E/C.12/ALB/CO/2-3 The State party should further ensure provision of adequate medical, legal and social assistance, including shelter, to the victims of trafficking, as well as their access to judicial remedies. 23. The Committee is concerned at the low level of investigations and convictions of domestic and gender-based violence as well as the absence of a coherent strategy to support victims of domestic and gender-based violence (art. 10). The Committee recommends that the State party effectively investigate, prosecute and punish all acts of domestic and gender-based violence; devise a coherent strategy to support victims of domestic and gender-based violence, including through adequate crisis centres available to the victims to obtain safe lodging and necessary assistance; provide training to law enforcement officials and judges on the serious and criminal nature of domestic and gender-based violence and undertake information campaigns in order to increase public awareness about the pervasive nature of such acts. 24. The Committee is concerned about the high proportion of children below the legal age for employment established by the State party – of 15 years – who work in hazardous conditions in areas such as mining, construction or agriculture. The Committee is especially concerned about the reports of children, many of which are Roma, who work in the streets and are particularly marginalized and exposed to exploitation (art. 10). The State party is urged to strengthen the monitoring mechanisms for child labour, in particular by adapting the State Labour Inspectorate to detect cases of the worst forms of child labour, including by street children. The State party should also enhance prevention and reintegration programmes that focus on family empowerment and elimination of the economic exploitation of children and develop positive parenting programmes for marginalized communities that raise awareness on protecting children from different forms of abuse and exploitation. In this respect, the State party should take further measures to ensure that legislation protecting children against economic and other exploitation is rigorously enforced and that violations thereof are sanctioned, and to adjust the mechanisms to guarantee their right to education. 25. The Committee expresses its concern about prevailing stigmatization and discrimination of children with disabilities and their limited access to services, often due to lack of collaboration among professionals and government bodies as well as lack of physical accessibility. The Committee also notes with concern the absence of preventive, early identification and reporting mechanisms of abuses of children with disabilities (arts. 2 and 10). The Committee recommends that the State party expand its child protection system to include procedures to identify, refer and manage cases of children with disabilities, recognizing their higher risk of being abused, stigmatized or discriminated against. The State party should take additional measures to enhance access of children with disabilities to services, requiring improved collaboration among professionals and government bodies and adequate transport facilities. 26. The Committee is concerned that the Law on Status of Orphans guarantees only limited assistance and support to children during the transition from State institutions to an independent adulthood and that the age limit for leaving State institutions, which has been increased to 18 years according to the State party, is not systematically observed (art. 10). The Committee urges the State party to amend the Law on Status of Orphans to guarantee adequate assistance and support to children during the transition from 7

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