A/RES/74/126
Improvement of the situation of women and girls in rural areas
and transport, science and technology, local services, capacity-building and human
resources development measures and the provision of a safe and reliable water supply
and sanitation, nutritional programmes, affordable housing programmes, education
and literacy programmes, social support measures and health care, including HIV
prevention, treatment, care, including psychosocial aspects, and support services;
(p) Fully engaging men and boys, including community leaders, as strategic
partners and allies in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and
girls, and eliminating all forms of discrimination and violence agai nst them, including
by working to counteract attitudes by which women and girls are regarded as
subordinate to men and boys;
(q) Eliminating all forms of violence against rural women and girls in public
and private spaces through multisectoral and coordin ated approaches to prevent and
respond to violence against rural women and girls, to investigate, prosecute and
punish the perpetrators of violence against rural women and girls and end impunity
and to provide protection as well as equal access to comprehensive social, health and
legal services for all victims and survivors to support their full recovery and
reintegration into society, including by providing access to psychosocial support and
rehabilitation, and bearing in mind the importance of all women a nd girls living free
from violence, such as gender-related killings, including femicide, and harmful
practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation, as
well as of addressing the structural and underlying causes of violenc e against women
and girls through enhanced prevention measures, research and strengthened
coordination and monitoring and evaluation, by, inter alia, encouraging awareness raising activities;
(r) Designing and implementing national policies and legal fram eworks that
promote and protect the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms
by rural women and girls, and creating an environment that does not tolerate
violations or abuses of their rights, including domestic violence, sexual violence,
gender-based violence and discrimination, including multiple and intersecting forms
of discrimination;
(s) Promoting safe public spaces for women and girls in rural areas and
improving their security and safety, including in public transportation systems and
infrastructure, preventing and eliminating violence and harassment against women on
their journey to and from work, and protecting women and girls from being physically
threatened or assaulted, including from sexual violence, while collecting household
water and fuel and when accessing sanitation facilities outside their homes or
practising open defecation;
(t) Ensuring that the rights of older women in rural areas are taken into account
with regard to their equal access to basic social services, appropr iate social protection
and/or social security measures, equal access to and control of economic resources and
their empowerment through access to financial and infrastructure services, with
special focus on the provision of support to older women, includin g indigenous
women, who often have access to few resources and are often more vulnerable;
(u) Valuing and supporting the critical role and contribution of rural women,
including indigenous women in rural areas, in the conservation and sustainable use
of traditional crops and biodiversity for present and future generations as an essential
contribution to food security and nutrition, recognizing that rural women are
disproportionately affected by biodiversity loss and land degradation and should
therefore be meaningfully engaged in efforts to address such matters;
(v) Promoting the rights of women and girls with disabilities in rural areas,
including by ensuring access on an equal basis to productive employment and decent
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