A/HRC/28/64/Add.2 82. Lack of accountability and impunity were repeatedly stated as major flaws of the criminal justice system. A culture of impunity has extremely pernicious effects; investigations are not undertaken or poorly managed, prosecutions are not initiated or pursued, victims are left defenceless, the role of security forces is negatively perceived and, in many cases, people decide to take the law into their own hands. Perpetrators must be persecuted and held accountable for their crimes. Police and security forces must be trained in human rights and minority issues and provided with sufficient and adequate means to carry out their tasks. Mechanisms for adequate compensation and redress of victims must be implemented. 83. The Special Rapporteur stresses that sustainable solutions to communal violence require not only a heightened and effective security response, but also a comprehensive approach that addresses the underlying causes of violence, particularly good governance deficits, failure to hold perpetrators to account and low socioeconomic status of certain vulnerable groups. 84. The Special Rapporteur was impressed by initiatives led by a number of civil society actors directed at fostering intercommunal and interfaith dialogue and peacebuilding among communities in the Middle Belt. Those initiatives promote understanding and harmonious coexistence among communities, conflict prevention and conflict solution. She urges the Government to provide financial support to such initiatives and consider implementing similar projects where necessary. Niger Delta communities 85. Oil industry operations began in the Niger Delta at the end of the 1950s. Numerous oil spills during the past 50 years have resulted in extremely grave environmental damage across the region, causing water and soil pollution and destroying the livelihoods of many communities. One of the areas particularly affected is Ogoniland in Rivers State, the home of the Ogoni people. 86. The Special Rapporteur witnessed the devastating effects of the oil spills in affected Ogoni and Ikwerre communities, including the destruction of traditional farming and fishing livelihoods owing to widespread soil and water pollution, severe health problems among community members and population migration to other areas. The lack of basic services and adequate facilities in the affected communities have further contributed to their situation of marginalization and abandonment. The authorities are urged to take effective measures to assist the communities in need, providing health care and education facilities and foster means for the creation of alternative livelihood options. 87. The Special Rapporteur is concerned that, to date, many areas polluted by oil spills in Ogoniland have yet to be cleaned. The Government, in coordination with oil companies implicated in the environmental damage, should implement the recommendations made by the 2011 United Nations Environment Programme report Environmental Assessment of Ogoniland,11 including the proper maintenance of oilfield facilities and the decommissioning of facilities that are no longer used; the creation of training, employment and livelihood incentives to encourage people not to participate in illegal oil-related activities; the implementation of clean-up actions in all affected areas without further delay; the distribution of potable water to communities where drinking water wells do not comply with Nigerian national standards; and the monitoring of all such measures during and following clean-up operations, including tracking the health of communities exposed to oil pollution and providing adequate medical treatment when needed. Concerned communities must be consulted fully. 19