CCPR/CO/78/SVK page 3 subjected to violence or threats of violence. The Committee recommends that the Government of Slovakia establish crisis centre hotlines and victim support centres equipped with medical, psychological, legal and emotional support; In order to raise public awareness, it should disseminate information on this issue through the media. 10. The Committee notes the efforts made by the State party to address the situation regarding trafficking in women, in particular by adopting a preventive strategy by providing information to potential victims and through international cooperation. However, the Committee notes that it has received only limited statistical information from the State party. It notes that trafficking is an international crime and therefore not only concerns women trafficked out of Slovakia, but also those being trafficked into Slovakia from neighbouring countries (arts. 3, 8). The State party should strengthen programmes aimed at providing assistance to women in difficult circumstances, particularly those coming from other countries who are brought into its territory for the purpose of prostitution. Measures should be taken to prevent this form of trafficking and to impose sanctions on those who exploit women in this way. Protection should be extended to women who are the victims of this kind of trafficking so that they may have a place of refuge and an opportunity to give evidence against the persons responsible in criminal or civil proceedings. The Committee encourages Slovakia to continue its cooperative efforts with border states to eliminate trafficking across national borders. 11. The Committee is concerned about the persistent allegations of police harassment and illtreatment during police investigations, particularly of the Roma minority, which the delegation described as resulting from psychological failure to handle the situation rather than to problems with legislation or police incompetence (arts. 2, 7, 9, 26). The State party should take measures to eradicate all forms of police harassment and illtreatment during police investigations of the Roma, including prompt investigations, prosecutions of perpetrators and the provision of effective remedies to the victims. 12. Despite the oral and written answers provided by the delegation, the Committee remains concerned at reports of forced or coerced sterilization of Roma women. In particular, the Committee regrets that in its written answers submitted after the oral consideration of the report, the State party does not clearly deny or admit breaches of the principle of full and informed consent but asserts that an investigation related to maternity wards and gynecology departments of 12 hospitals did not result in findings of infringements of “medical indication” of sterilization. The reference made, in the same submission, to “the fact that not all administrative acts were fulfilled in every case” appears to amount to an implicit admission of breaches of the requirement of informed consent (art. 7, 26). The State party should adopt all necessary measures to investigate all alleged cases of coerced or forced sterilization, publicize the findings, provide effective remedies to victims and prevent any instances of sterilization without full and informed consent. 13. The Committee is concerned at the continuing use of cage-beds as a measure of restraint in social care homes or psychiatric institutions (art.10). Cage-beds should cease to be used.