A/HRC/28/40 families, and the provision of protection for children, persons with disabilities and older persons as members of the family. She noted the importance of accepting the diverse forms and functions of families among and within countries, including married couples with or without children; cohabiting couples and their children; single parents and their children; families headed by grandparents or including grandparents; older children caring for siblings and other children; registered partnerships with or without children; and same-sex parents and their children. 6. Ms. Connors observed that, despite international legal obligations, women continued to experience discrimination within the family, largely because of stereotypical gender roles that envisaged women as caregivers and men as breadwinners. Consequently, women were often denied equal rights in respect of issues related to marriage, divorce and distribution of marital property, inheritance, custody and adoption. Other serious human rights concerns affecting women, children, the elderly and persons with disabilities included violence within families that often went unreported or was accepted and remained unpunished. 7. She stressed that the family was the very first unit in which the idea that every individual was entitled to human rights should be fostered and promoted, and accordingly States were required to provide it with the widest possible protection and assistance. Ms. Connors recognized that protection was linked to rights, such as the rights to work, an adequate standard of living, social security, health, education and cultural rights. As such, one key issue was the burden of unpaid and undervalued care responsibilities within the family. Predominantly undertaken by women, those responsibilities could hamper women’s ability to participate in education and work on an equal basis with men. Consequently, women were economically and socially disadvantaged in both the family and the wider community, and, together with their family, were at heightened risk of poverty. 8. Of particular concern was the situation of single-parent families, usually headed by women. Ms. Connors noted that such women carried a double burden of care responsibilities and were frequently employed in precarious jobs without adequate social security coverage. B. Presentations of the panellists 9. Aslan Abashidze outlined the relevant international standards, including article 16, paragraph 3, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which stipulated that “the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State”, and article 10, paragraph 1, of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which provided that “the widest possible protection and assistance should be accorded to the family, which is the natural and fundamental group unit of society, particularly for its establishment and while it is responsible for the care and education of dependent children. Marriage must be entered into with the free consent of the intending spouses”. He highlighted the fact that article 10 specified that the protection of families included providing assistance to families, and special care to mothers and children, without any discrimination for reasons of parentage or other conditions. 10. Mr. Abashidze also highlighted States parties’ obligations under article 2, paragraph 1, of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, including the need to take steps to progressively achieve economic and social rights. That should include preventing retrogressive measures that could negatively affect the family, such as cancelling child benefits. He further highlighted the fact that States must protect individual family members from violence and forced separation, and ensure that social assistance was available to families, including affordable housing and where necessary, special measures for mothers and infants. 4