Part I Defining the issues to be monitored Poverty is a human condition characterised by the sustained or chronic deprivation of the resources, capabilities, choices, security and power necessary for the enjoyment of an adequate standard of living and other civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. Statement by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 2001, U.N. Doc. E/C.12/2001/10 Poverty is also “feminized”; in other words, a disproportionate share of the world’s poor are female. A 2017 study by the World Bank and UN Women shows that at the global level, the female poverty rate is 12.8 percent for women and girls compared to 12.3 percent for men and boys; a gap which translates to about 5 million more poor women and girls. Economic, demographic and socio-cultural factors all overlap and contribute to the disproportionate impact that poverty has on women. Women commonly have less access to power, education, training, productive resources and the decision-making processes that affects their lives. Because of the gendered division of labour and responsibilities for caregiving, women also bear a greater burden in managing domestic work and household expenses. Indeed, the above study shows that the gender poverty gap is highest between the ages 25-34; coinciding with the peak time of biological reproduction and family formation. For this age group, there are 122 women for every 100 men living in extremely poor households. Poverty can also force women into situations in which they are vulnerable to sexual exploitation. In some societies, a combination of traditionalism, patriarchy and conflict has made women and girls more and more prone to poverty and destitution, and severely constrains the autonomy of women and girls. Nevertheless, poverty is not always treated as a human rights issue. In fact, it is often seen as a tragic but inevitable reality. Indeed, poverty is frequently blamed on those who suffer from it; they are portrayed, at best, as unfortunate or, at worst, as lazy, undeserving or even criminal. There is little effort to look beyond this narrative to examine why poverty persists in a world that is richer than ever. Viewing poverty through the lens of human rights demands a shift in our consciousness and our understanding of it. It focuses on root causes, building voice and power among those who are poor or otherwise unable to claim their rights. Of course, poverty is not always, in and of itself, a human rights violation. The violation occurs when certain (usually government) actions or inaction breach human rights obligations in a way that causes, continues or worsens poverty. These obligations are discussed further in Chapter 2. The remainder of this chapter introduces the human rights-based approach, a concept that has been used in the development field over the last two decades as a way of referring to the integration of human rights principles and perspectives into policymaking. A number of NHRIs in the Asia Pacific have also used the language of a rights-based approach to engage decision makers on questions relating to ESCR. 1.2. HOW IS A HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED APPROACH DEFINED? It is now widely accepted that advancing human rights is essential for human development. Recognizing this, international organizations and national governments have increasingly demonstrated a commitment to apply a human rights-based approach to socio-economic policies. This approach seeks to integrate the norms, principles, standards and goals of the international human rights system into the process of developing and implementing socio-economic policies. It is important to recognize that a human rights-based approach is not monolithic. In other words, there are a variety of ways in which a rights-based approach may be put into practice. For this reason, it is more accurate to refer to human rights-based approaches, rather than one single approach. Generally speaking, however, such approaches share common features; namely, that human rights standards guide the goals of human development, while human rights principles guide the process of development. Chapter 1: Poverty, development and human rights: Making the connections | 7