A/HRC/42/38/Add.1 peoples and human beings affected by a number of situations, including racism and racial discrimination. Article 8 states that economic and social reforms should be carried out with a view to eradicating all social injustices and that States are to ensure, inter alia, equality of opportunity for all in their access to basic resources, education, health services, food, housing, employment and the fair distribution of income. The right to equality and the principle of non-discrimination are recognized in all international human rights instruments and in regional instruments, for example in articles 2 and 3 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. In the present report, the Special Rapporteur examines the implementation of those principles in the context of equal participation in economic, social and political development, in particular equal participation of women and persons with disabilities, as those segments of the population in Cabo Verde face the most serious challenges in fulfilling their right to development. C. Women and the right to development 48. During the visit, the Special Rapporteur met with several civil society organizations working on gender issues and learned about the numerous problems women face in their daily lives. He was taken aback by the high percentage of families headed by women: 48 per cent of all families and 56 per cent of poor families, according to information provided by representatives of UN-Women. This situation jeopardizes the development opportunities of both the women and their children. In 2012, the national institute for gender equality and equity, together with the National Institute of Statistics, conducted a time-use survey, which illustrated that women were assigned almost exclusive responsibility for domestic work, education of children and family care, most of which was unpaid work. The survey showed that, on average, women spent about 62 hours per week on unpaid work and men, 38 hours, a difference of about 24 hours per week. 31 According to information provided by representatives from UN-Women, among poor women, the unpaid workload was even higher – up to 10 hours more per week on average among women with a low level of education. At the same time, women represented 52.5 per cent of informal workers and received salaries half those of men. In addition, the rate of teenage pregnancies was high: the percentage of pregnant women under 19 years of age in 2009 was 22.5 per cent; in 2010 it was 30.5 per cent.32 49. Civil society organizations working on women’s economic empowerment in Cabo Verde offer training courses on microfinance, support for the establishment of production cooperatives, market placement of products and other support. Two national-level NGOs, MORABI (an association in support of women’s self-promotion in development) and the Organização das Mulheres de Cabo Verde (a women’s organization), implemented projects covering several islands during the review period. Between 2012 and 2016, they provided microcredit to 10,000 beneficiaries, 83 per cent of whom were women. The Special Rapporteur was informed, however, that financial support for such work was rapidly dwindling. 50. Despite the existence of some microcredit opportunities and various vocational training projects provided by civil society and at the municipal level, a lot remains to be done to ensure women’s economic empowerment. The legislative and policy context for the promotion of the private sector needs to be developed to better address gender issues, and institutional gender awareness and capacities need to increase. The Special Rapporteur is also concerned that Cabo Verde does not have in place a comprehensive anti-discrimination law. 51. One of the ways to come closer to ensuring effective gender equality is to increase women’s role in decision-making. The Special Rapporteur learned that women’s representation in elected positions remained modest; for example, only 23 per cent of the 31 32 12 Cabo Verde, African Development Bank Group and UN-Women, Cabo Verde: Country Gender Profile (2018), p. 15. See www.aho.afro.who.int/profiles_information/index.php/Cape_Verde:Teenage_pregnancy (in Portuguese).