E/C.12/1/Add.25 page 6 A. Introduction 45. The Committee welcomes the participation of a government official from the Netherlands Antilles in the delegation of the State party. The Committee appreciates the high quality of the information contained in the core document (HRI/CORE/1/Add.67). B. Positive aspects 46. The Committee notes that the Netherlands Antilles has achieved a generally satisfactory level of compliance with its obligations in respect of the protection of the rights set out in the Covenant. 47. The Committee notes that, pursuant to the law, primary education is compulsory in all the islands of the Netherlands Antilles. C. Factors and difficulties impeding the implementation of the Covenant 48. The Committee notes that the population of the Netherlands Antilles is dispersed over a large geographical area and that this adds another dimension to the challenge of ensuring an effective system for the implementation and promotion of economic, social and cultural rights. D. Principal subjects of concern 49. The Committee regrets that none of the provisions of the Covenant may be directly invoked in the courts. This situation is inconsistent with the approach adopted by the Committee in its General Comment 3. 50. The Committee is concerned at the inequalities between men and women, particularly with respect to equal access to employment and equal wages for work of equal value. 51. The Committee expresses its concern at provisions that permit practices in matters of inheritance not to be governed by the principle of equity so as to benefit all those who have a legal interest in the inheritance. 52. The Committee expresses its concern at the increase in the school drop-out rate, the causes of which include the difficulties which have emerged in education due to the existence of several tongues spoken as first languages on the islands and the use of Dutch as the language of education. 53. The Committee is also concerned at the existence of three minimum wage levels in each island, since such situations may give rise to or reflect situations of discrimination. 54. The Committee views with concern the problem of the acute shortage of housing and forced evictions, and the homelessness which affects primarily the island of St. Maarten. These problems are compounded by the influx of migrants, by cyclones, and by a sharp decline in the annual expenditure dedicated to housing by the government.