A/HRC/43/58 expressed concern over provisions in laws or directives limiting women’s access to some studies and professions based on women’s characteristics as defined by the State party.36 Right to work 29. In the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, all men and unmarried women are assigned work at a State-owned workplace. According to personal accounts, they are poorly paid or not paid at all. As a result, in many cases married women, who are exempt from State-assigned jobs as they are expected to carry out household work, become the main breadwinners in their families. A woman who recently escaped from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea stated that she sold bean oil and soybean products in the informal market. The woman stated that, on a good day, she could earn up to 10,000 won ($11), equivalent to the price of two kilograms of rice, from that activity. She stated that she had made a one-time payment of 15,000 won ($17) for a market stall, as well as paying a daily fee of 1,000 won ($1.1). Another woman recounted paying 6,000 yuan ($292) for a space in another market, and a daily fee of 2,000 won ($2.2) to the private market managers. Other women who could not afford to pay for a market space recounted selling cooked food just outside of the market. However, doing so was illegal, and they faced the risk of being punished if caught by inspectors. 30. Married women belong to the Socialist Women’s Union of Korea and are required to participate in labour mobilization campaigns led by the Union. According to personal accounts, the mobilization of women to provide labour for State projects, including at construction sites in remote areas for months at a time, has increased. As women are already the primary caregivers in their families and, in many cases, also the main breadwinners, this mobilization has a detrimental impact on the livelihoods of households. In some cases it is possible to avoid unpaid mobilization by paying a fine or bribes, but not all women can afford this. In some cases, women retain their State-assigned jobs after marriage, in spite of receiving an inadequate or no salary, in order to avoid mobilization through the Socialist Women’s Union of Korea.37 Right to health 31. The Socialist Constitution and relevant laws of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea provide for free medical care for all its citizens.38 In reality, the number of health facilities is limited and access to adequate equipment and medicine is even more limited. According to the United Nations, approximately 9 million people have only limited access to health services in the country.39 Undernutrition, malnutrition and anaemia are particularly common among women owing to an unvaried diet. The rate of anaemia is high among women of childbearing age.40 Many escapees state that they eat corn or rice with pickled cabbages every day. According to reports, 92.2 per cent of women give birth at a hospital or maternity hospital.41 While the maternal mortality rate has decreased, it is still high at 89 of 100,000 births in 2017.42 The risk of maternal death is higher when women give birth at home due to the risk of postpartum haemorrhage, infection and sepsis. 32. Although the Socialist Constitution provides for free universal health care, escapees recount giving money or food in exchange for treatment by doctors and medicine. Doctors are not properly paid by the State, and many hospitals reportedly lack electricity and basic supplies. Those who do not have the means to pay to see a doctor, self-medicate with medicine bought in pharmacies or in the informal market. A woman who recently escaped from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea recounted her experience as a broker of 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 CEDAW/C/PRK/CO/2-4, para. 11 (d). Korean Institute for National Unification, White Paper on Human Rights in North Korea 2019, pp. 52–53. Socialist Constitution of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, arts. 56 and 72. United Nations, “DPR Korea: Needs and Priorities”, 2019, p. 7. 2017 MICS. Ibid., p. 55. World Health Organization (WHO), Trends in maternal mortality 2000 to 2017: estimates by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group and the United Nations Population Division, p. 71. 11