A/69/44 In light of the high prevalence of female genital mutilation and the ineffectiveness of the relevant laws, the Committee recommends that the State party should, with a view to eradicating this practice, adopt a holistic approach and formulate a national plan of action incorporating the following measures: (a) Urgently strengthen measures to prevent and eliminate the practice of female genital mutilation by ensuring that its existing laws on the subject are effectively enforced in accordance with the Convention. To this end, it should facilitate the submission of complaints by victims, conduct prompt and effective investigations, prosecute those responsible and impose appropriate penalties on the guilty parties commensurate with the serious nature of their crimes; (b) Expand national awareness-raising campaigns, in particular among families, on the harmful effects of the practice and devise programmes to offer alternative sources of income to those who perform female genital mutilation as a means of livelihood, as recommended in 2007 by the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women at its thirty-ninth session (CEDAW/C/GIN/CO/6, para. 25); (c) Provide adequate redress, suitable compensation, and the fullest possible rehabilitation to victims; (d) Set up shelters for girls and women who have left their homes to avoid being subject to such practices. In general, the State party should ensure that its customary law and practices are compatible with its human rights obligations, particularly those arising from the Convention. Trafficking in persons (18) While noting with satisfaction the establishment in 2012 of a special unit to combat trafficking in persons, the Committee nevertheless remains very concerned by reports of internal and cross-border trafficking (in particular with Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin and Senegal) of men, women and children for purposes of sexual exploitation, forced labour and domestic slavery. The Committee is also concerned by the lack of clarity in article 337 of the Criminal Code on the various forms of trafficking and servitude, which hampers enforcement of the law and causes legal uncertainty for the victims (arts. 2, 8, 9, 12 and 16). The State party should: (a) Step up its efforts to prevent and combat trafficking in persons, particularly women and children, including by implementing its anti-trafficking legislation, providing protection for victims and ensuring that they have access to the courts, to medical, social and legal services and to means of rehabilitation and reintegration; (b) Invite the Legislative Reform Commission to amend article 337 of the Criminal Code to categorize the different forms of trafficking in persons as crimes punishable by law; (c) Ensure adequate conditions so that victims can exercise their right to make a complaint; (d) Conduct prompt, impartial and effective investigations into cases of trafficking and ensure that convicted individuals are given sentences commensurate with the serious nature of their crimes; GE.14-12596 107