CEDAW/C/GC/31-CRC/C/GC/18 3. Capacity development at all levels 70. One of the primary challenges in the elimination of harmful practices relates to the lack of awareness or capacity of relevant professionals, including front-line professionals, to adequately understand, identify and respond to incidents or the risks of harmful practices. A comprehensive, holistic and effective approach to capacity-building should aim to engage influential leaders, such as traditional and religious leaders, and as many relevant professional groups as possible, including health, education and social workers, asylum and immigration authorities, the police, public prosecutors, judges and politicians at all levels. They need to be provided with accurate information about the practice and applicable human rights norms and standards with a view to promoting a change in the attitudes and forms of behaviour of their group and the wider community. 71. Where alternative dispute resolution mechanisms or traditional justice systems are in place, training on human rights and harmful practices should be provided to those responsible for their management. Furthermore, police officers, public prosecutors, judges and other law enforcement officials need training on the implementation of new or existing legislation criminalizing harmful practices to ensure that they are aware of the rights of women and children and are sensitive to the vulnerable status of victims. 72. In States parties in which the prevalence of harmful practices is primarily limited to immigrant communities, health-care providers, teachers and childcare professionals, social workers, police officers, migration officials and the justice sector must be sensitized and trained in how to identify girls and women who have been, or are at risk of being, subjected to harmful practices and which steps can and should be taken to protect them. 73. The Committees recommend that the States parties to the Conventions: (a) Provide all relevant front-line professionals with information on harmful practices and applicable human rights norms and standards and ensure that they are adequately trained to prevent, identify and respond to incidents of harmful practices, including mitigating negative effects for victims and helping them to gain access to remedies and appropriate services; (b) Provide training to individuals involved in alternative dispute resolution and traditional justice systems to appropriately apply key human rights principles, especially the best interests of the child and the participation of children in administrative and judicial proceedings; (c) Provide training to all law enforcement personnel, including the judiciary, on new and existing legislation prohibiting harmful practices and ensure that they are aware of the rights of women and children and of their role in prosecuting perpetrators and protecting victims of harmful practices; (d) Conduct specialized awareness and training programmes for healthcare providers working with immigrant communities to address the unique health-care needs of children and women who have undergone female genital mutilation or other harmful practices and provide specialized training also for professionals within child welfare services and services focused on the rights of women and the education and police and justice sectors, politicians and media personnel working with migrant girls and women. 14-64765 19/24