A/HRC/44/52/Add.2 were Colombian. The remaining 3 per cent were of over 80 different nationalities, including an increasing number of Venezuelans.24 78. The social situation of migrants and refugees and the limited programmes available to facilitate their local integration in the country make refugee women and girls especially vulnerable to human trafficking for sexual exploitation. Despite the efforts made in the context of the action plan against trafficking in persons (2019–2030), the situation is of particular concern in the context of the growing number of Venezuelan refugee and migrant women arriving in Ecuador, many of whom are increasingly exposed to the risk of sexual exploitation. 79. Social discrimination poses a serious challenge to the exercise of refugees’ fundamental rights, including the rights of refugee women. Discrimination and xenophobia mainly affect Venezuelans and Colombians, based on their nationality. The Special Rapporteur met with a number of migrant and refugee women who shared their stories with her. She is concerned that the sexualized stereotyping of Colombian and particularly Venezuelan women places them at great risk of physical and sexual violence. 80. Discrimination also affects refugee children’s access to education. While their right to education is legally ensured, the number of Venezuelan children enrolled in the public system is relatively low. The dropout rates of refugee and migrant children and adolescents, owing to discrimination and the fact that they are often placed in classes well below their age and education level, are a serious concern. The Special Rapporteur recognizes the efforts being made by the Government in this regard, including through the joint initiative between the Ministry of Education and UNICEF, “Seamos Amigos” (Let’s be friends). The aim of the initiative is to promote empathy and for schools and colleges to generate an inclusive atmosphere and tackle violence against migrants and refugee children. 81. Migrants and refugees who are victims of sexual and gender-based violence face barriers to accessing health-care services at hospitals and health-care centres, where assistance has been denied or not fully provided on account of their legal status. Furthermore, access to income-generating opportunities is crucial to the socioeconomic inclusion of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. The lack of access to incomegenerating activities exacerbates risks for women, girls and young people in particular, exposing them to different forms of exploitation and abuse. 82. The Special Rapporteur commends the Government of Ecuador on its efforts to guarantee that persons in need of international protection can enter the country, on the steps the Ministry of External Relations and Human Mobility has taken to address discrimination against migrants under the National Equality Agenda for human mobility (2017–2021), on the various campaigns conducted in 2019 and its campaign planned for 2020 to raise awareness of and prevent all forms of discrimination, including those specifically targeting women. Nevertheless, she is concerned about the lack of a specific strategy on sexual and gender-based violence against migrant and refugee women. She is also concerned about the lack of measures being taken to identify, prevent and respond to situations of sexual and gender-based violence affecting migrants and refugees, including measures aimed at facilitating women’s access to alternatives to migration and to simplified regularization procedures, particularly for migrants and refugees from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. G. Situation of women who face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and violence 83. During her visit, the Special Rapporteur paid special attention to the situation of women and girls who face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and violence and experience higher rates of all forms of violence against women. 24 14 Data provided by the Ministry of External Relations and Human Mobility, April 2020.