E/C.12/ALB/CO/2-3 poverty and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights adopted by the Committee in 2001 (E/C.12/2001/10). 31. The Committee notes with concern the absence of adequate measures to provide social housing to low-income families (art. 11). The Committee requests that the State party take policy and financial measures to expand the network and quality of social housing to low-income families which should become part of the existing national plan of action on housing. The Committee also reiterates its recommendation that the State party enact legislation that ensures the right to housing. 32. The Committee is concerned about the inadequate budgetary allocation to health care and the limited access to health services in particular in rural areas, high infant mortality and the absence of information on sexual and reproductive health as part of the education curricula (art. 12). The Committee recommends that the State party undertake the necessary measures to improve its health care and services, by, inter alia, increasing the budgetary allocations to the health sector and extending health services to rural areas. The State party should continue addressing high infant mortality and provide for sexual and reproductive health in the education curricula, and report on progress in the enjoyment of the right to health in the next periodic report, taking into account the Committee’s general comment No. 14 (2000) on the right to the highest attainable standard of health. 33. The Committee is concerned about the distorted sex ratio at birth and its possible linkage to sex-selective abortions due to discrimination against women, including in inheritance, and son preference (arts. 3 and 12). The Committee recommends that the State party take steps to prevent sex-selective abortions, including by minimizing unsafe abortions and reducing the recourse to abortion through expanded and improved family planning services. The Committee also recommends that the State party collect reliable data on the sex ratio at birth, prevent all forms of discrimination against women, including in inheritance, and address customary practices as well as patriarchal and stereotyped attitudes. The Committee further recommends that the State party ensure enhanced education and awareness-raising about gender equality for the general public. 34. The Committee remains concerned about the lack of measures to effectively address the higher dropout rates of girls from primary education as compared to boys, disproportionately affecting Roma children. The Committee is also concerned about the limited effectiveness of the measures to keep Roma in school (arts. 13-14). The Committee recommends that the State party undertake to eliminate the high dropout rates of girls from primary education, in particular of Roma children. The Committee also recommends that the State party continue taking effective measures to keep Roma attending school, and increasing school attendance at the secondary level, inter alia, through the granting of scholarships, provision of schoolbooks and the reimbursement of expenses for travel to attend school and recruiting additional school personnel from among members of the Roma community. 35. The Committee regrets the reportedly limited access to education in minority languages in public schools and lack of steps taken to preserve, protect and promote minority languages and cultures (arts. 13-15). 9

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