CAT/C/PRY/CO/4-6 direct contact with victims (law enforcement officers, judges, lawyers, social workers, etc.) and for the general public. 22. The Committee notes with concern the general prohibition of abortion in article 109 of the Criminal Code, which applies even to cases of sexual violence, incest or when the foetus is not viable, with the sole exception of cases where the foetus dies as an indirect result of an intervention that is necessary to avert a serious threat to the life of the mother. This means that the women concerned are constantly reminded of the violation committed against them, which causes serious traumatic stress and carries a risk of long-lasting psychological problems. The Committee also notes with concern that women who request an abortion under the circumstances described above are punished. The Committee is also concerned about the denial of medical care to women who have decided to have an abortion, which could seriously jeopardize their physical and mental health and could constitute cruel and inhuman treatment. The Committee expresses its deep concern that illegal abortions are still one of the main causes of mortality among women. The Committee also notes with concern that medical professionals can be investigated and punished by the State party for practising therapeutic abortions. The Committee is also concerned that medical professionals have reported abortions that have come to their knowledge under the protection of professional secrecy, in violation of the profession’s code of ethics (arts. 2 and 16). The Committee urges the State party to review its legislation on abortion, as recommended by the Human Rights Council, the Human Rights Committee, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in their latest concluding observations, and to consider providing for further exceptions to the general prohibition of abortion, in particular for cases of therapeutic abortion and pregnancy resulting from rape or incest. The State party should, in accordance with the guidelines issued by the World Health Organization, guarantee immediate and unconditional treatment for persons seeking emergency medical care. The State party should also take measures to preserve confidentiality between doctors and patients when medical care is provided for complications arising from an abortion. Trafficking in persons 23. The Committee recognizes the efforts made by the State party to address trafficking in persons, including the creation of the Inter-Agency Committee to Prevent and Combat Human Trafficking and special units in the National Secretariat for Children and Adolescents and the Secretariat for Women, the establishment of a centre to provide comprehensive support for trafficking victims and the drafting of a bill to combat trafficking in persons. The Committee notes with interest the opening of a temporary shelter for trafficking victims, but observes that the shelter has limited space and only receives female victims. The Committee is concerned that Paraguay continues to be both a source and transit country for human trafficking and regrets the lack of comprehensive information on trafficking cases and convictions (arts. 2, 10 and 16). The State party should ensure that all allegations concerning the trafficking of persons are investigated promptly, impartially and thoroughly and that the offenders are prosecuted and punished for the crime of trafficking in persons. The State party should continue to conduct nationwide awareness-raising campaigns, provide adequate programmes of assistance, recovery and reintegration for victims of trafficking and offer training to law enforcement officers, judges, prosecutors, migration officials and border police on the causes, consequences and repercussions of trafficking and other forms of exploitation. In particular, the State party should make every effort to implement the National Plan for the Prevention and Elimination of the GE.11-47781 9