33.The Committee is concerned about the limited access to primary health care in rural areas, especially for refugees and other vulnerable groups, and that 7 per cent of the Serbian population are not covered by the compulsory health insurance. 34.The Committee deplores the high rates of tobacco consumption and of cardiovascular diseases in Serbia and Montenegro, in particular in the autonomous province of Vojvodina. 35.While acknowledging the State party’s efforts to devise a strategy to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the Committee notes the absence of national benchmarks against which the State party’s achievements in this or other areas of health could be assessed. 36.The Committee regrets the absence of information on mental health services in the State party’s report, including provision of psychological rehabilitation to victims of physical and sexual violence and other traumatizing experiences related to armed conflict. 37.The Committee is deeply concerned that a high percentage of Roma children and children belonging to other minority groups, as well as refugee and internally displaced children, are not enrolled in school, drop out at an early stage, are being discriminated against at school, or are placed in schools for children with special needs. E. Suggestions and recommendations 38.The Committee urges the State party to ensure that the provisions of the Covenant are given effect by its domestic courts and that legal and judicial training takes full account of the justiciable elements of all Covenant rights, as defined in the Committee’s general comments, and promotes the use of the Covenant as a domestic source of law. The Committee draws the attention of the State party to general comment No. 9 (1998) on the domestic application of the Covenant and invites the State party to include information concerning case law on the application of the Covenant in its next periodic report. 39.The Committee calls on the State party to adopt specific anti-discrimination framework legislation and to increase awareness about international anti-discrimination standards among judges and other members of the legal profession. The State party should ensure wide participation of the civil society in the adoption of such legislation. 40.The Committee urges the State party to investigate such incidents, to bring perpetrators to justice, and to take all necessary measures to raise awareness of the dimensions of ethnic discrimination and intolerance among local authorities and the general public. 41.The Committee recommends that the State party ensure adequate participation of Roma representatives in the implementation of the plans of action adopted or envisaged by both Republics with regard to non-discrimination, gender equality, employment, social protection, housing, health and education of Roma, and to allocate sufficient funds to these and other relevant programmes. 42.The Committee calls on the State party to assist refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons by facilitating the procedures necessary to obtain personal documents, including birth certificates, identity cards and work booklets, to enable them to enjoy their economic, social and cultural rights. 43.The Committee recommends that, in addition to the establishment of a Council on Gender Equality in Serbia and of an Office for Gender Equality in Montenegro, the State party expedite the adoption of a law on gender equality with a view to ensuring greater access for women to positions of responsibility in the Government and public employment sectors. 44.The Committee requests the State party to intensify its efforts to reduce the unemployment rate, including through the implementation of its National Strategy on Employment, to promote employment of persons belonging to vulnerable groups through special measures, e.g. special training, the removal of physical barriers limiting workplace access by persons with disabilities, and wage subsidies or other incentives for employers, and to report on the results of these measures in its next report. 45.The Committee recommends that the State party remove from its legislation any unjustified registration requirements and grounds for dissolving trade unions. 46.The Committee requests the State party to limit the scope of its definition of “essential services” and to ensure that the exercise of the right to strike does not lead to the suspension of social security rights. 47.The Committee recommends that the State party increase unemployment benefit coverage so as to ensure an adequate standard of living for unemployed workers and their families and to include in its next report detailed information on the extent of unemployment benefit coverage, disaggregated by age, gender, residence status and national or ethnic origin. 48.The Committee requests the State party to include in its next report detailed information on the number of persons who are not eligible for old-age or disability pensions under the Serbian Law on Pensions and Disability Insurance and under similar legislation in Montenegro, if any, disaggregated by gender, age and national or ethnic origin, as well as on the type and levels of social assistance received in lieu of such pensions. 49.The Committee requests the State party to pursue its bilateral negotiations with Croatia regarding the payment of pensions to Krajina Serbs residing in Serbia and Montenegro and to alleviate documentation requirements for the payment of pensions to internally displaced persons whose work booklets were destroyed during the hostilities in Kosovo. 50.The Committee urges the State party to take effective measures to combat domestic violence, to provide counselling to victims and perpetrators, including those suffering from traumatic disorders related to armed conflict, and to include updated statistical data on the number of reported cases, disaggregated by age, gender, employment status and national or ethnic origin of the victims and/or perpetrators, in its next report. 51.The Committee urges the State party to take effective measures to ensure the immediate protection and long-term rehabilitation of