A/HRC/16/78 death penalty from the statute books. A total of 16 prisoners, including 4 women, are currently sentenced to death. 11. Ritual murder continues to be a major concern to the enjoyment of the right to life in Sierra Leone, and the lack of systematic investigation and prosecution of such cases is an issue. In many of these cases, perpetrators enjoy impunity. The culture of silence and secrecy among residents of the communities in which such crimes occur is also an obstacle to effective investigation. 12. There have also been incidents of assault by security authorities during the reporting period. In February 2010, it was alleged that security forces assaulted employees of BoKenema Power Station. Police sources confirmed the assault and stated that some youths of the ruling APC Party in the area were involved in the incident. The Human Rights Commission recommended that the Government conduct a thorough investigation, but none was ever carried out. In March 2010, residents of the adjoining settlement at Benguema Training Center complained that a group of soldiers had assaulted them and that their houses had been burned and demolished. 13. Metropolitan police also came under criticism over the manner in which they conducted tax collection exercises in Freetown, which included harassing people who could not produce receipts of payment of local taxes, and indiscriminately stopping taxis and other vehicles to check whether they had paid the taxes. 14. The Registration of Customary Marriages and Divorce Act (2007) sets the legal age for marriage at 18 and requires the consent of both parties. It empowers both spouses to acquire property, and states that gifts, payments, or dowries are non-refundable. Furthermore,, the Devolution of Estates Act (2007) requires property to be equally distributed between a deceased’s spouse and children, and criminalizes expulsion of widows from their homes after the death of their husbands. However, marriage is an area where gender discrimination is still widespread, especially in rural areas. 2. Violence against women and harmful traditional practices 15. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a very sensitive cultural issue in Sierra Leone as it is considered part of the initiation of the “rite of passage” from childhood to adulthood. The practice is central to the processes involved in becoming a member of many secret societies and constitutes a major source of livelihood for the initiators. Campaigns to discourage the practice have not always been well received by law enforcement officials and politicians alike. There is no law prohibiting FGM in Sierra Leone, although the Child Act (2007) prohibits cruel practices on children. 16. The national consultative dialogues held by the local authorities with 266 sowies (circumcisers) in November and December 2010 has led to a positive change in the attitudes of the sowies in some districts. In fact, the sowies in one district contacted the human rights actors to ask them to go and certify that all initiates were above 18 years. Nonetheless. the practice continues with widespread and systematic conscription of young girls, and there have been reports of girls being forcefully subjected to FGM, which has had various consequences, including fatalities. 17. Although the Child Rights Act (2007) prohibits early marriage, cases of forced and early marriages have been registered. In June 2010, a 14 year-old girl was forced by her parents to marry a diamond dealer in Zimmi Makpele Chiefdom, Pujehun district. Similarly, a 15 year-old girl in Joru, Kenema district was forced into marrying a 45 year-old man, and apparently dropped out of school after her parents received a bride price on her behalf. Both marriages were annulled following intervention by UNIPSIL Human Rights Section and the Human Rights Commission. 5