A/HRC/34/27 Children and communities at heightened risk of discrimination 37. Inequalities are often perpetuated on the basis of multiple intersecting forms of discrimination, including, inter alia, gender, age, race or ethnicity, majority or minority groups, migration status, sexual orientation or gender identity, disability and income level. While some groups at risk are specified in the 2030 Agenda, others are not mentioned. The particular groups at risk of their rights being overlooked or denied in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda also depend on the specificities of different national contexts and should be considered open-ended. 38. It must be further recognized that in addition to the children from marginalized and excluded groups, certain children face particularly heightened risks specific to their life phase and circumstances, including, inter alia, children with disabilities or chronic illness; migrant children; minority and indigenous children; children in street situations, children in institutions or children without parental support; child victims of economic exploitation, including those performing work likely to be harmful to their health; child victims of violence, sexual exploitation and abuse; asylum seeking and refugee children and children affected by conflict, foreign occupation or emergencies; children who have not had their births registered; children who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual or intersex; children living in families and communities where drug abuse is common; children subjected to harmful practices; and children living in remote areas, in socioeconomically disadvantaged urban areas and in situations of extreme economic deprivation. 39. All forms of discrimination against such children should be addressed in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and children at heightened risk of being left behind on the grounds outlined above should be reached as the first priority of implementation efforts. Aligning legislation and policies with child rights and the principles of equality and non-discrimination 40. In many contexts, a review of existing policies and legislation will be necessary to ensure a supportive environment for the protection of the rights of the child in the national implementation of the 2030 Agenda. This will require legislation to be reviewed from the perspective of child rights and the principles of equality and non-discrimination, to ensure that it does not allow for discrimination in law or in practice on any grounds. New legislation may also be needed in some contexts to provide adequate protection against discrimination. To achieve substantive equality, temporary special measures intended to bring about greater equality in outcomes for those who have been previously disadvantaged due to discrimination may be required. Addressing stigma and social norms resulting in discrimination 41. Discriminatory norms and practices tend to be strongly entrenched in societies and can be a central determinant of unequal outcomes for children in vulnerable situations. For example “son bias”, whereby boys are advantaged with respect to educational and other opportunities over and above girls, reinforces the multiple other forms of gender discrimination that girls face. Similarly, in communities where it is common for parents to avoid registering children born with disabilities, these children face multiple deprivations of their rights and particular challenges to accessing essential services. 42. In order to combat stigmatization and discriminatory social norms and practices it is necessary to adopt proactive policies and measures in this regard. States should take multiple appropriate measures which include awareness-raising through education, the media and other channels. This requires the support of community or religious leaders, civil society groups, key government institutions and their representatives, as well as educational institutions, parents and children themselves. 11