A/HRC/6/19 page 12 26. The Government reported that the Ministry of Justice monitored implementation of circular No. 2 removing the requirement that women victims of violence report their cases to the police and get Police Form 8 before being granted access to health care; it had not received any reports that women had been refused access to medical care. A circular on the medical care needed by victims of rape has been drawn up by the Ministry of Health in cooperation with the World Health Organization and has been distributed to health-care providers. The group of experts did not receive any reports from other sources that access to health services had been denied because women did not have Police Form 8, but was informed about certain difficulties faced by women who had been treated in clinics of non-governmental organizations and then tried to report their cases to the police (recommendation 1.2.6). 27. Regarding the issue as to whether rape victims could be punished for adultery, the Government insisted that a proper interpretation of article 145 of Criminal Act 1991 as applied by Sudanese courts excluded such a possibility, and therefore did not see this as a problem (recommendation 1.2.8). 28. According to the Government, a recommendation to ratify the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa had been submitted to the Minister for Justice. Regarding the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (recommendation 1.2.9), the Government has conducted workshops, seminars and consultations. It was concerned that reservations entered by some Islamic countries had cast doubts regarding any reservations it might make if it were to accede to the Convention. 3. Children and armed conflict 29. With regard to the recruitment of child soldiers (recommendations 1.1.4 and 1.3.1), the Government informed the group of experts that it had identified 857 child soldiers in the eastern Jebel Marra/Sharia areas. It also reported that UNICEF and SLA/MM had signed an action plan and SLA/MM had indicated its commitment to move forward with the verification process. The Government also provided information about a workshop on the demobilization of child soldiers planned for September 2007 addressing members of the regular forces and the joint forces. United Nations agencies, bodies and programmes operational in Darfur reported fewer cases of child recruitment between June and October 2007 than had been previously identified over a comparable time period. During the reporting period, United Nations staff gathered evidence indicating that JEM/Peace Wing (JEM/PW) recruited children among communities of internally displaced persons in Dereig, South Darfur. They also reported that UNICEF and the Sudan Liberation Movement Army (SLM/A) had signed a joint action plan on 11 June 2007 for the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of children associated with the SLM/A. Implementation was delayed owing to the imminent resumption of peace talks. However, in mid-August 2007, SLA commanders reiterated to UNICEF their commitment to the plan. Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration commissions have been established in Nyala, Geneina and El Fasher, and provided with staff. However, the staff members have not been trained in child protection or demobilization and reintegration of children (recommendation 1.3.3). Moreover, the work of these commissions cannot commence without a clear agreement between the Government and armed groups as to how it should proceed.