CRC/C/GEO/CO/3 page 12 services, taking into due account the Committee’s general comment No. 4 (2003) on adolescent health and development in the context of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In this regard, the Committee urges the State party to take legislative measures to ensure to all children under the age of 16 free and confidential access to medical counsel and assistance with or without parental consent. Mental health 49. The Committee is concerned about the absence of a national child mental health policy, particularly given the existence of serious gaps in the provision of mental health services for children, particularly adolescents, in the State party. 50. The Committee recommends that the State party formulate a modern, evidencebased child mental health-care policy, and invest in the development of a comprehensive system of services, including mental health promotion and prevention activities, out-patient and in-patient mental health services, with a view to ensuring effective prevention of violence, suicidal behaviour and institutionalisation of children. HIV/AIDS 51. The Committee is concerned at the increasing number of children with HIV/AIDS or who are affected by the HIV/AIDS-related illness or death of their parents and other family members, and at the lack of concerted action by the State party. 52. In the context of the Committee’s general comment No. 3 (2003) on HIV/AIDS and the rights of the child and the International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights (E/CN.4/1997/37), the Committee urges the State party to make efforts to accurately assess and monitor the scale of the HIV/AIDS problem in the country, to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and to allocate increased resources with a view to providing assistance to children with HIV/AIDS and to children whose parents and other family members have HIV/AIDS. The Committee further recommends that the State party give particular attention to HIV/AIDS orphans and to ensuring that children with HIV/AIDS are not discriminated against. In this regard, the Committee encourages the State party to seek technical cooperation with UNICEF, WHO and the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). Standard of living 53. Despite the impressive overall economic progress achieved by the State party, the Committee remains concerned by the persistence of widespread poverty and deprivation in the country and notes that the overall standard of living of many children is very low, as measured by indicators such as access to housing, water and sanitation. In particular, it expresses concern at the large disparities in living standards among children in the State party, depending on, inter alia: rural/urban residence; family size and structure; refugee or internally displaced persons (IDP) status. The Committee also notes with regret that no information has been provided by the State party on whether children are prioritized and mainstreamed in its poverty-reduction strategy.