CRC/C/SLV/CO/3-4 (c) Extend the assistance measures to support street children in order to facilitate their full reinsertion into school; (d) Facilitate strengthening of family ties of children in street situations; and their reunification with their families, when appropriate and in the best interests of the child; (e) Seek assistance from, inter alia, UNICEF. Youth gangs (“maras”) 80. The Committee is deeply concerned at the extent of the problem of youth gangs (“maras”) in the State party. These gangs, mostly composed of children between 16 and 18 years, reportedly count on more than ten thousand members in El Salvador. The Committee is concerned that the climate of fear, insecurity and violence due to these gangs prevents children from living fully their childhood and adolescence and deeply affects the enjoyment of their rights. The Committee is also concerned that insufficient attention is paid to the root causes of this phenomenon, which has so far been tackled exclusively as a criminal justice problem through repressive policies and measures. 81. The Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Undertake a study to develop a holistic and comprehensive public policy to deal with juvenile violence and delinquency, addressing the social factors and causes at the roots of the problem of “maras”, such as, inter alia, political and social exclusion, lack of prevention policies and social services, culture of violence, migration flows, lack of opportunities and dysfunctional families; (b) Seek to focus, as much as feasible, on preventive and protective measures, starting from the local level, while refraining from treating this issue exclusively in a punitive and repressive way; (c) Put more emphasis on the school, the family and on social cohesion measures and mechanisms, such as sport and cultural associations, as preventive tools; (d) Invest in financial and human resources for activities of prevention, protection, rehabilitation and reintegration for members of “maras”; (e) Take all possible measures to prevent and address forced recruitment of children by the “maras”, including measures aimed at protecting those children who are most at risk of getting involved with the gangs, including children in street situations, children of migrating parents and children belonging to low income families. Sale, trafficking and sexual exploitation 82. The Committee notes the 2004 reform of the Penal and Penal Procedure Codes which punish offenses related to the commercial sexual exploitation of children, including trafficking in persons (art. 367-B) as well as the National Policy against the Trafficking in Persons (2008-2017) and its Action Plan (2008-2012). However, the Committee regrets that trafficking for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor remains a substantial problem in the country and that there are no measures aimed at reducing demand for commercial sex or forced labour. The Committee is also concerned at the low level of prosecutions and convictions for trafficking-related crimes vis-à-vis the reported cases. 83. 20 The Committee recommends that the State party: