CRC/C/GTM/CO/3-4 industries operate in a socially and environmentally responsible way to safeguard local communities and their children. International cooperation 36. The Committee notes that various programmes and projects are being implemented in the framework of international cooperation, including technical assistance and cooperation of United Nations agencies and programmes. 37. The Committee recommends that the State party continue to undertake measures to sustain and increase international cooperation, while at the same time seeking to strengthen its own resource base and institutional structure for the implementation of the Convention and its two Protocols. 2. Definition of the child (art. 1 of the Convention) 38. The Committee notes that the age of consent for marriage is the age of majority and that authorization of early marriage, which is 14 years of age for girls and 16 for boys, is granted on an exceptional basis and requires parental consent. 39. The Committee reiterates its recommendation that the State party review its legislation with a view to amending the Civil Code and increase the minimum age of marriage for girls to 16 as for boys, and only in exceptional cases, under the control of the judiciary. 3. General principles (arts. 2, 3, 6 and 12 of the Convention) Non-discrimination 40. The Committee reiterates its concern, shared by other treaty bodies, at the alarming level of discrimination suffered by Maya, Garifuna and Xinca children in the State party. The Committee notes that the measures taken by the State party so far are not sufficient to eliminate structural obstacles which prevent the full exercise of the rights of these children, who constitute over half the total population of the State party. The poverty and extreme poverty rates among the indigenous population are extremely high, as is the level of chronic malnutrition, which affects more than 80% of the indigenous population. The Committee is further concerned that indigenous and Garifuna adolescents are more likely to be victims of sexual and economic exploitation due to the lack of relevant information about their rights as well as to the absence of mechanisms guaranteeing these rights. The Committee is also concerned at discriminatory attitudes affecting some sections of the child population, in particular adolescents, children with disabilities, girls, children living in rural areas and children from marginalized families. 41. The Committee recommends that the State party urgently address the situation of discrimination against Maya, Garifuna and Xinca children in its policies and plans for the elimination of racial discrimination, as well as in social development plans, ensuring the sustainability and cultural suitability of these programmes. In light of article 2 of the Convention, the Committee recommends that the State party ensure full implementation in practice of all legal provisions prohibiting discrimination, combat discrimination by, inter alia, ensuring equal access to education, health-care facilities and poverty reduction programmes, and take measures to address the inappropriate characterization and stigmatization of children and adolescents. 7