CEDAW/C/GC/36
(c) Ensure, when necessary, in collaboration with donors and
humanitarian agencies, that adequate provision is made for the education and
safety of all disadvantaged groups of girls and women;
(d) Ensure that the application of a mandatory dress code and banning of
specific clothing does not hamper access to inclusive education, in particular for
those of migrant backgrounds;
(e) Eliminate all forms of discrimination against girls and women with
disabilities by identifying and removing legal, physical, social, financial,
attitudinal, communication and language barriers within educational
institutions and the community;
(f) Take the measures necessary to ensure non-discrimination against
girls and women with disabilities at all levels of education by providing inclusive
education in learning environments offering reasonable accommodation;
(g) Ensure the physical accessibility of educational institutions and
prevent principals from blocking the enrolment of students with disabilities, in
particular girls, and ensure that curricula, teaching materials and pedagogical
strategies are tailored to the unique needs of individuals affected by the various
forms of disability;
(h) In line with article 4 of the Convention, on temporary special
measures, institute incentives to attract and train special education teachers for
all levels of education;
(i) Address discrimination against lesbian, bisexual, and transgender,
women and girls, and intersex persons by ensuring that policies are in place to
address the obstacles that impede their access to education.
Access to education during situations of conflict and natural disaster
47. Another factor constraining girls’ and women’s access to education is the total
breakdown of infrastructure for State public service provision owing to armed
conflict, resulting in the lack of delivery of essential services to the population. In
conflict-affected areas, schools are closed owing to insecurity, occupied by State and
non-State armed groups or destroyed, all of which impede girls’ access to school. In
its general recommendation No. 30 (2013) on women in conflict prevention, conflict
and post-conflict situations, the Committee noted that other factors preventing girls’
access to education include targeted attacks and threats to them and their teachers by
non-State actors, as well as the additional caregiving and household responsibilities
that they are obliged to undertake.
48. According to the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack, between
2005 and 2012, educational institutions were used in conflicts in at least 24 countries,
across four continents. In addition to the risk of death or severe injury from attacks,
students attending classes in schools under occupation by troops or armed forces may
be exposed to physical or sexual abuse, with girls at greater risk than boys. The
presence of armed men often discourages families from sending girls to school for
fear that they will become victims of sexual violence or be subjected to sexual
harassment. They therefore often marry off their daughters at an early age, believing
that it may afford them protection. Overall, attacks on education and use of schools
and universities by the military or armed groups have a disproportionate or
discriminatory impact upon girls and women.
49. Women and children are the most vulnerable groups during any natural disaster.
The destruction of or use of schools as community shelters for affe cted families have
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