A/HRC/21/39 interests and livelihoods of persons living in poverty. All forms of legislative or administrative discrimination, direct or indirect, on grounds of economic situation or other grounds associated with poverty must be identified and eliminated. 20. Equality and non-discrimination are immediate and cross-cutting obligations that must underlie all measures taken by all relevant stakeholders in relation to persons living in poverty. They require States to identify vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in society and to ensure, as a matter of priority, such groups’ enjoyment of human rights on an equal basis. States have an obligation to take special and positive measures to reduce or eliminate conditions that cause or help to perpetuate discrimination. 21. Persons living in poverty have a right to be protected from the negative stigma attached to conditions of poverty. States must prohibit public authorities, whether national or local, from stigmatizing or discriminating against persons living in poverty and must take all appropriate measures to modify sociocultural patterns with a view to eliminating prejudices and stereotypes. States must put in place educational programmes, in particular for public officials and the media, to promote non-discrimination against persons living in poverty. 22. Positive measures must be taken to ensure de facto equality of persons living in poverty. Such measures should include legislative, executive, administrative, budgetary and regulatory instruments and specific policies, programmes and affirmative action in povertysensitive areas such as employment, housing, food, social security, water and sanitation, health, education, culture and participation in public life. C. Equality between men and women 23. Women are disproportionately represented among the poor owing to the multifaceted and cumulative forms of discrimination that they endure. States are obliged to eliminate both de jure and de facto discrimination against women and put in place measures to achieve equality between men and women. 24. International human rights law also requires States to take measures to eliminate harmful cultural and traditional practices and all other practices that are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either sex, or on stereotyped roles for women and men. These practices increase the social exclusion of women and girls, impede their access to resources and education and perpetuate poverty and discrimination. 25. States must take forceful action to combat gender-based violence. Women living in poverty who are victims of gender-based violence face particular difficulties in accessing justice and in leaving abusive relationships. 26. Women must have equal access to economic opportunities. States must accord priority to expanding employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for women, promote decent and productive work and improve access to finance. Public policies and employment regulations must take into account women’s time constraints and enable both women and men to care for their households. 27. States must ensure women’s full and equal legal capacity to own, control and administer economic resources such as land, credit and inheritance. 28. Women must also enjoy equal access to decision-making power. States must develop mechanisms to enhance the involvement of women, including those living in poverty, in political life and decision-making bodies at all levels. 29. Policies must promote gender equality in marriage and family relations, and ensure that women’s decision-making, including regarding the number and spacing of children, is 7