E/C.12/1/Add.100 page 4 20. The Committee is concerned about the severe underfunding of the Ecuadorian Social Security Institute, which has a negative impact on the personal and material coverage provided by the social security system. 21. The Committee is concerned that only a limited percentage of the Ecuadorian population is entitled to social security benefits, especially to sickness and maternity insurance. 22. The Committee, while recognizing the efforts of the State party towards combating child labour, deplores the practice of child labour in the State party, especially in agriculture and domestic work. 23. The Committee is deeply concerned about the high incidence of sexual abuse, prostitution of girls and boys under the age of 18 in urban areas, exploitation of children and the lack of a comprehensive strategy to address these problems. 24. The Committee is concerned about trafficking in minors, especially indigenous minors. 25. The Committee is concerned that domestic violence is widespread and does not constitute a criminal offence in the State party. The Committee is also concerned by the narrow definition of rape as a criminal offence in the Ecuadorian Criminal Code. 26. The Committee is deeply concerned about the persistent and growing level of poverty in the State party, affecting primarily women, children, indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian communities. 27. The Committee is concerned about the poor housing conditions, the considerable housing shortage and the absence of effective measures to provide social housing for low-income families and the disadvantaged and marginalized groups. 28. The Committee is concerned that, despite the constitutional guarantees of the right of the indigenous people to own property communally, the State party does not provide effective protection for the indigenous people against forced evictions from their ancestral lands. 29. The Committee is concerned about the low coverage, quality and insufficient financial resources available to the health system. The Committee notes that, despite improvements, the maternal mortality rate remains high. The Committee expresses concern about the increasingly high rate of teenage pregnancies. 30. The Committee is concerned about the enjoyment of the right to health by all people in the State party and particularly with regard to access to generic medicine. 31. The Committee is concerned about the high rate of illiteracy and school dropouts in the State party. The Committee is particularly concerned in this regard about the situation of young girls and of indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian children. 32. The Committee is concerned that, despite the existence of schools and universities where indigenous languages are taught, major indigenous languages, particularly Quechua, are gradually disappearing.

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