E/C.12/GAB/CO/1 The Committee recommends that the State party revise its legislation and amend any provisions that are discriminatory or likely to lead to direct or indirect discrimination once enforced, ensuring that it prohibits any form of discrimination in the exercise of economic, social and cultural rights. 14. The Committee is particularly concerned by the persistence of practices that are harmful to women and girls, such as early marriage, forced marriage, polygamy, widowhood practices, levirate and female genital mutilation, as well as of stereotypes that discriminate against women and constitute a violation of women’s fundamental rights under the Covenant (art. 2, para. 2, and art. 3). The Committee urges the State party to redouble its efforts to combat all practices that are harmful to women and girls, by, for example, acting on the results of studies that are corroborated by empirical data on the root causes of such practices, paying due attention to their various manifestations in ethnic groups and in customs, and conducting an ongoing awareness campaign to draw attention to such practices. 15. The Committee expresses its concern at the scale of unemployment in the State party, despite the implementation of a national policy that makes employment a “top priority”. The Committee is also concerned that unemployment currently affects 60 per cent of young adults (art. 6). The Committee recommends that the State party expedite the adoption and implementation of the national employment policy and a long-term operational action plan incorporating a human rights-based approach. In this context, the Committee recommends that the State party adopt a strategy to effectively address the causes of youth unemployment, while creating employment opportunities for young people and strengthening vocational training activities adapted to the needs of the market. The Committee draws the attention of the State party to its general comment No. 18 (2005) on the right to work. 16. The Committee takes note of the Government’s position that the policy of “gabonization” of employment is not intended to introduce practices that discriminate against foreign workers. However, the Committee is concerned about the discriminatory practices that may arise from this policy because of the introduction of barriers to the employment of Gabonese nationals of foreign origin, or of practices that facilitate their dismissal (arts. 2 and 6). The Committee reminds the State party of its obligation to ensure that its policies and legislation comply, both in law and in practice, and without any discrimination, with the right of all persons to work, including the possibility to earn their living by work which they freely choose or accept. 17. The Committee regrets that the State party has not provided reliable and complete data on the number of persons with disabilities and their enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights, especially in the areas of employment, health and education. The Committee requests the State party to provide in its next periodic report detailed information, disaggregated by year, sex and age, on the situation of persons with disabilities; the measures taken to enable them to enjoy fully their economic, social and cultural rights; the outcome of those measures and statistics on the employment rate for persons with disabilities. 18. The Committee is concerned by the low level of the minimum wage, which does not allow workers and members of their families a decent standard of living. It is also concerned that the minimum wage does not apply to workers in the informal economy (arts. 6 and 7). 4 GE.13-49980