A/HRC/44/43/Add.2 60. The Working Group was encouraged by some measures taken to address the deplorable working conditions of fishing divers in La Mosquitia, including by the Interinstitutional Commission to Address and Prevent the Problem of Dive-fishing (Comisión Interinstitucional para la Atención y Prevención de la Pesca por Buceo) under the Ministry of Labour. The measures included awareness-raising initiatives on relevant occupational safety and health regulations for Miskito divers and more inspections of diving fishing vessels. More needs to be done, however, including to strengthen the Commission and occupational health and safety regulations and oversight in the sector, with the meaningful participation of stakeholders, including the private sector and workers. IV. Gender aspects of business and human rights 61. The Working Group noted that, despite the existence of a solid institutional and normative framework to address different forms of discrimination against women, women from ethnic minorities and indigenous women, lesbian, bisexual, trans and intersex women, rural women, women living in poverty and indigenous women are particularly disadvantaged,16 and therefore disproportionally affected by business-related human rights abuses. 62. Women are forced to endure precarious and abusive workplace conditions, lower wages, job insecurity and the risk of exploitation and violence.17 Informal employment and unemployment affect women disproportionately, and persistent horizontal and vertical occupational segregation still exists.18 63. Women represent only 34.7 per cent of the labour force,19 earn less than men while being exposed to extremely poor working conditions, including in the garment and domestic work sectors. With regard to the principle of equal pay for work of equal value, current data show a gender pay gap of approximately 43 per cent.20 Other United Nations mechanisms have noted that the current legal framework, including the Labour Code and the Equal Opportunities for Women Act, do not ensure the application of the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value (E/C.12/HND/CO/2, paras. 33–34).21 The Working Group recommends that the State take the measures necessary to ensure equal pay for men and women. 64. Women are particular disadvantaged in terms of access to land, financial credit and farming assets,22 which places them in a vulnerable position in the labour market. In a country where violence against women is rampant, women reported the extent to which gender-based harassment, including sexual violence, also permeates the work place. 65. The Government informed the Working Group about initiatives, such as the “Ciudad Mujer” national programme, designed to promote women’s economic empowerment and access to the labour market, and ultimately to improve the living conditions of women, including in the maquila sector. In the Department of Cortés, “Ciudad Mujer Móvil” were 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 OHCHR, Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice, press statement, 14 November 2018. www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:13101:0::NO::P13101_ COMMENT_ID:3297680. https://estadisticas.cepal.org/cepalstat/Perfil_Nacional_Social.html?pais= HND&idioma=spanish. National Statistics Institute, Household Survey, 2018. ILO, Understanding the gender pay gap (www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_dialogue/--act_emp/documents/publication/wcms_735949.pdf). Other United Nations mechanisms, such as the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (E/C.12/HND/CO/2, paras. 33–34) and the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (referring to the Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100)), have noted that the current legal framework, including section 367 of the Labour Code and section 44 of the Equal Opportunities for Women Act, do not ensure the application of the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value.. www.fao.org/docrep/v9650s/v9650s06.htm. 11