E/C.12/CYP/CO/6 Guaranteed minimum income 29. The Committee notes with great interest that the State party decided to take an innovative step by integrating public assistance programmes into the framework of the guaranteed minimum income. The Committee is, however, concerned at: (a) The insufficient level of the benefit, which does not guarantee an adequate standard of living to beneficiaries and their families; (b) The exclusion of beneficiaries of the existing public assistance programmes, who may not qualify for the guaranteed minimum income, although they are still in need of social assistance; (c) The misuse of the concept of minimum income by employers to drive down the wages of workers in precarious working conditions, such as non-European Union nationals and low-paid employees; (d) 30. The complex and bureaucratic application procedure (art. 9). The Committee recommends that the State party take all measures necessary to: (a) Increase and periodically review the amount of the guaranteed minimum income in order to ensure an adequate standard of living for beneficiaries and their families; (b) Ensure that those who do not qualify for the guaranteed minimum income but remain in need of social assistance are not left without adequate protection; (c) Monitor employers in order to ensure that the existence of the guaranteed minimum income does not negatively affect the wages of workers in precarious working conditions; (d) Decrease targeting errors in implementing the minimum guaranteed income and streamline the application procedure. Domestic violence 31. While noting the efforts made by the State party to combat domestic violence, the Committee remains concerned at the low number of convictions and the lenient punishment imposed on perpetrators. It is also concerned at the insufficient support provided for the victims of domestic violence, including shelters, legal aid and treatment for the physical and psychological effects of such violence (art. 10). 32. The Committee urges the State party to intensify its efforts to ensure that all reported cases of domestic violence are promptly and thoroughly investigated and that the perpetrators are punished with penalties commensurate with the gravity of the offences. It recommends that the State party provide adequate support to the victims of domestic violence by increasing the number of shelters and allocating sufficient funding for legal aid, as well as physical and psychological treatment. It also recommends that the State party improve the data-collection system on domestic violence. Trafficking in human beings 33. The Committee is concerned at the low number of convictions for trafficking in human beings, despite the high number of identified trafficking victims. It is also concerned at the prevalence of trafficking in migrant workers for the purposes of sexual and labour exploitation, the insufficient enforcement of the regulatory framework and the lack of monitoring of private recruitment agencies (art. 10). 7

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