CEDAW/C/SR.1406 32. She asked whether women employed in the informal sector were covered by employment insurance, had access to basic social security benefits and enjoyed labour benefits and whether a comprehensive social protection framework had been developed for women and girls with disabilities. She would appreciate receiving information on women’s participation in sports and other recreational activities. 33. Ms. Gabr asked how the important economic achievements made by the Philippines in recent years had affected the lives of rural women and how the Government planned to implement and monitor the Magna Carta of Women in rural areas. She would appreciate an account of the steps being taken by the Government to protect the rights of rural women who faced old and new challenges, such as living in a patriarchal society and the increasing exploitation of land for non-agricultural uses. What measures had it taken to remedy the gender pay gap in rural areas, the failure to recognize the role played by women as food producers and the impact of armed conflict on rural women and their assets? The delegation should comment on the alleged extrajudicial killings of women from rural and indigenous populations in connection with the increasing presence of extractive industries. 34. She wished to know what steps the Government planned to take in order to raise awareness of and make use of the Committee’s general recommendation No. 34 on the rights of rural women, including its dissemination and translation into regional languages. In addressing the needs of women in its Muslim minority, the State party might wish to consider how Muslim women’s rights had evolved in other countries where sharia law was practised, such as Tunisia, which had abolished polygamy. She asked what measures were being taken to use new technologies in order to help vulnerable communities and rural women. 35. Ms. Jahan asked whether a gender perspective had been incorporated into the design, implementation and monitoring of national environmental and climate change policies and programmes and whether women were afforded opportunities for active and equal participation in their design and implementation. She wished to know whether vulnerable women received special protection during disaster relief efforts, including from sexual violence and exploitation, and how women’s access to food, health care and basic hygiene was ensured in the event of disasters. Given that the Committee was in the process of drafting a new general recommendation on the gender-related dimensions of disaster risk reduction and climate change, she asked whether a gender lens was used in mobilizing and dispersing funds for climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and management and post-disaster relief and rehabilitation. 36. Ms. Villar (Philippines) said that the term “senior citizens” applied to all older persons over the age of 60. The Philippines had introduced non-contributory social pensions scheme under the Expanded Senior Citizens Act for indigent senior citizens who did not receive adequate support from their relatives. Older persons were also covered by a mandatory health insurance scheme. Under the social protection framework, policies and programmes had been developed to protect women, children and other vulnerable populations. There were four main programme areas: labour market intervention, social insurance, social welfare and safety nets. 37. Ms. Mendoza (Philippines) said that the Government of the Philippines recognized the valuable contribution of rural women as food producers, notably in fisheries, biointensive horticulture and food processing. Services offered to gardeners included the provision of seeds, planting material and equipment; recently, many new community gardens had been established. The Department of Agrarian Reform and the Department of Agriculture provided assistance to rural women working in agriculture and fisheries. Credit and loan arrangements, training, assistance in marketing goods and women-friendly equipment and technology were also available. Efforts were being made to make such assistance more gender-sensitive. GE.16-11725 7