CAT/C/MKD/CO/3 The Committee recommends that the State party redouble its efforts to prevent and combat all forms of violence against women throughout its territory by: (a) Increasing its efforts to prevent, combat and punish violence against women and girls, including domestic violence; (b) Ensuring the effective enforcement of the existing legal framework by promptly, effectively and impartially investigating all reports of violence and prosecuting and punishing perpetrators in accordance with the gravity of their acts; (c) Encouraging women to report incidents of domestic and sexual violence by raising awareness about the criminal nature of such acts and providing adequate assistance and protection to women victims of violence, including Roma women and women from other ethnic minorities; (d) Ensuring that all women and girls who are victims of violence have access to immediate means of protection and redress. Moreover, the State party should ensure the availability of a sufficient number of shelters throughout the country with appropriate financing. Trafficking in persons 18. The Committee welcomes the efforts made by the State party to combat human trafficking, such as through the Centre for Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings and the Coordinative Office of the National Referral Mechanism, and welcomes the statistics on the number of criminal charges of trafficking provided in the report to the Committee. However, the Committee is concerned that inadequate information is provided on the number of investigations, prosecutions, punishment or compensation that resulted from these charges. The Committee remains concerned by trafficking in women and minors for sexual and other exploitative purposes in the country and the very few prosecutions and convictions of offenders for such crimes under the State party’s anti-trafficking legislation. Furthermore, the Committee is concerned at the paucity of information provided since the last report to the Committee regarding the number of new State-run shelters opened for victims of the crime of trafficking and the financial resources allocated to constructing such shelters (arts. 2 and 10). The State party should continue to strengthen its efforts to combat trafficking in persons and should: (a) Vigorously enforce the existing legislative framework and promptly, impartially and effectively investigate, prosecute and punish with appropriate penalties trafficking in persons and related practices, especially involving women and minors; (b) Enhance international cooperation to combat human trafficking, including through bilateral agreements, and monitor its impact; (c) Provide specialized training to public officials, including on the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and on effective prevention, investigation, prosecution and punishment of acts of trafficking, and conduct nationwide awareness-raising and media campaigns about the criminal nature of such acts; (d) Ensure that victims of the crime of trafficking benefit from protection and effective remedies, including access to medical and legal services, psychosocial counselling, and safe and adequately funded shelters in all parts of the country; 7