CRC/C/NIC/CO/4 2. Definition of the child (art. 1 of the Convention) 34. The Committee remains concerned that the State party establishes a low and unequal minimum age for marriage (15 years for boys and 14 years for girls, with parental consent). 35. The Committee reiterates its recommendation that the State party adopt the draft Family Code, and ensure that the minimum age for marriage for girls and boys is 18 years. 3. General principles (arts. 2, 3, 6 and 12 of the Convention) Non-discrimination 36. The Committee welcomes the legislative action taken by the State party to guarantee equal rights of people, especially those with disabilities, living with HIV/AIDS and indigenous and Afro-descendants. It also welcomes the establishment of the Office of the Special Ombudsperson for the Rights of Indigenous People and Ethnic Communities, and its local office in the Caribbean Coast autonomous region, as well as the Office of the Special Ombudsperson for Sexual Diversity. Notwithstanding, the Committee shares the concerns of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD/C/NIC/CO/14, paragraph 12) and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW/C/NIC/CO/6, paragraph 31) respectively, that indigenous peoples and peoples of African descent, as well as women, girls and children in rural and remote areas continue to suffer de facto discrimination. 37. The Committee urges the State party to strengthen efforts to combat racist and gender-biased attitudes and behaviour, including against children and adolescents of indigenous and Afro-descendant origins, from rural or remote areas and those who have disabilities. It further recommends that the State party place high priority in the public agenda on preventing and eradicating discrimination, inter alia, through the media and education system. The Committee also draws the State Party’s attention to the principles of the Declaration and Programme of Action adopted at the 2001 World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, as well as the outcome document adopted at the 2009 Durban Review Conference. Best interests of the child 38. The Committee notes that, according to article 9 of the Children and Adolescents Code, the best interests of the child should be taken into account as a fundamental principle. However, the Committee is concerned that the principle of the best interests of the child is not well understood in the family or by State judicial and administrative authorities, and that it is not consistently applied in practice. 39. The Committee recommends that the State party continue and strengthen its efforts to ensure that the general principle of the best interests of the child is appropriately integrated into all legal provisions, judicial and administrative decisions, as well as programmes and projects that have an impact on children. The right to life, survival and development 40. The Committee welcomes the State party’s decision to participate in the Regional Project on Child Development Indicators, conducted by the Inter-American Development Bank, which intends to explore the extent and dimension of the problem of young children in deteriorated social and economic environments, in particular in rural areas, and 7