E/C.12/1/Add.65 page 2 4. The Committee welcomes the national plan of action to improve the situation of women and enhance their role in society. 5. The Committee welcomes the establishment of the office of the Authorized Human Rights Representative of the Verkhovna Rada (Supreme Council), which has considered many complaints in relation to economic, social and cultural rights. 6. The Committee further welcomes the State party’s willingness, as expressed by the delegation during the dialogue, to cooperate with United Nations specialized agencies and other international organizations in such areas as poverty reduction, gender equality, integration of the Crimean Tatars, women and children’s health, the review of human rights legislation, support for the Authorized Human Rights Representative of the Verkhovna Rada, and the trafficking of persons. 7. The Committee welcomes the establishment by the State party of a fund for social insurance. C. Factors and difficulties impeding the implementation of the Covenant 8. The Committee notes that the State party’s transition to a market economy has had a negative impact on the implementation of the rights contained in the Covenant. D. Principal subjects of concern 9. The Committee is concerned about the high level of poverty in the country and the inadequate measures taken by the State party to combat it. This is exacerbated by, among other things, the privatization policies that the State party has implemented, high unemployment, the low level of pensions and wages, a legal minimum wage which is below the recognized subsistence level, and the scarcity of adequate housing. 10. The Committee continues to express concern at the situation of women in society and the insufficient measures taken by the State party to eliminate discrimination against them. Most low-paid workers and 80 per cent of the unemployed are women. They are also frequently victims of violence in the family and of sexual harassment in the workplace. 11. The Committee is concerned at the large-scale trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of women and children. 12. The Committee notes with concern de facto discrimination against ethnic minorities, such as the Crimean Tatars and Roma, and harassment of foreigners of African origin by law enforcement officials. 13. The Committee is concerned about the large number of children, especially newborns and children with disabilities, who are abandoned or are otherwise deprived of a family environment, and regrets the absence of an effective strategy to address this phenomenon.