CEDAW/C/SR.1406 into line with that of the Convention and to introduce objective job evaluation schemes to promote equal pay. 16. Lastly, sexual harassment in the workplace seemed to be a major problem, and yet very few data had been provided on the matter, particularly in relation to the private sector. He wished to know whether the State party had begun to collect data on complaints relating to harassment and how the Government intended to ensure that the pending anti-sexual harassment bills, once passed, would lead to effective measures on the ground. 17. Ms. Chalal, while commending the enactment of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law, said that many women, particularly rural women, women with disabilities, indigenous women and Muslim women, faced severe difficulties in accessing health-care services and were often subjected to humiliation in health centres. She asked whether the State party planned to increase the financial, human and technical resources in the health-care sector to improve health-care coverage, particularly in hard-to-reach areas; whether a bill had been formulated to legalize abortion in certain cases; whether the sanctions against women who sought clandestine abortions had or would be lifted; and why grounds on which an abortion was permitted were not included in the final draft of the Philippine Code of Crimes. 18. On the issue of HIV/AIDS, she wished to know how many women were living with HIV in the State party, in particular women engaged in prostitution, and what measures had been taken to protect HIV-positive women from discrimination and contain the spread of HIV. On that point, she enquired what had been the outcome of the measures introduced to reduce and prevent infection rates, particularly in the light of the 800 new cases diagnosed so far in 2016. She also wished to know whether sex education in schools was delivered by adequately trained professionals; whether the State party had achieved its goal of significantly reducing the maternal and neonatal mortality rates by 2015; whether the legislation on reproductive health also covered lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons; whether specific financial resources had been allocated to address the health-care needs of women and girls with disabilities; and whether a control mechanism was in place to ensure the effectiveness of women’s right to health, particularly in respect of the most vulnerable women in society. 19. Ms. Patten, while also welcoming the adoption of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law, said it was unfortunate that the State party had failed to repeal various local laws and policies restricting women’s access to modern contraceptives. Regarding the Committee’s 2012 inquiry concerning the Philippines under article 8 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention, it was regrettable that Executive Orders Nos. 003 and 030 had still not been officially revoked. In that connection, she wished to know what concrete action was being taken to review and repeal those Orders, to ensure the implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law and to guarantee access to a range of contraceptive methods, particularly for economically disadvantaged women. She would also welcome information on the progress of the efforts to decentralize health-care services and on the establishment of effective monitoring and oversight mechanisms to promote greater coordination and ensure that reproductive health laws and strategies were being fully implemented. Lastly, she invited the delegation to comment on a recent Supreme Court judgment which had temporarily prevented the Department of Health from dispensing certain contraceptives and services. 20. Ms. Sobritchea (Philippines) said that the Government had empowered three institutions to oversee special measures in education: the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. The special measures consisted of scholarships for girls who wished to enrol in traditionally male-dominated courses, such as engineering, architecture and geology, or in technical skills programmes, such as welding, consumer electronics and automotive 4 GE.16-11725