women and girls. The State party should amend Act No. 06/PR/2002 to ensure that it stipulates appropriate penalties reflecting the seriousness of the abuse, and as soon as possible draft a decree to give effect to that Act, and bring the perpetrators to justice. Protection of children from cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment (31) While taking note of the State party’s efforts, including at the legislative level, to eliminate ill-treatment of children and, in particular, to prevent their economic exploitation, the Committee remains alarmed at the persistence of these practices and regrets the lack of information provided on their scale (arts. 2, 12 and 16). The State party should take effective measures to combat and eradicate the exploitation and degradation of children and ensure the protection of children, in particular of the most vulnerable children, including child livestock-herders, muhajirin and child domestic workers. (32) While noting that corporal punishment in schools is prohibited in the State party’s legislation, the Committee remains concerned at the absence of legislation prohibiting it within the family, in alternative care institutions and as a disciplinary measure in penal institutions. The Committee is also concerned at the frequent resort to this practice in education, in particular in Koranic schools (art. 16). The State party should extend legislation prohibiting corporal punishment to apply also to families, educational and religious establishments, alternative care institutions and places of juvenile detention. The State party should ensure that the legislation prohibiting corporal punishment is strictly enforced, and should conduct awareness-raising and educational campaigns to that end. (33) The Committee is concerned at reports of children being kidnapped by traffickers and removed abroad. It is also concerned at reports from the State party suggesting that trafficking in children is widespread. It regrets the lack of information or statistics on these phenomena and on any related prosecutions and convictions (art. 16). The State party should take all possible measures to protect children from trafficking and to ensure that traffickers are prosecuted without delay. Child soldiers (34) The Committee welcomes the protocol of agreement signed by the State party and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in April 2007 on the liberation and sustainable reintegration of all children involved in armed groups in Chad. The Committee nevertheless remains deeply concerned at the continued and, according to some allegations, increased recruitment of child soldiers by all parties to the conflict, in particular in sites for displaced persons and refugee camps. The Committee also regrets that only a small number of children have been demobilized since the signing of the agreement with UNICEF, including only very few of the children involved in the Chadian armed forces (art. 16). The State party should: (a) With the support of the United Nations and civil society, draft a time-bound plan of action to prevent the illicit recruitment of child soldiers and to facilitate their rehabilitation and reintegration into society and institute transparent procedures for the liberation and monitoring of the demobilization of children involved in armed groups operating in Chadian territory; (b) Criminalize the illicit recruitment and use of children in armed conflicts; (c) Investigate and prosecute persons responsible for recruiting child soldiers in order to put an end to impunity; (d) Launch a public information campaign to ensure that all members of the armed forces are aware of Chad’s international obligations to prevent the use and recruitment of child soldiers in armed conflicts; 79