E/C.12/LKA/CO/5 being covered due to their inability to travel back to re-register with the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (arts. 7 and 9). 38. The Committee recommends that the State party take urgent steps to extend the health coverage of the compulsory welfare insurance scheme operated by the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment to ensure that migrant domestic workers are adequately covered for health-care expenses in receiving countries. It also recommends that the State party take steps to ensure that migrant domestic workers are not left without insurance coverage after the two-year insurance coverage period for reasons beyond their control. Sexual and gender-based violence 39. The Committee is concerned that the incidence of sexual and gender-based violence, including domestic violence, remains high and is increasing, and that marital rape is not a punishable offence. It is also concerned that support services and redress mechanisms remain suboptimal, as a consequence of an insufficient number of Tamil-speaking female staff in the bureaux for the prevention of abuse of children and women in the north and east, and an insufficient number of safe houses across the country. The Committee is concerned about particularly high risks facing displaced girls and women (art. 10). 40. The Committee recommends that the State party ensure that the national legal framework offers effective protection against sexual and gender-based violence, including through the criminalization of marital rape. It recommends that the State party effectively implement the national plan of action to address sexual and genderbased violence 2016-2020 by increasing the number and improving the accessibility of shelters and ensuring that victims are not denied the right to make complaints in Tamil, for example by offering interpretation at police desks, in government departments and at desks in hospitals for victims of gender-based violence. The Committee also recommends that the State party intensify public awareness efforts to address discriminatory stereotypes against women and gender-based violence. Protection of children 41. The Committee is concerned that child or early marriages are allowed under the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (art. 10). 42. The Committee recommends that the State party amend the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act and Marriage Registration Ordinance to prohibit child marriages, and eliminate practices that encourage child marriages, including through awarenessraising and engagement with religious leaders. 43. The Committee is concerned about the high incidence of child abuse, including cruelty against children, neglect, sexual abuse and harassment. It is also concerned that, despite significant progress made, children remain employed as street vendors, in domestic service, in agriculture, mining, construction, manufacturing, transport and fishing (arts. 7 and 10). 44. The Committee recommends that the State party urgently adopt the draft national child protection policy, create a comprehensive child protection system and prioritize the implementation of the national child protection programme adopted in 2017, ensuring sufficient mechanisms for children to report domestic violence or abuse and providing dedicated capacities in police stations to handle abuse complaints. It also recommends that the State party intensify efforts to eliminate child labour, in particular by implementing the national policy to end child labour adopted in 2017. Poverty 45. The Committee is concerned that, although poverty has decreased, a large proportion of the population lives on less than $1.50 a day, with rising levels of inequality and pockets of severe poverty remain in or near urban areas, the north and east, the estate sector and Monaragala (art. 11). 6