CAT/C/MDA/CO/3 organizational obstacles, impede the enforcement of legislation and effective prosecution and influence the outcome of cases. It is further concerned at reports that the authorities have identified and assisted fewer victims than in the past (arts. 2, 11–14 and 16). 26. The State party should take prompt and effective measures to prevent trafficking in persons in the Republic of Moldova and investigate, prosecute and, if they are convicted, punish individuals involved in trafficking in persons, including, where relevant, public officials, with penalties commensurate with the gravity of the crime, under relevant articles of the Criminal Code. In addition, the State party should provide victims with access to effective remedies, including rehabilitation, in all parts of the country. Non-refoulement 27. While noting the information provided by the State party during the dialogue, the Committee is concerned about the decline in the number and percentage of asylum seekers who have obtained refugee status or humanitarian protection in the State party. It is also concerned about the increased detention of asylum seekers and the increase in the number of expulsion decisions. 28. The State party should facilitate rapid and equitable access to an individualized refugee status determination procedure; promptly provide information on the right to seek asylum; refrain from detaining asylum seekers; detain undocumented migrants only as a measure of last resort and for as short a time as possible, including by using alternatives to detention; and ensure full respect for the principle of non-refoulement. Redress for victims of torture and ill-treatment 29. While welcoming the approval on 29 July 2016 of Law No. 137 on the rehabilitation of victims of crimes, which also covers torture, and taking note of the dialogue with the State party, the Committee remains concerned at reports that the law is not consistent with the requirements for the rehabilitation of torture victims enshrined in article 14 of the Convention and outlined in the Committee’s general comment No. 3 (2012) on the implementation of article 14, and that it lacks an effective implementation mechanism (arts. 2 and 14). 30. The State party should: (a) Amend Law No. 137 with a view to ensuring that victims of torture and ill-treatment have access to redress, including restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction and guarantees of non-repetition; (b) Develop a detailed rehabilitation programme for victims of torture and ill-treatment, as outlined in the Committee’s general comment No. 3 (2012) on the implementation of article 14, including by: amending the rules on the procedure for the identification, registration and reporting of alleged cases of torture and inhuman and/or degrading treatment to designate a specific referral mechanism to unify relevant State institutions in the early identification and rehabilitation of victims of torture and ill-treatment; establishing a State rehabilitation programme for torture victims and providing adequate budgetary provisions without compromising the independence of service providers; and ensuring that the programme offers specialized, victim-oriented rehabilitation services that are appropriate, available and promptly accessible and are not conditional on the filing of formal administrative or criminal complaints; (c) Establish a system of data collection in order to identify the number of victims of torture and ill-treatment and their specific reparation and rehabilitation needs. Treatment of persons in psychiatric, psychoneurological and other residential institutions 31. The Committee is seriously concerned at reports that persons with mental disorders and psychosocial and intellectual disabilities are confined to psychiatric hospitals and 9

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