A/68/44 fact that Act No. 09/2004 does not penalize all forms of human trafficking and does not penalize trafficking of persons over 18 years of age; the absence of specific data on the extent of trafficking; the lack of regulations on victim assistance; the lack of qualified investigators; the absence of information on the complaints that have been filed and their outcome; the lack of sufficient funding for shelters; and the existence of some degree of impunity for those responsible (arts. 2, 12, 13, 14 and 16). The State party should: (a) Ensure the effective enforcement, in full compliance with the Convention, of existing anti-trafficking laws; (b) Amend Act No. 09/2004 so that it also criminalizes trafficking in persons over the age of 18, as well as all forms of trafficking, particularly trafficking of persons as forced labour and for purposes of sexual exploitation or servitude; (c) Conduct a study to determine the actual extent of human trafficking in the State party and the relevant causal factors; (d) Put an end to impunity by conducting systematic investigations into allegations of trafficking, prosecuting perpetrators and imposing appropriate punishments upon them; (e) Offer victims protection, sufficient compensation and rehabilitation services as necessary and step up its awareness campaigns; (f) Train investigators and other personnel who come into contact with trafficking victims, including immigration service staff, and provide shelters with sufficient funding. Ritual crimes (20) The Committee takes note of the information provided by the State party on the steps taken to put an end to ritual crimes. Nonetheless, the Committee remains concerned about the persistence of ritual crimes involving children in the State party. The Committee is also concerned by the lack of accurate, detailed information on the scale of this problem, the investigations undertaken, the legal proceedings initiated, the trials held, the sentences handed down to perpetrators of such crimes, the redress offered to victims and awarenessraising measures (arts. 2, 12, 13, 14 and 16). The State party should, as a matter of urgency, adopt preventive and protective measures with regard to ritual crimes. It should carry out a study to determine the scale of the problem and step up its efforts to raise the population’s awareness of it. The State party should continue to conduct investigations, to prosecute, bring to justice and punish those guilty of such crimes and to inform the Committee about the outcomes of the judicial action taken in cases now pending. In addition, the State party should take steps to provide redress, compensation or rehabilitation services to victims. Female genital mutilation (21) While taking note of the measures adopted by the State party, particularly Act No. 0038/2008 of 29 January 2009, which is designed to combat and prevent female genital mutilation, as well as the information provided by the State party’s delegation on the reasons underlying this practice, the Committee remains concerned by the fact that girls continue to be subjected to female genital mutilation in the State party. It is equally concerned by the absence of detailed information on the complaints that have been filed and the investigations conducted into those complaints, on the legal proceedings brought GE.13-46043 19

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