A/68/44 independence of the courts. The Committee notes the limited number of jurists working as lawyers. It is concerned that having fewer than 400 lawyers in a country with a population of over 11 million impedes access to justice (arts. 2, 11, 12, 13 and 16). The State party should continue to study ways to reform the High Council of the Judiciary and should strengthen the independence of judges by upholding the principle of security of tenure for judges. The State party should take practical steps to increase the number of people working in the justice system, including lawyers. Juvenile justice (19) Despite the existing juvenile justice mechanisms, the Committee is concerned that there are not enough specialized judges and courts to meet all the challenges related to the promotion and protection of children’s rights in the State party (arts. 2, 11, 12, 13 and 16). The Committee recommends that the State party hasten the adoption of the bill to establish the position of Children’s Ombudsman and that it train more judges for juvenile courts. The Committee recommends that the State party set up a juvenile justice system in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (Beijing Rules, General Assembly resolution 40/33) and the United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency (Riyadh Guidelines, General Assembly resolution 40/112). Situation of journalists and human rights defenders (20) The Committee regrets the lack of information on allegations of intimidation, threats, physical attacks and arbitrary detention of human rights defenders and journalists. While taking note of the information supplied on the steps taken to prosecute officers who allegedly used excessive force during the pre-election demonstrations in 2012, the Committee regrets in particular the lack of information on the outcome of investigations concerning members of Rencontre africaine pour la défense des droits de l’homme and the journalists Mr. Boubacar Kambel Dieng and Mr. Karamokho Thioune (arts. 2, 12, 13 and 16). The State party should provide information on specific measures taken in the abovementioned cases and the penalties handed down. The State party should take all necessary steps to protect human rights defenders and journalists and punish severely the perpetrators of violence, torture or intimidation directed at them. Situation of refugees and asylum seekers (21) The Committee notes that further efforts need to be made to complete the issuance of identity cards to refugees and that the law on the status of refugees has not yet been revised (arts. 3 and 16). The State party should hasten the adoption of the revised law on the status of refugees to consolidate safeguards for protecting refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons and stateless persons, including by setting up a body to rule on applications for refugee status and on a range of issues such as family reunification and the protection of unaccompanied minors. The Committee encourages the State party to continue with its efforts to facilitate the integration of refugees, including by issuing identity cards, in collaboration with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. GE.13-46043 73