chastisement’. In this regard, the Committee reiterates its previous recommendation where it stated that the South African Government to expedite the process of amending the Children's Act to explicitly ban corporal punishment in all settings including in the home. The Committee also calls upon the State Party to promote positive disciplining through awareness creation, training those who are working for and with children such as teachers and care givers. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the Government puts in place mechanisms to criminalise and hold accountable educators and caregivers who still inflict corporal punishment. 18. The Committee appreciates measures taken by the State Party to tackle violence against children. However, it notes with concern that violence against children remains to be at alarming rate in South Africa. Statistics reveal that significant number of children were murdered in the country over the last few years alone. Of all rape crimes committed in the past three years, studies show that, 41% were committed against children. Studies also show that despite a comprehensive legal and policy framework, the child protection system is not addressing the high rate of violence against children owing to poor implementation, absence of effective prevention and early intervention programmes catering for all families and inaccessibility of appropriate therapeutic interventions for most children. Therefore, the Committee recommends to the Government of South Africa to: A) Adopt and implement a coordinated, resourced and evidence-based violence prevention strategy; B) Ensure that specialised policing and court services for child victims are adequately resourced and implemented as a matter of urgency; C) Ensure proper coordination among all role-players to tackle consequences of violence against children; D) Make available appropriate and effective therapeutic services for children who are victims of violence; 19. The Committee also notes with concern the widespread challenges of Violence aginst Children, including including sexual abuse and exploitation, in the Country and recommends that the Government enhances its awareness raising programs, establish accountability aginst perpetraters, training the police on violence against children and its responses, and allocating adequate budget to address the challenge. E) Family Environment and Alternative Care 20. The Committee notes with appreciation the development of the White Paper on Families and the programmes put in place to address issues such as absent fathers and teen pregnancy. However, the Committee notes with concern the lack of and need for the collection of data which reflects the number of children living with their parents, next of kin or care centres. The Committee also notes the everpresent disparities in the economic status and delivery of social services between the nine provinces. In this regard, given that the protective laws already exist, the 7