resources to ensure the effective functioning of such programmes. The State party is encouraged to adopt the necessary legislation, establish a domestic fund for victims of torture and allocate sufficient financial sources for its effective functioning. Vulnerable groups, including the Roma (21) While noting a number of measures adopted by the State party, including the establishment of UNAR and the Registry of Associations Working against Discrimination, the Committee expresses its concern at reports of acts of violence against and discrimination of vulnerable groups, in particular the Roma, foreigners and Italians of foreign origin and the reluctance on the part of the police and authorities to provide adequate protection to the victims and to effectively investigate those crimes (arts. 2, 12, 13 and 16). The State party should intensify its efforts to combat discrimination against and ill-treatment of vulnerable groups, including the Roma, foreigners and Italians of foreign origin. In this respect, the Committee recommends that the State party should: (a) Combat racial discrimination, xenophobia and related violence, ensure prompt, impartial and thorough investigations into all such motivated violence and prosecute and punish perpetrators with appropriate penalties which take into account the grave nature of their acts; (b) Publicly condemn racial discrimination, xenophobia and related violence and send a clear and unambiguous message that racist or discriminatory acts within the public administration, especially with regard to law enforcement personnel, are unacceptable; and (c) Provide detailed information to the Committee on the effective measures adopted to prevent and combat such violence. Trafficking (22) The Committee welcomes the variety of measures, projects and programmes undertaken by the State party to combat trafficking, including the establishment of an ad hoc inter-ministerial Committee to manage and implement programmes for victims of trafficking as well as the so-called “Article 18 approach”, the release of stay permits for social protection reasons for all victims of trafficking providing for their participation in social integration programmes, and Law Decree No. 300 which extends the scope of the system of assistance to and social integration of victims of trafficking to both non-EU and EU citizens. However, the Committee expresses its concern at persistent reports of trafficking in women and children for sexual and other exploitative purposes and, while noting a high number of investigations, it is concerned at the lack of information on prosecutions and sentences in matters of trafficking (arts. 2, 10, 12 and 16). The State party should continue to strengthen its efforts to combat trafficking in women and children and take effective measures to prosecute and punish trafficking in persons, including by strictly applying relevant legislation, raising awareness of the problem, and including the issue in training of law enforcement personnel and other relevant groups. 57