CRC/C/DZA/CO/3-4 irrespective of the child’s or his or her parents’ or legal guardians’ sex, race, religion or ethnicity, social origin or status. The Committee therefore urges the State party: (a) To ensure that children born to an Algerian mother married to a foreign national can automatically acquire their mother’s nationality as prescribed in the Nationality Code; (b) To send clear instructions to family judges and civil registration officers that children born out of wedlock should be registered in accordance with the law under their mother’s name when their mother presents such a request; (c) To ensure that Amazigh families can freely chose the surname of their children without interference from civil registration officers; and (d) To ratify the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness of 1961. Freedom of thought, conscience and religion 41. The Committee remains concerned that the right of the child to freedom of thought, conscience and religion is not fully respected as reflected in the State party’s interpretative declaration to article 14 of the Convention. The Committee is also concerned that the restricted conditions for professing another religion than Islam as set in Act No. 06-09 of 17 April 2006 and the attacks and violence against religious minorities which take place in the State party undermine the effective enjoyment of the right of the child to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. 42. The Committee reiterates its recommendation (CRC/C/15/Add.269, para. 38) that the State party ensure full respect of the right of the child to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. To this end, the State party should consider withdrawing its interpretative declaration to article 14 of the Convention, and ensure conformity of its laws with the Convention. The Committee also urges the State party to take all the necessary measures to end all forms of violence and harassment of religious minorities. Corporal punishment 43. While noting as positive the prohibition of corporal punishment, psychological illtreatment and all forms of bullying in schools contained in the Education Act No. 08–04 of 23 January 2008, the Committee is however concerned that corporal punishment remains widely accepted in society and routinely used as a disciplinary measure in schools. The Committee is also concerned that corporal punishment remains lawful in the home and in alternative-care settings and that there is no explicit legal prohibition of the use of corporal punishment as a disciplinary measure in penal institutions, as already stated in the previous concluding observations (CRC/C/15/Add.269, para. 41). 44. The Committee urges the State party: (a) To prohibit corporal punishment unequivocally in all settings; (b) To ensure that laws prohibiting corporal punishment are effectively implemented and that legal proceedings are systematically initiated against those responsible of mistreating children; (c) To introduce sustained public education, awareness-raising and social mobilization programmes, involving children, families, communities and religious leaders, on both the physical and the psychological harmful effects of corporal punishment with a view to changing the general attitude towards this practice and promoting positive, non-violent and participatory forms of child-rearing and discipline as an alternative to corporal punishment; 9