E/C.12/NPL/CO/3 (b) Reinforce its awareness-raising campaigns among the population and in particular in districts and social groups where such practices are prevalent, reiterating that those practices are violating human rights and that they have longlasting negative effects; (c) Enforce the Domestic Violence Act of 2009, investigate cases of harmful traditional practices and punish those responsible; (d) Provide protection and rehabilitation to victims; (e) Expedite the adoption of the bill prepared by the National Women’s Commission to criminalize all kinds of harmful practices and implement the national strategy to end child marriages. Conditions of work in the informal economy 15. The Committee is concerned that the majority of the population of the State party that is employed in the informal economy does not have guarantees with regard to wages, working hours, health and safety and social benefits. The Committee is particularly concerned about the situation of women, in particular in the agricultural sector. The Committee is further concerned that in spite of the commitment of the State Party to develop, through the Labour Employment Policy, a social security system that would extend to the informal sector, no tangible progress has been made (arts. 6, 7 and 9). The Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Take measures to enable workers from the informal economy to benefit from adequate wages and just and favourable working conditions, including working hours and health and safety measures; (b) Undertake all necessary measures to comply with its commitment to extend social security to workers in the informal economy, in particular regarding maternity and old age. In that connection, the Committee refers the State party to its general comment No. 19 (2007) on the right to social security and recommends that the State party assess the possibility of establishing a social protection floor, in line with ILO Recommendation No. 202 (2012) concerning national floors of social protection, seeking, if necessary, technical assistance from ILO. 16. The Committee is concerned at reports that more than 50,000 women work in the “entertainment” sector in the Kathmandu Valley alone and that they are stigmatized and subject to abuse (art. 7). The Committee urges the State party to implement the 2009 directive of the Supreme Court for a five-year action plan (2012–2016) to regulate work in the “entertainment” sector and to ensure the labour and social security rights of women working in the sector and protect them from abuse. The Committee also recommends that the State party conduct awareness-raising campaigns to eliminate stigmatization against those women. Minimum wage 17. The Committee is concerned about the difficulties faced by the State party in enforcing the legislation on the minimum wage (art. 7). The Committee recommends that the State party take concrete measures to effectively implement its legislation on the minimum wage in all sectors. 6

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