Through complaints to the NHRI of Portugal women living in rural areas have challenged the high cost of water for agricultural use, particularly in areas highly prone to desertification and with cyclical periods of drought. The NHRI has also dealt with complaints from women being physically isolated due to rural roads not being properly paved. Some complaints have also dealt with the closure of local post offices in rural areas. 3.4 INCOME SECURITY AND SOCIAL PROTECTION Around the world, women and girls living in rural areas continue to face barriers to finding productive employment and decent work. Labor markets in these areas are usually characterized by high levels of informality and casual work arrangements. As a consequence, women in rural areas who work in the informal sector are frequently not covered by labor standards and lack adequate social protection24. NHRIs around the world actively work to ensure that women and girls in rural areas have access to the labor market and benefit from social protection. Within the Congolese NHRI, questions relating to employment for women living in rural areas are dealt with by the Sub-unit on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. In order to detect existing inequalities, several NHRIs have organized or participated in events and discussions giving a voice to women working in the informal sector: - - - The NHRI of the Philippines conducted consultations in rural areas which showed that women working in the informal sector are particularly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation and are denied social benefits and services. The NHRI of Sri Lanka decided to mark International Women’s Day 2017 by holding a roundtable discussion on “The lived realities of women engaged in informal labor and similar sectors” with the participation of women leaders representing various sectors such as agriculture, plantation and migrant workers and state officials responsible for the respective sectors and for policy making. The participating women spoke of their daily struggles and challenges and put forward recommendations and strategies that would enable them to fully enjoy their rights. On the occasion of the International Day of Rural Women, the NHRI of Romania participated in a debate on “Equal Opportunities for Women in Rural Areas” where the situation of women’s access to the labor market in rural areas was analyzed and successful models of rural women entrepreneurs were presented. Amongst the measures NHRIs propose, implement or advocate for in order to further the empowerment of women and girls working in rural areas are: - - - - 24 The dissemination of information by the NHRI of Portugal to women living in rural areas, who are often unaware about their right to receive social security benefits. The NHRI also receives complaints from women living in rural areas concerning delays in the examination of applications made under rural development programs. The amendment of several laws that barred women farmers who are the registered holders of farms and women who engage in temporary and occasional work from social safety measures during pregnancy leave, maternity leave, child care leave and special child care leave was successfully pursued by the NHRI of Serbia. Better funding schemes and training programs in less developed areas where women were found to be in a situation of increased vulnerability because they tend to do low incomegenerating work are being advocated for by the NHRI of Malaysia. Measures aimed at making micro-loans and other financial resources available for women, including women entrepreneurs in rural areas, have been implemented by the NHRI of Azerbaijan. UN Doc A/70/204, supra note 6, p. 10. 12