CEDAW/C/GC/33 (ii) Stigmatization of women who are fighting for their rights by active participants in the justice system; (iii) Corroboration rules that discriminate against women as witnesses, complainants and defendants by requiring them to discharge a higher burden of proof than men in order to establish an offence or seek a remedy; (iv) Procedures that exclude or accord inferior status to the testimony of women; (v) Lack of measures to ensure equal conditions between women and men during the preparation, conduct and aftermath of cases; (vi) Inadequate case management and evidence collection in cases brought by women, resulting in systematic failures in the investigation of cases; (vii) Obstacles faced in the collection of evidence relating to emerging violations of women’s rights occurring online and through the use of ICT and new social media; (b) Ensure that independent, safe, effective, accessible and childsensitive complaint and reporting mechanisms are available to girls. Such mechanisms should be established in conformity with international norms, especially the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and staffed by appropriately trained officials, working in an effective and gender-sensitive manner, in accordance with general comment No. 14 of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, so that the best interests of the girls concerned is taken as a primary consideration; (c) Take measures to avoid the marginalization of girls owing to conflicts and disempowerment within their families and the resulting lack of support for their rights, and abolish rules and practices that require parental or spousal authorization for access to services such as education and health, including sexual and reproductive health, as well as to legal services and justice systems; (d) Protect women and girls from interpretations of religious texts and traditional norms that create barriers to their access to justice and result in discrimination against them. C. Stereotyping and gender bias in the justice system and the importance of capacity-building 26. Stereotyping and gender bias in the justice system have far -reaching consequences for women’s full enjoyment of their human rights. They impede women’s access to justice in all areas of law, and may have a particularly negative impact on women victims and survivors of violence. Stereotyping distorts perceptions and results in decisions based on preconceived beliefs and myths rather than relevant facts. Often, judges adopt rigid standards about what they consider to be appropriate behaviour for women and penalize those who do not conform to those stereotypes. Stereotyping also affects the credibility given to women’s voices, arguments and testimony as parties and witnesses. Such stereotyping can cause judges to misinterpret or misapply laws. This has far-reaching consequences, for example, in criminal law, where it results in perpetrators not being held legally accountable for violations of women’s rights, thereby upholding a culture of 12/25 15-13094