A/HRC/31/57 enforced or administered without the free and informed consent of the person concerned; (j) Prohibit and prevent the discriminatory denial of medical care and of pain relief, including HIV treatment, to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons. 73. With regard to domestic and private-actor violence against women, girls, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons, the Special Rapporteur calls upon States to: (a) Repeal or reform civil laws that restrict women’s access to divorce, property and inheritance rights and that subjugate women and limit their ability to escape situations of domestic and other gender-based violence; (b) Dismantle legal and practical barriers to initiating legal proceedings and reform judicial systems and procedures to permit women to obtain protective measures, including, inter alia, restraining and protective orders, witness protection programmes and other measures designed to combat harassment and retaliation; (c) Provide community support programmes and services, including shelters, to victims and their dependents; (d) Enact legislation that prohibits discrimination by public actors and private parties, including hate crime laws that sanction homophobic and transphobic violence; ensure that appropriate laws apply to all persons equally, regardless of real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity; and implement effective complaint and enforcement procedures and systems for quantifying prohibited acts. 74. With regard to harmful practices, the Special Rapporteur calls upon States to: (a) Remove the defence of “honour” and other mitigating factors in prosecuting victims’ relatives; and engage in community outreach and public education campaigns to raise public awareness about honour-based crimes; (b) Implement legislation that prohibits all forms of female genital mutilation at all levels, including in State-run and private medical facilities; prosecute and hold accountable health-care professionals, community leaders and other public officials who perpetrate or condone the practice or refuse to implement relevant laws; and concomitantly raise awareness and mobilize public opinion against female genital mutilation through community-based programmes and educational campaigns; (c) Implement and enforce uniform laws that prohibit child marriage before the age of 18, with no exceptions on the basis of parental consent or personal status laws; extend the prohibition to cover traditional and religious marriages; provide appropriate assistance to women and girls living in forced marriages, including by helping women leave the marriage with a share of matrimonial assets, custody of children and the right to remarry; and provide support to victims’ dependents and members of immediate families; (d) Ensure that victims of honour-based violence have equal access to justice and remedies, including appropriate long-term social, psychological, medical and other appropriate specialized rehabilitation measures. 23

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