CRC/C/BGD/CO/4 page 17 HIV/AIDS 69. The Committee welcomes the information received on the comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention policy of the State party. However, the Committee is concerned that the population, in particular adolescents and young people, are not sufficiently aware of the consequences of unprotected sexual activity, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS or treatment available to them. The Committee is also concerned that HIV/AIDS risk factors exist such as the low use of contraceptives and risky behaviour. 70. The Committee recommends that the State party: (a) strengthen its preventive efforts by conducting social marketing campaigns and programmes in order to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS, including of prevention methods and the use of contraceptives; (b) Establish guidelines on the strategy to address transmission from parent to child, prenatal care, care during labour, breastfeeding and child care; (c) Take into account the Committee’s general comment No. 3 (2003) on HIV/AIDS and the rights of the child and the international guidelines on HIV/AIDS and human rights in developing its policies and programmes. Standard of living 71. The Committee appreciates information on the various social safety net and food and cash transfer programmes being implemented with a view to reducing poverty and improving children’s chances of enjoying their fundamental rights However, the Committee is deeply concerned that child poverty and inequality pose serious challenges, as do the rapid urbanization and the increasing number of slums and sub-standard housing, the insufficient allocation of resources and the unclear criteria for selecting beneficiaries of social safety net programmes. The Committee is also concerned that the scale of the social safety net programmes are limited in view of the magnitude of the problems and that these programmes are not adequately assessed and evaluated for their short and long-term impact. 72. In accordance with article 27 of the Convention, the Committee encourages the State party to take all necessary steps to implement the legislation and plans of action aimed at reducing child poverty and improving children’s living standards. The Committee further calls on the State party to: (a) Undertake comprehensive assessments of the social safety net programmes for children, identifying incidences of inequality and discrimination and propose appropriate remedies; (b) Develop and implement plans to replicate and scale up their successful child protection programmes aimed at improving children’s standard of living and enjoyment of their rights throughout the country.

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