General ­Recommendation Provisions related to Reproductive Rights Paragraph 31 provides further concrete recommendations: “States parties should also, in particular: 1. Place a gender perspective at the centre of all policies and programmes affecting women’s s health and should involve women in the planning, implementation and monitoring of such policies and programmes and in the provision of health services to women; 2. Ensure the removal of all barriers to women’s access to health services, education and information, including in the area of sexual and reproductive health, and, in particular, allocate resources for programmes directed at adolescents for the ­prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS; 3. Prioritize the prevention of unwanted pregnancy through f­amily planning and sex education and reduce maternal mortality rates through safe motherhood services and prenatal ­assistance. When possible, legislation criminalizing abortion could be amended to remove punitive provisions imposed on women who undergo abortion; 4. Monitor the provision of health services to women by public, non-governmental and private organizations, to ensure equal access and quality of care; 5. Require all health services to be consistent with the human rights of women, including the rights to autonomy, privacy, ­con­fi dentiality, informed consent and choice; 6. Ensure that the training curricula of health workers include ­comprehensive, mandatory, gender-sensitive courses on ­women’s health and human rights, in particular gender-based violence.” 148