A/66/44 (d) To strengthen awareness-raising and educational efforts on violence against women and girls for officials in direct contact with the victims (law enforcement officers, judges, social workers, etc.), as well as for the public at large; (e) To enact legislation criminalizing marital rape. The Committee requests the State party to provide in its next periodic report statistics on the number of complaints of violence against women, including rape, as well as information on investigations, prosecutions and convictions in such cases. Harmful traditional practices (23) The Committee takes note of the positive actions of the Government in criminalizing harmful traditional practices, such as female genital mutilation and trokosi (ritual or customary slavery). It also notes the 25 per cent decrease in the number of reported cases of female genital mutilation between 1999 and 2010, although there were still a total of 123,000 reported cases during that period. The Committee remains concerned at the clear incompatibility between certain aspects of Ghana’s customary law and traditional practices and the respect for fundamental rights and liberties, including the prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. In this regard, the Committee is concerned at reports that some women have been accused of practicing witchcraft, and subjected to severe violence, including mob violence, burning and lynching, and forced to leave their communities. Many such women have been sent to so-called “witch camps” through a system that lacks minimal due legal process, and from which the possibility of returning to society is uncertain. The Committee also expresses concern about reports of cases of violence against widows who are often deprived of their inheritance and, in some cases, subjected to humiliating and abusive widowhood rites. The Committee regrets the lack of information on prosecutions and sentences imposed on perpetrators of such acts, as well as on assistance and compensation to the victims. It also regrets the lack of information on the steps taken to ensure that customary law in Ghana is not incompatible with the State party’s obligations under the Convention (arts. 2 and 16). The State party should: (a) Strengthen its efforts to prevent and combat harmful traditional practices, including female genital mutilation, in particular in rural areas, and ensure that such acts are investigated and that the alleged perpetrators are prosecuted and convicted; (b) Provide victims with legal, medical, psychological and rehabilitative services, as well as compensation, and create adequate conditions for them to report complaints without fear of reprisal; (c) Provide training to judges, prosecutors, law enforcement officials and community leaders on the strict application of the relevant legislation criminalizing harmful traditional practices, and other forms of violence against women. In general, the State party should ensure that its customary law and practices are compatible with its human rights obligations, especially under the Convention. The State party should also provide information on the hierarchy between customary and domestic law, especially with regard to forms of discrimination against women. The Committee further requests the State party to provide, in its next periodic report, detailed information and updated statistical data on complaints, investigations, prosecutions, convictions and sentences imposed on perpetrators of criminal conduct related to harmful traditional practices, including murder, as well as on assistance and compensation provided to victims. GE.11-45568 89