A/HRC/21/39 (d) Take positive measures to ensure the elimination of all forms of forced and bonded labour and harmful and hazardous forms of child labour, in addition to measures that ensure the social and economic reintegration of those affected and avoid reoccurrence; (e) Ensure that caregivers are adequately protected and supported by social programmes and services, including access to affordable childcare; (f) Put in place specific measures to expand opportunities for persons living in poverty to find decent work in the formal labour market, including through vocational guidance and training and skills development opportunities; (g) Eliminate discrimination in access to employment and training, and ensure that training programmes are accessible to those most vulnerable to poverty and unemployment, including women, migrants and persons with disabilities, and tailored to their needs; (h) Respect, promote and realize freedom of association so that the identities, voices and representation of workers living in poverty can be strengthened in social and political dialogue about labour reforms. L. Right to social security 85. Persons living in poverty often cannot enjoy their right to social security. While that right includes both social insurance (contributory schemes) and social assistance (noncontributory schemes), many States rely only on contributory systems as the main source of social security benefits, with social assistance programmes often being inadequate and ineffective. Given that those living in poverty are more likely to work in the informal economy, to hold insecure, low-paid jobs, to be long-term unemployed or to be unable to work, they are unlikely to be able to contribute to and thereby access social insurance benefits such as pensions and unemployment and sickness benefits. These problems are particularly serious for women as discrimination and care responsibilities result in lower wages and interrupted work histories, reducing their ability to contribute to and benefit from social insurance schemes. 86. States should: (a) Develop a comprehensive social security system and allocate the resources necessary to progressively ensure universal access to social security for all and the enjoyment of at least the minimum essential levels of economic, social and cultural rights. While all persons should be progressively covered by social security systems, priority should be accorded to the most disadvantaged and marginalized groups; (b) Put in place and expand nationally funded comprehensive social security systems that encompass social insurance and social assistance, in line with the International Labour Organization recommendations on a social protection floor; (c) Take specific measures to ensure that persons living in poverty, in particular women and those working in the informal economy, have access to social security benefits, including social pensions, which are sufficient to ensure an adequate standard of living and access to health care for them and their families; (d) Ensure that social security systems are established by law in a transparent, sustainable and inclusive manner and are just one component of a more comprehensive and coherent national plan for the eradication of poverty; (e) Ensure that social security systems are designed, implemented and evaluated taking into account the particular needs of persons living in poverty, especially women. 20

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