A/HRC/7/20 page 13 Special Rapporteur has talked directly with many of these women, some of whom had been sold into forced marriage in a neighbouring country, before moving on to seek refuge elsewhere. The reasons why criminals prey on this group were already referred to in the Special Rapporteur’s previous reports, e.g. the pretext of family reunion, the belief that women fulfil their promise to pay up more seriously than men and that they are less likely to be prosecuted for illegal entry into another country.20 39. With regard to child rights, a recent self-assessment by the country is visible from its third and fourth consolidated reports under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/PRK/4). Of note is the range of new plans and laws which have come into being in recent years, such as the 2005 Law on Tobacco Control which prohibits sale of tobacco to minors; the revisions of the Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code in 2004 and 2005 to offer clearer categorization of criminal offences; the 2004 Family Law affording protection to mothers and children. The country has formulated a National Programme of Action for the Well-being of Children 2001-2010, reflecting some of the Millennium Development Goals. International agencies indicate good cooperation from the authorities on some fronts, such as vaccination against measles and the development of a gravity-fed water purifying system. 40. There remains the challenge of implementation of the programme while existing policies manipulate child development as part of the survival strategy of the regime in power. Of particular importance is to assess the implementation of child rights considering the hierarchical and stratified nature of the political system. Obviously, children who are not part of the elite are more susceptible to discrimination. This includes the range of abandoned children and street children, hungry for help and sustenance - the Khojetbis. Matters are made more complicated if they leave the country of origin for refuge elsewhere. The report recently submitted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/PRK/4) is decidedly thin in regard to the special protection measures needed to address the specific concerns of children in difficulties, such as refugee children, children of political dissidents, children of minorities, abused/neglected children, and children who are in conflict with the authorities. There is an urgent need to improve the criminal justice system affecting children, bearing in mind juvenile justice standards of a universal kind. This is interrelated with the question of prisons and detention facilities discussed above. 41. Elderly persons are also increasingly vulnerable to the mounting deprivations, given the food and economic uncertainties in the country; likewise the plight of those with disabilities. 42. The Special Rapporteur underlines a key issue which has not been adequately addressed to date: family reunion. Many of those who exit from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and/or transited in a neighbouring country leave behind family members before reaching the final destination country. Measures should be adopted at the bilateral and/or other levels to facilitate family reunification, coupled with measures to ensure that no intimidation or other forms of coercion are used against those family members who remain in the country of origin or any other country. 20 A/HRC/4/15, para. 30, and A/62/264, para. 42.