A/HRC/38/3 E/CN.6/2018/9 D. Advocating for and ensuring the human rights of all women and girls 50. Projects supported by the trust fund are reaching out to communities and individuals around the world, including underserved women and girls, who are often at increased risk of violence not only because of their ge nder, but also because of factors such as their ethnicity, sexual orientation or disability. The trust fund continues to work under the umbrella of the 2030 Agenda to further the aim of leaving no one behind. 51. In Egypt, the Al-Shehab Institution for Promotion and Comprehensive Development implemented a project, working with women and girl survivors of violence, women domestic workers, female sex workers and women living with HIV in the marginalized informal communities of Izbat al-Hajjanah and Al Marj in Cairo. The organization established a community service centre as part of efforts to improve access to essential services for survivors of violence, such as legal and psychosocial support. Between January and June 2017, the project provided a comprehensiv e package of services for 211 women and girls. The project continued to support female domestic workers within the targeted communities and conducted in -depth individual discussions with these workers, in order to identify the problems they encounter in their everyday lives and explore potential solutions. Of the 18 female domestic workers directly supported, 7 accessed psychological support and 5 benefited from legal support, 2 accessed voluntary counselling and testing for blood -borne diseases and 5 were referred to other service providers, some to access income -generating activities to enable them to improve their economic situation, addressing one of the structural causes of their vulnerability to violence and abuse. The project enabled a total of 1,427 women and girls from the target group to access services in order to improve their well-being and safety. 52. Socio-legal kiosks/empowerment centres set up by the Al-Shehab Institution in 10 districts, in 2016, have seen the number of visitors and callers contacting the helplines more than double in 2017, compared with the previous year. Survivors of domestic violence and of violence in the community have been approaching the centres to get guidance and have their cases documented. They reported high level s of reassurance while interacting with those providing care and valued the support received, which helped them present their cases confidently in front of police officials and other relevant authorities. 53. The Rainbow Sky Association of Thailand implemented a three-year project in four regions to empower lesbian and transgender women and build their human rights and advocacy capacity both within their communities and with relevant government agencies. The National Social Welfare Act 2012 recognizes sexua l diversity, but implementation of the Act has been partial and the national AIDS strategy does not fully address the needs of transgender and lesbian women. In the first half of 2017, the Association reached 16,063 people through various interventions, in cluding capacity-building workshops, hotline and online services, community health centres and outreach services. 54. As part of the three-year project, the Association’s Monitoring and Evaluation Unit followed up with the 113 trained participants, three and six months after the training. The comments elicited gave a clear indication of how the project has helped to change lives for the better. In the words of a 29 -year-old transgender woman in Bangkok: “I have more confidence and the courage to stand up for myself when my rights are violated. I am proud of myself and I understand others better ”. Many 14/16 17-22602

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