CEDAW/C/CHE/CO/4-5
(e) Take measures to ratify the Istanbul Convention, as a matter of
priority;
(f) Develop an independent study by scientific experts, as well as
representatives of women’s non-governmental organizations, to analyse the link
between the uncontrolled possession of arms by men in the State party and the
impact on gender-based violence against women and girls.
Trafficking and exploitation of prostitution
28. The Committee welcomes the steps taken by the State party to combat
trafficking, but is concerned about:
(a) The low rates of prosecution and conviction in cases of trafficking in
women and girls and the lack of available disaggregated data o n victims;
(b) The lack of a unified approach across cantons to identify victims and
refer them to the appropriate protection services and the inadequate human and
financial resources allocated to victim protection services;
(c) The lack of a comprehensive victim protection programme that offers
specific accommodation along with organized rehabilitation and reintegration
measures, access to counselling, medical treatment, psychological support and
redress, including compensation for victims, in particula r migrant women who are
not automatically entitled to temporary residence permits unless they cooperate with
the police and the judicial authorities;
(d) Disparities between cantons in relation to granting residence permits, in
that decisions made often depend on the type of exploitation, the cantonal authority
and the individual case worker involved;
(e) The limited focus on multiple forms of exploitation such as forced
labour, servitude, slavery and analogous practices;
(f) The structural violence and exclusion faced by foreign women in
prostitution, in particular those in an irregular situation, and the lack of measures
taken by the State party to provide exit programmes and alternative income generating opportunities to women who wish to leave prostit ution.
29.
The Committee recommends that the State party:
(a) Develop awareness-raising programmes for police officers and social
workers at the cantonal level, investigate, prosecute and adequately punish all
cases of trafficking in persons, especially women and girls, and improve access
to data on victims of trafficking, disaggregated by sex, age and nationality;
(b) Expeditiously assess the impact of the National Action Plan against
Trafficking in Persons and adopt a new plan with a gender focus, ensuring that
measures are implemented uniformly across all cantons;
(c) Strengthen measures to identify and provide support to women at
risk of trafficking, in particular migrant women and unaccompanied girls;
ensure adequate access to health care and counselling services; strengthen the
human, technical and financial resources of non-governmental organizations
10/19
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