CAT/C/TJK/CO/3 convictions are rare, often also because many judges refuse to request medical examinations when complainants allege physical abuse or rape, due to the lack of independent forensic and/or medical examinations, especially in rural areas and remote regions. While appreciating the State party’s initiatives to establish a pilot programme to enable specialized units of police officers to work in 10 neighbourhoods, the Committee remains concerned that neither marital rape nor domestic violence are criminal offences in the State party (arts. 2, 12, 13, 14 and 16). 48. The Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Collect comprehensive statistics on all forms of violence against women through acts or omissions by State agents and others who engage the State’s responsibility under the Convention, and provide the Committee with information on the number of officials who have been charged, prosecuted and punished for acts of torture or ill-treatment or other crimes under the Criminal Code; (b) Strengthen its efforts to ensure that the police respond appropriately to complaints of all forms of violence against women and to establish an effective and independent complaint mechanism for victims of violence, and ensure that all allegations of violence are registered and are promptly, impartially and effectively investigated, and that the perpetrators are prosecuted, and if convicted, are punished with commensurate sanctions; (c) Amend legislation to facilitate the prosecution of perpetrators of all forms of violence under criminal law; (d) Provide mandatory training to all law enforcement officials, judges and others who interact with victims of all forms of violence against women and ensure that all such victims obtain redress. Situation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons 49. The Committee is concerned that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons continue to be subjected to torture, ill-treatment, sexual abuse, arbitrary detention, blackmail and extortion by police or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of public officials or other persons acting in an official capacity, and that they are subjected to reprisals when they lodge complaints (arts. 12, 13, 14 and 16). 50. The State party should fulfil its national and international legislative obligations concerning equality before the law as they apply to the protection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons and develop legislation in this regard. It should publicly condemn acts of torture and other types of abuse against them, in particular by public officials or other persons acting in an official capacity. The State party should act promptly on complaints regarding cases of torture and abuse against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons, investigate and prosecute them, ensure that they do not give rise to reprisals and provide redress to the victims. Follow-up procedure 51. The Committee requests the State party to provide, by 18 May 2019, information on follow-up to the Committee’s recommendations on investigating acts of torture, the enjoyment of fundamental legal safeguards, and hazing, ill-treatment and torture in the armed forces (see paras. 10, 18 and 46 above). In that context, the State party is invited to inform the Committee about its plans for implementing, within the coming reporting period, some or all of the remaining recommendations in the concluding observations. Other issues 52. The Committee reiterates its recommendation (CAT/C/TJK/CO/2, para. 24) that the State party consider making the declarations under articles 21 and 22 of the Convention. 12