A/HRC/15/57 victims or witnesses at the different stages of justice. The Units provide specialist and professional services to manage cases of different types of violence, abuse and exploitation against children and women with emphasis on child-friendly and gendersensitive procedures. Efforts to establish child courts and prosecutors’ offices for children have also started. These efforts have involved a wide range of partners, including the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Social Welfare, the Police, the State Councils for Child Welfare as well as UNAMID, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and NGOs. UNAMID continues to train investigative officers working with the Family and Child Units on how to deal with children involved in armed conflict Response of the Government of Sudan The Government makes reference to the establishment of Family and Child Protection Units in as part of the police force in Sudan 1.3.2 Undertake timely adoption of national legislation for the protection of children and ensure the implementation of this legislation. Ensure the rigorous and systematic investigation and prosecution of violations against children to address the prevailing sense of impunity for such violations. Mid-term • Adoption of national legislation for the protection of children • Number of cases of violations against children investigated and prosecuted The Child Act was passed by the National Assembly on 29 December 2009. It prohibits the recruitment of children below 18 years of age. The law contains a number of constructive provisions including the definition of a child as anyone who has not reached the age of 18 and the revocation of “signs of maturity” as a criterion for defining a child. The Act also raises the age of criminal responsibility from 7 to 12 years, makes child exploitation and abuse a criminal offence and establishes a comprehensive juvenile justice system. Significant activities were undertaken and implementation is in process. Response of the Government of Sudan The Government cites the Child Act 2009 which makes provision for the establishment of special offices for prosecuting cases involving children. Three of these offices have been established in Darfur. The Act also imposes harsh sentences including the death penalty for serious crimes committed against children 25