A/RES/72/154 The girl child health-care services, in girls enjoying fewer of the rights, opportunities and benefits of childhood and adolescence than boys, and in leaving them more vulnerable than boys to the consequences of unprotected and premature sexual relations and often being subjected to various forms of cultural, social, sexual and economic exploitation and violence, abuse, rape, incest, honour-related crimes and harmful practices, such as female infanticide, child, early and forced marriage, prenatal sex selection and female genital mutilation, Deeply concerned further that, despite its widespread practice, child, early and forced marriage is still underreported, recognizing that this requir es further attention and that child, early and forced marriage exposes the girl child to greater risk of HIV and sexually transmitted infections, often leads to premature sexual relations, early pregnancy and early childbearing and increases the risk of ob stetric fistula and high levels of maternal mortality and morbidity, and furthermore entails complications during pregnancy and childbirth, which often lead to disability, stillbirth and maternal death, particularly for young women and girls, which require appropriate prenatal and postnatal health-care services for mothers, including in the area of skilled birth attendance and emergency obstetric care, and noting with concern that this reduces girls’ opportunities to complete their education, gain comprehensive knowledge, participate in the community or develop employable skills and is likely to have a long term adverse impact on their physical and mental health and well -being, their employment opportunities and their quality of life and that of their childr en, and violates and/or impairs the full enjoyment of their human rights, Deeply concerned that young women and girls are particularly affected by water scarcity, unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene, and concerned furthermore that girls, especially those in rural areas, are often excluded from full and continued participation in school owing to their burden of water procurement at home, a lack of water and sanitation facilities in schools and inadequate access to effective feminine hygiene products, Emphasizing that increased and equal access to quality education for young people, especially adolescent girls, including in the areas of sexual and reproductive health, as well as health care, hygiene and sanitation, dramatically lowers their vulnerability to preventable diseases and infections, in particular HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, Recognizing that, despite gains in providing access to education, girls are still more likely than boys to remain excluded from education, and recognizing also that among gendered barriers to girls’ equal enjoyment of their right to education are child marriage, early pregnancy, gender-based violence, the disproportionate share of unpaid care and domestic work and gender stereotypes and negative social norms that lead families and communities to place less value on girls’ education when compared with that of boys, Deeply concerned that school-related violence against girls, including sexual violence and harassment on the way to and from and at school, such as violence perpetrated by teachers, continues to deter girls’ education and, in many cases, the transition to and completion of secondary education, and that these risks may influence parents’ decision to allow girls to attend school, Noting that school meals and take-home rations attract and retain children in schools, and recognizing that school feeding is an incentive to enhance enrolment and reduce absenteeism, especially for girls, Stressing the need for the international community, the relevant United Nations entities, the specialized agencies, civil society and international financial institutions to continue to actively support, through the allocation of enhanced financial resources and technical assistance, targeted comprehensive programmes that address the needs and priorities of the girl child, 4/11 17-22960