A/HRC/44/51/Add.1 the provision of primary, secondary and higher education and rehabilitation programmes. Childcare is available at the prison, and children can stay with their mothers until they are 3 years of age. In certain circumstances, women with children under 8 years of age are entitled to alternative forms of detention. However, some inmates shared their concerns with the experts regarding the judicial system and barriers to access to justice. VIII. Health Voluntary termination of pregnancy and caesarean sections without medical necessity 84. The number of abortions has increased by 100,000 yearly over the past 10 years, which places Greece first among States members of the European Union in the number of abortions performed. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women expressed its concern about the very high rate of abortions and the very low use of highquality, effective methods of contraception in Greece, given that such rates indicate that women resort to abortions as a method of family planning. In 2013, the Committee urged Greece to subsidise contraception, reduce the practice of abortion as a method of family planning, reduce the rate of caesarean sections performed without medical necessity and guarantee access to sexual and reproductive health services for women belonging to disadvantaged groups.53 85. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women also expressed its concern about the extremely high rate of caesarean sections performed in public hospitals (40 per cent) and private hospitals (up to 65 per cent) without medical justification, noting that the rates in Greece are the highest in the world, significantly above the 15 per cent rate considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) as covering medical needs. It urged Greece to reduce the rate of caesarean sections performed without medical necessity by training or retraining medical personnel on natural birth and to introduce the strict control of medical indications for caesarean sections in order to reach the WHOrecognized rates. The Working Group echoes those concerns and supports the Committee’s recommendations. IX. Conclusions and recommendations A. Conclusions 86. The Working Group’s visit to Greece has revealed a number of key challenges, but also immense opportunities, as the State transitions out of a period of financial crisis and austerity measures. There is a comprehensive legal and policy framework in place, but it requires much stronger implementation. Given the persistence of discriminatory norms and stereotypes and the lingering impact of the crisis and austerity measures, the realization of women’s rights in Greece is lagging behind compared with other European Union countries. The situation for marginalized groups of women, such as migrant and Roma women, is even worse. 87. Greece now has a significant opportunity to ensure that women’s right to equality in all spheres of life is central to the country’s economic and social renewal. To harness that opportunity, the General Secretariat for Gender Equality must play a pivotal and transformative role under the new Law No. 4604/2019 on substantive gender equality, ensuring its position as a significantly strengthened, centrally placed governmental body for gender equality. 53 18 Ibid., para. 31.