CCPR/C/FIN/CO/6 13. While taking into account the State party’s practice of considering the best interests of the child in assessing the placement of juveniles in detention facilities, the Committee remains concerned that juveniles are not segregated from adult prisoners. Notwithstanding the reservation to article 10, paragraphs 2(b) and 3, of the Covenant, the State party should ensure, as a general rule, that juveniles are segregated from adult prisoners in detention and that they are duly protected from violence and sexual abuse. 14. While welcoming the legislative changes allowing for applications for non-military service during mobilizations and serious disturbances, and the fact that total objectors can be exempted from unconditional imprisonment, the Committee reiterates its concerns that the length of non-military service is almost twice the duration of the period of service for the rank and file, and that the preferential treatment accorded to Jehovah’s Witnesses has not been extended to other groups of conscientious objectors (art. 18). The State party should fully acknowledge the right to conscientious objection and ensure that the length and nature of the alternatives to military service are not punitive in nature. The State party should also extend the preferential treatment accorded to Jehovah’s Witnesses to other groups of conscientious objectors. 15. The Committee is concerned at the accelerated asylum procedure established under the Aliens Act, which provides for an extremely short time frame for asylum applications to be thoroughly considered and for the applicant to properly prepare his or her case. The Committee is further concerned that appeals under the accelerated asylum procedure do not have automatic suspensive effect (art. 2 and 7). The State party should ensure that all persons in need of protection receive appropriate and fair treatment in all asylum procedures and that appeals under the accelerated asylum procedure have a suspensive effect. 16. While noting that the State party has committed to ratifying the International Labour Organization Convention No. 169 concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries, and established a working group in August 2012 to strengthen the rights of the Sami to participate in decisions on the use of land and waters, the Committee remains concerned that the Sami people lack participation and decision-making powers over matters of fundamental importance to their culture and way of life, including rights to land and resources. The Committee also notes that there may be insufficient understanding or accommodation of the Sami lifestyle by public authorities and that there is a lack of legal clarity on the use of land in areas traditionally inhabited by the Sami people (arts. 1, 26 and 27). The State party should advance the implementation of the rights of the Sami by strengthening the decision-making powers of Sami representative institutions, such as the Sami parliament. The State party should increase its efforts to revise its legislation to fully guarantee the rights of the Sami people in their traditional land, ensuring respect for the right of Sami communities to engage in free, prior and informed participation in policy and development processes that affect them. The State party should also take appropriate measures to facilitate, to the extent possible, education in their own language for all Sami children in the territory of the State party. 17. While welcoming the efforts made by the State party to eliminate discrimination against the Roma, including the ongoing reform of the Finnish equality legislation, the Committee reiterates its concern that Roma still face de facto discrimination and social exclusion in housing, education and employment. The Committee is particularly concerned at continuing reports of the placement of Roma children in special needs classes (arts. 26 and 27). 4