(18) While taking note of the efforts made by the State party to improve prison conditions, the Committee remains deeply concerned about living conditions in detention facilities. The Committee has received reports of overcrowding, corruption of prison officials by detainees, lack of hygiene and adequate food, prevalence of disease and lack of adequate health care. The Committee has also received reports that minors are not kept completely separate from adults and that accused persons are not kept separate from convicted persons (arts. 11 and 16). Without waiting for the national prevention mechanism to be established, the State party should take urgent measures to bring conditions in detention centres into line with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. The State party should allocate all the material, human and budgetary resources necessary for this purpose and give priority to: (a) Reducing overcrowding and the high number of prisoners in pretrial detention; (b) Improving food and health care provision for detainees; (c) Reorganizing prisons so that accused persons are detained separately from convicted persons and improving conditions of detention of minors, ensuring that they are detained separately from adults in all circumstances; (d) in prisons; (e) Appropriate measures to put a definitive end to alleged corruption and ransom demands Strengthening judicial supervision of conditions of detention. (19) The Committee expresses concern at the deplorable conditions of detention of convicted prisoners on death row, which amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment (art. 16). The State party should take all necessary measures to improve the conditions of detention of prisoners on death row in order to guarantee their basic needs and rights. The State party should take urgent measures to establish a moratorium on executions and to commute death sentences. The Committee also wishes to be informed of the status of the bill on the abolition of the death penalty. National Human Rights Commission (20) The Committee regrets that the Benin Human Rights Commission is no longer operational (arts. 11 and 13). The State party should take steps to operationalize the Benin Human Rights Commission and make it conform to the Paris Principles. Violence perpetrated by law enforcement officials (21) The Committee expresses its concern at allegations of beatings by law enforcement officials of the State party and regrets the lack of information on the extent of this practice (arts. 12 and 16). The State party should send a clear message to law enforcement officials that violence and ill-treatment are unacceptable. It should, moreover, take the necessary steps to end this practice and to ensure that prompt, impartial and effective investigations are conducted into allegations of ill-treatment by law enforcement officials and that those responsible are prosecuted and punished with appropriate penalties. Torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of children (22) While taking note of the State party’s legislative efforts, in particular to eradicate ill-treatment of children, the Committee remains concerned about reports of trafficking, exploitation, prostitution, female genital mutilation, rape and killing of newborn babies. The Committee regrets the lack of statistical data on reports of violence against children and related convictions (arts. 1, 2, 12 and 16). 10