A United Nations women's rights watchdog has accused China of trying to silence activists and said some who had come to Geneva to testify about the country's record "fear reprisals" upon return. At least one female activist was prevented from going to the Swiss city under "travel restrictions" imposed by China, and others alleged their reports had been censored by "state agents", the panel said, calling for a halt to such practices. The U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), whose 23 independent experts conducted a regular review of Beijing's record, also urged Chinese authorities to halt forced abortions and "infanticide of girls". In its conclusions, released on Friday the 7th November, the panel urged China to "take all necessary measures to protect woman human rights defenders, including those who have provided information to the Committee, and take steps to ensure that in the future no travel restrictions are placed on individuals/human rights defenders". "It is always a concern for us, that defenders of women's rights are totally free from fear and restrictions," Nicole Ameline, a French expert chairing the U.N. panel, told Reuters. "Human rights defenders have an important role in the combat against impunity," she added. The U.N. experts recognized government efforts to curb the practice of identifying a fetus' sex for non-medical reasons and sex-selective abortions, as well as forced abortions and sterilizations resulting in what it called "the unbalanced sex-ratio between girls and boys". "However, the Committee remains concerned that these illegal practices persist ... and that infanticide of girl (children), particularly girls with disabilities, have not been completely eradicated," it said.