A/68/44 Furthermore, while the Committee takes note of the information provided by the delegation, it is nevertheless concerned about the recent closure of the Association of Young Lawyers of Tajikistan (Amparo), a member of the Coalition Against Torture that engaged with the Special Rapporteur during his visit, pursuant to a motion filed by the Ministry of Justice to dissolve the organization on administrative grounds and a decision taken by the Khujand City Court on 24 October 2012 to this effect (arts. 12 and 13). The Committee urges the State party to establish a fully resourced, effective, independent and accessible mechanism to investigate and facilitate the submission of complaints by victims and witnesses of torture and ill-treatment to public authorities, as pledged by the State party following the universal periodic review in March 2012. It should also ensure in practice that complainants and civil society organizations are protected against any ill-treatment, intimidation or reprisals as a consequence of their complaint, and that appropriate disciplinary, or where relevant, criminal measures, are taken against law enforcement officials for such actions. Violence against women and children (16) The Committee is deeply concerned about the lack of any domestic legislation criminalizing acts of violence against women, despite the existence since 2009 of a draft law on “social and legal protection against domestic violence”; reports of high prevalence of domestic violence; difficulties in filing complaints; and the reluctance of law enforcement officials to intervene in such cases. It is further concerned about the lack of domestic legislation prohibiting corporal punishment of children, despite allegations of its widespread use in the family, schools and other educational establishments (arts. 2, 12, 13 and 16). The State party should strengthen its efforts to prevent, combat and punish violence against women and children, inter alia, by: (a) Swiftly adopting the draft law on “social and legal protection against domestic violence” and criminalizing such acts; (b) Taking effective measures to ensure that victims of violence against women and children, including domestic violence, can exercise their right to make complaints, and that such complaints are thoroughly investigated and perpetrators prosecuted and punished with appropriate penalties; (c) settings; Adopting legislation to explicitly prohibit corporal punishment in all (d) Providing victims of domestic and sexual violence with immediate protection and redress, including separation from perpetrators, provision of shelters, and rehabilitation; (e) Training law-enforcement officials, judges and prosecutors on how to receive, monitor and investigate complaints of domestic and sexual violence, trafficking and violence against children in a sensitive manner that respects confidentiality; (f) Organizing awareness-raising campaigns on the negative impact of corporal punishment of children, as well on domestic and sexual violence. Independence of the judiciary (17) While welcoming the two-phase programme of judicial-legal reform aimed at strengthening the judiciary, including through measures such as increasing the salary of judges, the Committee is concerned that the judiciary remains weak, inefficient, and influenced by the Council of Justice, an institution that is reportedly subordinate to the GE.13-46043 81