A/HRC/12/24 page 7 IV. THE INTERRELATEDNESS OF HUMAN RIGHTS: SANITATION 13. Sanitation is an integral part of numerous human rights and has been identified under these rights in various treaties, political declarations, national constitutions and legislation, international and domestic case law, and expert work. These include the rights to an adequate standard of living, adequate housing, health, education, water, work, life, physical security, the prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment, gender equality, and the prohibition against discrimination. A. The right to an adequate standard of living 14. Considering the profound impact that the lack of sanitation has on an individual’s quality of life, sanitation has frequently been understood to be indispensable for achieving an adequate standard of living. 15. For example, article 14, paragraph 2 (h), of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, addressing the specific situation of rural women, provides that States parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure to women “the right … to enjoy adequate living conditions, particularly in relation to … sanitation …” 16. Article 11, paragraph 1, of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights provides for “the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family, including adequate food, clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions”. While this article does not include sanitation explicitly, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights clarifies that “the use of the word ‘including’ indicates that this catalogue of rights was not intended to be exhaustive”.13 Under this interpretation, other essential components of an adequate standard of living, including sanitation, could be understood under article 11, paragraph 1. The Committee recently included sanitation in an extended list of elements of the right to an adequate standard of living in its general comment No. 19 (2008) on the right to social security.14 Additionally, in its concluding observations, the Committee has addressed the issue of sanitation under the right to an adequate standard of living on numerous occasions.15 The Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination have also referred to sanitation under the right to an adequate standard of living.16 13 The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, general comment No. 15 (2002) on the right to water, E/C.12/2002/11, para. 3. 14 See E/C.12/GC/19, para. 18. 15 See E/C.12/1/Add.83 (Georgia), para. 31; E/C.12/1/Add.107 (China), para. 59; E/C.12/1/Add.104 (Azerbaijan), para. 52; and E/C.12/1/Add.90 (Israel), para. 27. 16 See CRC/C/AZE/CO/2 (Azerbaijan), para. 56; CRC/C/TKM/CO/1 (Turkmenistan), para. 58; CRC/C/BEN/CO/2 (Benin), para. 59; CRC/C/SVK/CO/2 (Slovakia), para. 56;