A/HRC/22/24 discrimination against women, and of multiple discrimination, gender and race considerations. C. Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families 30. On 2 December 2010, the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families adopted its first general comment – general comment No. 1 (2010) on migrant domestic workers. The Committee builds on general recommendation No. 26 (2008) of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women on women migrant workers and highlights how women migrants are in a different position from that of migrant men with regard to the migration channels used, the sectors of the labour market where they are employed, the forms of abuse they suffer and their consequences and impact. The majority of domestic workers are women and girls: given, among other things, the gendered labour market, the prevalence of gender-based violence and the worldwide feminization of poverty and labour migration, the Committee recommends that States incorporate a gender perspective in efforts to understand women’s specific problems and develop remedies to gender-based discrimination throughout the migration process (paras. 60–61). 31. In the view of the Committee, States parties should repeal sex-specific bans and discriminatory restrictions on women’s migration on the basis of age, marital status, pregnancy or maternity status (arts. 1 and 7 of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families), including restrictions that require women to get permission from their spouse or male guardian to obtain a passport or to travel (art. 8) or bans on women migrant domestic workers marrying nationals or permanent residents (art. 14), or securing independent housing. States parties should also repeal discriminatory laws, regulations and practices related to HIV, including those which result in the loss of work visas based on HIV status, and ensure that medical testing of migrant domestic workers, including tests for pregnancy or HIV, is only done voluntarily and subject to informed consent. D. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 32. In line with its general recommendation No. 25 on gender-related dimensions of racial discrimination, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has made efforts to take into account gender issues which may be interlinked with racial discrimination, in order to develop a holistic approach to evaluate and monitor racial discrimination against women. The Committee adopted general recommendation No. 34 (2011) on racial discrimination against people of African descent at its seventy-ninth session, in August 2011, where it devoted sections to economic and cultural rights requiring specific attention – such as the right to the use, conservation and protection of lands traditionally occupied by them, the right to their cultural identity and the right to the protection of their traditional knowledge and cultural and artistic heritage – and to genderrelated dimensions of racial discrimination. Between 2008 and 2012, while considering the periodic reports of various State parties, the Committee has taken into account the various challenges that women face in the full enjoyment of their economic, social and cultural rights and has issued specific recommendations in this regard. 9

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