E/C.12/GTM/CO/3 reducing the vulnerability of children in rural and urban areas and promoting full access to secondary school. The Committee requests the State party to provide in its next periodic report information on the prosecution of child labour offences. Access to adequate housing and forced evictions 19. The Committee notes with concern that despite the measures taken by the State party, there is a considerable shortage of social housing in the State party and that the budget allocated to housing, in particular to the Housing Fund, is insufficient. The Committee is also concerned about the large number of families living in informal urban settlements, particularly vulnerable to forced evictions, and about the reports that document forced evictions without prior consultation of the persons affected and without providing compensation, alternative housing or resettlement (art. 11). The Committee recommends that the State party allocate sufficient resources to the implementation of programmes aimed at granting security of tenure, including access to credit and housing subsidies for low-income families and disadvantaged groups, taking into consideration the Committee’s general comment No. 4 (1991) on the right to adequate housing (article 11, paragraph 1, of the Covenant). The Committee also recommends that the State party adopt laws to determine the circumstances and safeguards governing eviction and to ensure that alternative housing or resettlement and adequate compensation are provided to the victims, in accordance with the Committee’s general comment No. 7 (1977) on forced evictions. Poverty in rural areas 20. The Committee regrets the alarming level of poverty in rural areas, despite the establishment of the Rural Development Cabinet and the adoption of a plan of action targeting rural populations living in poverty. The Committee is concerned about the limited budget allocated to the Ministry of Social Development and the limited number of families benefiting from the “Mi bono seguro” programme (art. 11). The Committee recommends that the State party pass the bill on rural development with a view to effectively implementing the National Policy for Comprehensive Rural Development addressing poverty and extreme poverty in rural areas. It further recommends that the State party intensify measures to combat poverty and extreme poverty among indigenous peoples and that it continue to strive to fulfil its commitments with respect to the Millennium Development Goals. It also recommends that the State party progressively increase the budget allocated to the Ministry of Social Development and that it adopt a human rights-based approach in the implementation of its programmes. Malnutrition and the right to food 21. The Committee notes with regret the number of cases of acute malnutrition in children under the age of 5, which, despite the measures taken by the State party, continues to be alarmingly high. The Committee is concerned about reports of the limited impact of the Zero Hunger Plan and allegations of political patronage in the management of food assistance programmes. It also notes with concern the considerable expansion of monocultures and the way that has restricted indigenous peoples’ access to land on which to grow their own food (art. 11). The Committee urges the State party to intensify its efforts to combat and prevent malnutrition among children, in particular those living in rural and remote areas. It also recommends that the State party ensure that sufficient financial and human resources are available and that the necessary measures are adopted to guarantee the 6 GE.14-23900