E/C.12/CYP/CO/6 34. The Committee calls upon the State party to step up its efforts to effectively investigate acts of trafficking and to prosecute and punish perpetrators with penalties commensurate with the gravity of the offences. It recommends that the State party take effective measures to strictly enforce existing legislation pertaining to private employment agencies and monitor their activities with a view to preventing trafficking in migrant workers, particularly women. Poverty 35. The Committee is concerned that the number of persons living in poverty has significantly increased, particularly during the economic crisis, and that more than a quarter of the population (27.4 per cent) is at risk of poverty (art. 11) and does not enjoy an adequate standard of living. 36. The Committee recommends that the State party intensify its efforts to combat poverty, including through the comprehensive analysis of the needs of the most disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups and the adoption of concrete and targeted measures to address those needs. In this regard, the Committee draws the State party’s attention to its statement on poverty and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (E/C.12/2001/10). Right to housing 37. The Committee is concerned at the constantly decreasing budget allocated to housing during the reporting period, which has negatively affected disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups, particularly displaced persons, Roma and low-income families. It also notes with concern the marked increase in the number of evictions during the reporting period, the majority of which are the result of rent arrears. The Committee regrets the lack of information provided on the legal safeguards against forced eviction and remedies for the victims of forced eviction, as well as disaggregated statistical data on the number of such forced evictions (art. 11). 38. The Committee recommends that the State party take all measures necessary to ensure the right to adequate housing for all and to increase the budget allocation to housing with a view to providing affordable social housing units, improving the existing housing conditions for disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups, and addressing the issue of rent arrears. It also recommends that the State party ensure that a legal framework is in place establishing the procedures to be followed in the case of evictions that is in line with the international standards and guidelines contained in the Committee’s general comment No. 7 (1997) on forced evictions. Right to health 39. The Committee is concerned at the low level of public spending on health-care services, which has decreased during the economic crisis, and the high share of household spending on health care. It is also concerned at the limited range of health-care services provided by the public health system and long waiting lists. It is further concerned that asylum seekers and undocumented migrants are reportedly limited in their access to healthcare services, despite the measures taken by the State party (art. 12). 40. The Committee recommends that the State party take all measures necessary to improve the public health system, including through the substantial increase of funding allocated to the system, with a view to ensuring that a wider range of good quality health-care services are provided in a timely manner. In this regard, it calls upon the State party to introduce the universal national health system as planned for 8