E/C.12/EGY/CO/2-4 12. The Committee is concerned about the high percentage of workers employed in the informal sector without adequate safeguards and especially vulnerable to violations of the right to just and favourable conditions of work (art. 7). The Committee recommends that the State party take steps to ensure the compliance of its labour law with the provisions of the Covenant and extend the application of its labour law to all workers, including to those working in the informal sector. 13. The Committee is concerned that the State party’s legislation allows only for limited union and syndicate freedoms. Moreover, the Committee is concerned that, pursuant to Law 35/1976 of the State party, the Egyptian Trade Union Federation (ETUF) is the sole trade union structure mandated under law and that Decree 97 of November 2012 further undermines trade union activities by empowering the Ministry of Manpower with the authority to appoint replacements to vacant trade union offices. The Committee is also concerned that persons criticizing ETUF have been subject to criminal prosecution. Furthermore, the Committee is concerned that the State party’s legislation, including its Penal Code and Labour Law, imposes disproportionate restrictions on strikes (art. 8). The Committee recommends that the State party amend legislation on the right to association to ensure compliance with the Covenant, particularly with regard to the recognition of independent labour unions. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party amend section 19 (f) of the Trade Union Act No. 35 of 1976, as amended by Act No. 12 of 1995, to allow workers the freedom to join and form unions of their choice, including in the same work sector, in accordance with the provisions of the Covenant. The Committee also recommends that the State party strengthen legal provisions protecting striking workers from reprisals. 14. The Committee is concerned that the majority of the population, particularly those employed in the informal sector, is not adequately covered by social security. Furthermore, the Committee is concerned at the insufficiency of social assistance and support programmes for socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals and families (art. 9). The Committee recommends that the State party take steps to adopt national legislation and establish an implementation strategy to ensure universal access to social security, providing for a minimum essential level of benefits to all individuals and families, including access to health facilities. The Committee also recommends that the State party ensure that the strategy is effectively implemented, including through allocating sufficient human, technical and financial resources and monitoring its implementation through the regular collection of disaggregated statistics. 15. The Committee is deeply concerned at the high incidence of sexual violence against women, including gang rapes of women participating in demonstrations and protests. Moreover, the Committee is concerned at the lack of effective preventive measures and accountability measures taken by the State party to address this grave situation (art. 10). The Committee recommends that the State party take concrete legislative and enforcement measures to eliminate all forms of violence against women, including marital rape, and sexual violence against women participating in protests and demonstrations. In doing so, the State party should ensure effective and accessible reporting channels and protection measures that are sensitive to victim needs and confidentiality. The State party should also ensure the enforcement of appropriate criminal sanctions against perpetrators of violence against women, including by monitoring the number of prosecutions and convictions in this regard. 16. The Committee is concerned that female genital mutilation continues to be widely practiced, including on so-called medical grounds, and the criminalization of the practice has not been followed up with prosecutions (art. 10). 4