E/C.12/UZB/CO/2 Right to organize 16. The Committee notes the lack of information on the status of the amendments, dated 2007, to the Act on Trade Unions, the Rights and Guarantees of Their Activity, and on the mechanism for settling collective labour disputes. It also notes the absence of a specific provision on the right to strike in the legislation. It expresses concern that, under the Nongovernmental Organizations Act, non-governmental organizations in the State party are subject to mandatory registration by the Ministry of Justice, which supervises their activities for compliance with statutory objectives and national legislation (art. 8). The Committee urges the State party to expedite the adoption of the 2007 amendments to the Act on Trade Unions, the Rights and Guarantees of Their Activity. It recommends repealing the mandatory registration requirement for nongovernmental organizations and revising national legislation in line with its obligations under article 8 of the Covenant and article 34 of the Constitution of Uzbekistan, which affirms the right of citizens to form their own organizations. Child and forced marriages 17. The Committee is concerned, despite the information provided by the State party on measures undertaken for the protection of the family, about the continued prevalence of forced and child marriages, as well as bride abduction, especially in rural areas (art. 10). The Committee urges the State party to raise the minimum age of marriage to 18, for both women and men, and ensure its enforcement throughout the country, including in rural areas. It recommends taking all necessary measures to combat the practices of child and forced marriage, and bride abduction. Domestic violence 18. The Committee is concerned about violence against women, particularly domestic violence (art. 10). Efforts should be strengthened to prevent and combat domestic violence, including through the criminalization of domestic violence and the adoption of the draft law on preventing violence against women; and to provide protection to victims, including by ensuring access to judicial redress and adequate medical, social and legal counselling and shelter. Child labour 19. The Committee remains concerned about the reports that children remain involved in the cotton harvest, are subjected to hazardous working conditions and are absent from school for up to two months during the academic year (arts. 7, 10 (3) and 13). The Committee urges the State party to: (a) Double its efforts to ensure the protection of children from economic and social exploitation and to enable them to fully enjoy their right to education; (b) Provide, in its next periodic report, statistics on the number and nature of court cases regarding labour rights violations and on sentences imposed, as well as information on the concrete impact of monitoring on the prevention of forced and hazardous labour; (c) Accept organizations. regular and independent monitoring by international 7