The Committee urges the Government to make additional efforts to extend the reform centers for children at districts which do not have them and recommends the training of lawyers and judges on the rights of the child. Article 21: PROTECTION AGAINST HARMFUL SOCIAL AND CULTURAL PRACTICES Despite the denunciation of negative cultural practices, some cultures violating the provisions of the Charter persist in communities among which: - the practice of female genital mutilation especially among the Sabiny ethnic groups in the Kapchorwa and Bukwa districts in the North/East of Uganda; - the growing threat of child sacrifices; - child trafficking; - discrimination against girls in the field of education; - early marriage which not only affects the health of the girl but also drives her to abandoning her education. There is a need to observe that the law heightens this phenomenon by authorizing marriage under 16 years of age. - the fact of parents forcing their pregnant daughters to marry the perpetrator of the sexual abuse. The Committee observes that the Government in collaboration with Partners such as UNFPA has intensified its efforts to make the general public aware of the risks linked to these practices. Studies have been undertaken on human sacrifices and child trafficking. The liberalization of the media space has helped to reveal these practices and customs which hamper the rights and welfare of children. The media have also been used by the Government and the other actors to raise the awareness of the masses on issues related to children’s rights. The Committee congratulates the State party for its actions, requests it to redouble its efforts in the fight against these practices and recommends it to take urgent measures to: - prohibit harmful practices; - severely suppress the perpetrators; - train police officers and judges on the issue; - raise the awareness of the population for a change of mentality which can lead to the renunciation of these practices. 7