A/HRC/35/11 opportunities in information and communications technology, including through training, research and innovative applications. Saudi Arabia reported that it provided awarenessraising training and programmes to limit and prevent infrequent school attendance and girls’ dropping out. 13. International human rights standards specify that States’ obligation to eliminate discrimination against girls and boys includes dismantling stereotyping by taking proactive measures — in cooperation with girls and boys, women and men, civil society, and community and religious leaders — to promote girls’ empowerment and eliminate harmful gender stereotypes in both public and private life.11 14. Human rights treaty bodies have recommended that States take comprehensive measures to overcome gender stereotypes that discriminate against and act as a barrier to the education of girls. 12 Stereotypical beliefs among parents, teachers and community leaders regarding the importance and value of education for girls should be challenged. Comprehensive strategies to eliminate negative attitudes, practices and stereotypes should be formulated, including in the context of education, with the involvement of girls. They should have clearly defined targets and appropriate monitoring mechanisms. 13 B. Legislation, policies and budgets 15. Several States have laws and policies that curtail girls’ equal enjoyment of the right to education. 14 Even apparently gender-neutral laws and policies can — often owing to prevailing social norms — result in girls being left out of school,15 such as those that fail to provide goods and services targeting girls’ needs or that do not explicitly protect girls’ rights to make decisions about their bodies and life choices. These include laws and policies that allow child marriage, permit discriminatory school admission criteria, such as excluding pregnant girls, and restrict girls’ freedom of movement. Plan International and the National Youth Council of Ireland noted that girls’ voices are not always heard, which leads to the development of laws and policies that do not reflect their views, needs and experiences. 16. Repealing discriminatory laws and policies and adopting measures to advance gender equality that specifically combat discrimination in education are critical. The adoption of legal and policy frameworks to guarantee girl’s equal access to education, including in the context of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, was highlighted by several States, including Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Lithuania, Mali, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Qatar, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Spain and the United Arab Emirates. 17. Laws and policies must be effectively implemented, monitored and evaluated, and involve meaningful participation and awareness of their rights by girls and boys. 16 Adequate financial resources and direct, transparent, gender-sensitive budgeting for 11 12 13 14 15 16 4 See for example, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, arts. 5 and 10 (c); the Convention on the Rights of the Child, art. 2; Committee on the Rights of the Child, general comment No. 20 (2016), para. 28; Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, general comment No. 13 (1999), para. 55. See CEDAW/C/GRC/CO/7, para. 27 (b); CEDAW/C/ALB/CO/3, para. 31; CEDAW/C/BEN/CO/4, para. 27 (c). See CEDAW/C/BFA/CO/6, para. 32; Committee on the Rights of the Child, general comment No. 20 (2016), para. 69; CRC/C/IRQ/CO/2-4, paras. 17-18. World Bank, Women, Business and the Law 2016: Getting to equal (2015), pp. 4-5. OHCHR, Project on a Mechanism to Address Laws that Discriminate against Women (March 2008), p. 6. See A/HRC/26/39, para. 15; Committee on the Rights of the Child, general comment No. 12 (2009) on the right of the child to be heard, paras. 105-114.