health care. Poor health may result in prolonged unemployment and present a barrier to finding employment. Minority women are often excluded from parental leave (as this is usually linked to formal employment) or find that they are entitled to shorter periods of parental leave because of a lack of employment history. In some minority communities, early marriages and pregnancies may result in higher education drop-out rates among girl pupils. To improve the access to health care of persons belonging to national minorities, States should formulate and implement measures for affordable and inclusive health care for national minorities. Public health information campaigns should include information on sexual and reproductive health and should be culturally sensitive and delivered in languages spoken by national minorities. Medical services for national minorities should be provided in a language they understand and in a culturally sensitive manner, with appropriate training and guidance provided to medical providers, as needed, including on non-discrimination. Where relevant, health mediators can play an important role in helping to distribute basic health information among national minorities and facilitate trust in, and interaction with, medical staff.112 Representation of persons belonging to national minorities among health care professionals should be promoted through education, training, recruitment programmes and other inclusion efforts. The provision of health care for minority women and girls, youth, and children, who may face specific obstacles in accessing appropriate care, should include sexual and reproductive health care services. States should ensure that adequate maternal care and parental leave is available to all, including persons belonging to national minorities, as well as institute policies to prevent and effectively address sexual harassment in the workplace.113 Health and social and economic data should be disaggregated according to ethnicity, gender and age to identify and remedy inequalities in health.114 112 See inter alia: Maastricht 2003, Decisions: Annex to Decision No. 3/03: Action Plan on Improving the Situation of Roma and Sinti within the OSCE Area, paragraph 61. 113 CESCR General Comment No. 22 on the Right to Sexual and Reproductive Health, paragraph 9. 114 CESCR General Comment No. 14 on the Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health, paragraph 20. 46 Recommendations on the Effective Participation of National Minorities in Social and Economic Life