A/HRC/59/62/Add.1 unacceptable situation wherein no reproductive healthcare decision is safe for them, in violent contravention of their bodily autonomy. 30. This paradox is deepened by the precariousness of the economic situation of many women from marginalized racial and ethnic groups and their families, making motherhood extremely difficult. The Special Rapporteur received information about millions of women from marginalized racial and ethnic groups who head households and struggle to meet their own and their families’ basic needs due to interconnected manifestations of systemic racism and discrimination that affect their ability to secure decent work opportunities and access social services. 31. It is disproportionately mothers of African descent, many of whom are domestic workers, living in such poverty and precarity due to systemic oppression, who lose their children, particularly their sons, to the excessive and lethal use of force by law enforcement officials and other forms of violence, including homicide, as detailed below (see sect. IV.H). The grief and trauma endured by these women and their communities are relentless due to the prevalence of violence against young people, particularly men and boys, of African descent. Limited access to legal aid and tedious judicial processes further subject them to extreme trauma. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the development of a pilot project to provide psychosocial support to mothers and other family members who have been victims of systemic police brutality, but she was concerned at reports of significant unmet psychosocial needs among those affected by State violence. 32. The Special Rapporteur also received disturbing information about the economic exploitation and restrictions on the freedom of movement of domestic workers, predominantly women of African descent, as well as about the high prevalence of sexual assault perpetrated by the families by whom they are exploited. The Special Rapporteur was shocked to hear the details of the case of Sônia Maria de Jesus, who was rescued after having lived for more than 40 years in conditions analogous to enslavement, in Florianópolis; she subsequently returned to the family accused of exploiting her. These contemporary forms of exploitation and racism have disturbing parallels with historical patterns of enslavement in Brazil. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the adoption of constitutional amendments guaranteeing equal labour rights for domestic workers and the information provided by justice sector actors in different states on the effective rescue of some women from such situations. However, she calls for urgent action to address gaps and challenges in efforts to effectively address exploitative domestic work, including through the provision of services to support the protection and psychosocial rehabilitation of survivors. F. Poverty and racial discrimination in the realization of economic and social rights 33. Poverty and economic marginalization are key means by which systemic racism and exclusion are perpetuated in Brazil. Persons from marginalized racial and ethnic groups face disproportionate levels of entrenched poverty and systematic violations of their economic and social rights because of historical underinvestment in their communities and the resulting lack of decent work opportunities. 34. The Special Rapporteur received troubling reports about poverty leading to disproportionate levels of food insecurity among those from marginalized racial and ethnic groups. She therefore highly commends the reinstatement of the Bolsa Família family allowance programme, after it was previously halted, and the development of the “Brazil without Hunger” plan to address hunger and food insecurity by 2030. While welcoming these developments, the Special Rapporteur was concerned by reports that the Bolsa Família programme had failed to reach all persons in need from marginalized racial and ethnic groups. She also stresses the importance of combining social assistance programmes with measures that address the root causes of poverty and food insecurity through the disruption and dismantling of systemic racism. One of the ways that the root causes of poverty can be addressed is by ensuring access to decent work and investment opportunities by persons from marginalized racial and ethnic groups. The Special Rapporteur therefore highlights the importance of providing targeted community investment funds and addressing barriers to GE.25-06011 9