A/HRC/4/96 page 7 actions have been taken by the Government to reform the institution and the role of the Government in the Biriwa elections had the propensity to inflame the situation rather than resolve existing conflicts. The Government should seriously consider the recommendations of the TRC in this regard. C. Children’s rights 10. Gradual progress was noted in the promotion and protection of children’s rights. There was an improvement in the enrolment of children in schools, with a rate for girls of 69 per cent for primary education. The Government’s policy of providing free education for girls attending secondary schools in some regions is still in effect. A child rights bill, drafted to harmonize a myriad of statutory provisions which were inconsistent with international standards, in particular the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), has gone through a second reading in Parliament and is now set for enactment into law. Notwithstanding, children continue to be subjected to a number of harmful practices affecting their health, education, development, etc. Some of the harmful practices are the result of some traditional and cultural practices, others of inadequate social services and high levels of poverty and illiteracy. 11. The initiation of young girls into secret societies, some forcefully, is a preoccupying practice. In May 2006, a group of women belonging to Bondo society entered a primary school in a village in Luawa Chiefdom, Kailahun District, and forcefully took 14 girls to the Bondo bush and initiated them through female genital mutilation (FGM), without the consent of their parents. The girls were finally released after spending one month and two days in detention in the society bush at the detriment of their health and well-being. In Bonthe District, a 16-year-old girl, forcefully initiated, escaped from the Bondo bush and reported the matter to the police who refused to take action. The Government has to take urgent steps to address the issue of forceful initiation of girls, even in case of parental consent. 12. Early and forced marriages occasioned by traditional practices and encouraged by poverty also continue to prevent the full realization of women and girl’s rights, including their health, education and general well-being. Child labour is also quite widespread in the country, especially in the mining sector, in spite of statutory laws prohibiting the practice. There is a need for effective mechanisms to be put in place, buttressed by awareness-raising activities on child rights and the provision of alternatives to child labour to the families. The policy of the Government, which instructs the Ministry of Mines to suspend the licence of mining operators who engage children, was not implemented during the period. Most of the children in the mining sector are of school age and work long hours with rudimentary tools. 13. The adoption of the Anti-Human Trafficking Act as a renewed commitment to addressing child trafficking is a welcomed step. In 2006, an Inter-Ministerial Committee and National Task Force on Human Trafficking, co-chaired by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs and the Ministry of Justice were established, as called for by the Anti-Human Trafficking Act. The Government also engaged in consultations with a view to developing a National Action Plan for the implementation of the joint Economic Community of Central African States/Economic Community of West African States Plan of Action against trafficking in persons, especially women and children, over a three-year period, starting in 2006.