Childcare and family care cover the provision of public, private, individual or collective services to meet the needs of children, parents, and members of the immediate family. The availability of facilities enabling workers to discharge care responsibilities is an important aspect of the promotion of equality of treatment between women and men workers with family responsibilities, and between such workers and other workers. To prevent discrimination against women on the grounds of marriage or maternity and to ensure their effective right to work, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) indicates that States parties to it shall take appropriate measures to encourage the provision of the necessary supporting social services to enable parents to combine family obligations with work responsibilities and participation in public life, in particular through promoting the establishment and development of a network of childcare facilities.