CEDAW/C/GC/33 components of plural justice systems, with special attention to village courts and traditional courts; (d) Ensure that women have a real and informed choice concerning the applicable law and the judicial forum within which they would prefer their claims to be heard; (e) Ensure the availability of legal aid services for women to enable them to claim their rights within the various plural justice systems by engaging qualified local support staff to provide that assistance; (f) Ensure the equal participation of women at all levels in the bodies established to monitor, evaluate and report on the operations of plural justice systems; (g) Foster constructive dialogue and formalize links between plural justice systems, including through the adoption of procedures for sharing information among them. V. Withdrawal of reservations to the Convention 65. Many countries have made reservations to: (a) Article 2 (c), which indicates that States parties undertake to establish legal protection of the rights of women on an equal basis with men and to ensure, through competent national tribunals and other public institutions, the eff ective protection of women against any act of discrimination; (b) Article 5 (a), which indicates that States parties shall take all appropriate measures to modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women, with a view to achieving the elimination of prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either sex or on stereotyped roles for men and women; (c) Article 15, which indicates that States parties shall accord to women a legal capacity in civil matters identical to that of men an d the same opportunities to exercise that capacity, and that they shall give women equal rights to conclude contracts and to administer property and shall treat them equally in all stages of procedure in courts and tribunals; (d) Article 16, which indicates that States parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in all matters relating to marriage and family relations. 66. In view of the fundamental importance of women’s access to justice, the Committee recommends that States parties withdraw their reservations to the Convention, in particular to articles 2 (c), 5 (a), 15 and 16. VI. Ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention 67. The Optional Protocol to the Convention creates an additional intern ational legal mechanism to enable women to bring complaints in relation to alleged violations of the rights set forth in the Convention and to enable the Committee to conduct inquiries into alleged grave or systematic violations of the rights set forth in the Convention, thereby reinforcing women’s right to access to justice. Through its 24/25 15-13094