Download Guidance for UNCT REPORTING TO CEDAW

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Date of Issue :
5 March 2015
Closing Date :
10 March 2015
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SSA Announcement No. UNWOMEN/MCO/2015/004
I. POSITION INFORMATION
Title
Consultant (International) – CEDAW Review
Duty Station
UN Women office in Sri Lanka (home-based)
Type of Contract
SSA
Contract Duration
March 2015 – May 2015 (25 working days)
No of Positions
1
Contract Supervision
Deputy Representative, UN WOMEN MCO
Background and Purpose
The Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was
adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979 and entered into force as an international treaty
on 03 September 1981. The international policy framework on women’s rights received state
recognition in Sri Lanka with the ratification of the CEDAW Convention without reservation on 05
October 1981, and with its acceding to the Optional Protocol to the CEDAW Convention on 15
October 2002.
By accepting the Convention, States commit themselves to undertake a series of measures to
end discrimination against women in all forms, including:
•
to incorporate the principle of equality of men and women in their legal system, abolish
all discriminatory laws and adopt appropriate ones prohibiting discrimination against
women;
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•
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to establish tribunals and other public institutions to ensure the effective protection of
women against discrimination; and
to ensure elimination of all acts of discrimination against women by persons,
organizations or enterprises.
Countries that have ratified or acceded to the Convention are legally bound to put its provisions
into practice. They are also committed to submit national reports, at least every four years, on
measures they have taken to comply with their treaty obligations.
In keeping with the treaty reporting obligations, the Government of Sri Lanka submitted its initial
report to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in 1987 and was
followed by the second periodic report in 1992. After a lapse of 10 years Sri Lanka submitted a
combined third and fourth periodic report in 2002. In November 2009, Sri Lanka submitted a
combined fifth, sixth and seventh report. A high-level Government delegation that included the
Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN was examined on the report by the committee.
A shadow report was submitted by civil society organisations/members in July 2010 and the
committee gave its concluding remarks in February 2011. Sri Lanka is due to submit its eight
periodic report in February 2015 at the 60th session of the Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women.
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women is the body of 23
independent experts that monitor the implementation of CEDAW; in accordance with Article 18
of the Convention, States Parties are required to submit periodic reports to the CEDAW
Committee on the measures they have taken to implement the provisions of the Convention and
on progress made.
The Committee has issued guidelines to assist States with the preparations of Reports. The
Committee also invites United Nations entities to submit a report and welcomes information
from non-governmental organizations.
Following consideration of each report, the CEDAW Committee formulates concluding comments
which outline factors and difficulties affecting the implementation of the Convention in a given
country, positive aspects, principal subjects of concern and suggestions and recommendations
to enhance implementation of the Convention in the country.
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The Committee examines each of the submitted reports to assess the country’s efforts to
implement the Convention as well as outstanding gaps and challenges. The Committee holds
constructive dialogue with the delegation from the Government and addresses its concerns and
recommendation to the State party in the form of Concluding Observations that are subsequently
posted on the Committee’s website.
In accordance with Article 22, the Convention offers an opportunity for the specialized agencies
of the United Nations to contribute to the work of the Committee by providing additional reliable
and objective information on specific issues, which are not readily available from other sources.
The entities of the United Nations system are invited to provide country-specific information on
the reports that will be reviewed by the Committee; this information is used by the Committee
to identify the priority areas to be addressed by the State delegation.
Objective
The production of a Sri Lanka UNCT CEDAW report for the 60th Session of the CEDAW Committee
(16 February-06 March) which will serve to identify the priority issues that will be highlighted
with the Sri Lanka State delegation and to provide information that will help the Committee to
have a complete picture of the reality of women and girls in Sri Lanka in order to deepen their
understanding of the obstacles and opportunities that exist.
Activities and Deliverables
Working under the supervision of the Programme Analyst, UN Women MCO in Sri Lanka and
the Deputy Representative, the consultant (International) will undertake the following tasks:
Deliverables
Work plan that includes methodology to be used and timeline as detailed in the
proposal
Confidential report in English not to exceed 15 pages that highlights the priority
concerns of the UNCT (in line with guidelines of the attached annex)
Executive summary maximum two pages that includes the priority concerns, the
suggested questions for the State delegation and the recommendations.
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Collection of relevant documents that provide recent background, such as an
analysis of the situation of the country, studies, surveys, plans and strategies, in
separate documents. Use latest UN reports and data as key reference documents.
Conduct a UNCT validation meeting to review the report findings and Executive
Summary
Priority Areas to be addressed in the Report
The Consultant will be expected to meet with agency focal points and identify priority areas the
agencies would like to report on.
Location
The consultant will be expected to work at a location of convenience for him/her. However,
meeting venues will be provided as and when required.
Monitoring of assignment
The consultant will be supervised by the Programme Analyst, UN Women MCO in Sri Lanka and
the Deputy Representative.
Time Frame
Maximum 25 working days, submission of report prior to CEDAW committee deadline
Required Competencies and Skills
1. Postgraduate in law, social sciences, women’s studies, economics or related field
2. Studies on issues of gender and human rights and/or gender and public policy related to
women’s rights and/or gender and intercultural studies.
3. Minimum 5 years of relevant specialized experience on gender equality and human
rights (preferably working knowledge of CEDAW)
4. Experience of having worked with inter-governmental fora desirable
5. Experience of having worked with Government desirable
6. Experience in gathering and systematizing large amounts of data, evaluation of public
policies, analysis of gender indicators and other related issues
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7. Excellent writing, presentation and documentation skills required. Ability to write,
analyse and synthesize technical reports
8. Ability to work independently and with minimal supervision.
9. Should be well versed with the use of computers and its programmes/applications
10. Available immediately
Interested applicants should apply for the vacancy, submitting a technical and financial
proposal and by using the “Personal History Form - P 11” and the latest CV. The technical
proposal should include:
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Detailed methodology
Previous experience in a similar capacity
Experience working with UN agencies or other international organizations
Skills and competencies related to the assignment
Availability
Application to this vacancy should be sent to [email protected]
Please insert SSA Announcement Number in the Subject of the E-mail. Applications without
the SSA Number or with the incorrect SSA Number will not be accepted.
NOTE 1 : Only short-listed candidates will be contact
NOTE 2: International Consultants are required to possess business visa/work
permit prior to entry into the duty station.
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Annex
Guidance for UNCT REPORTING TO CEDAW COMMITTEE
Background
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women is the body of 23
independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). More information on the Committee and its
work is available at: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/index.htm
Under article 18, all countries who are party to the treaty (States parties) are obliged to submit
regular reports to the Committee on the implementation of the Convention at the national level,
which must provide details on the compliance with it. The reports form the basis for the
Committee’s assessment of the country’s efforts to implement the Convention as well as
outstanding gaps and challenges. States must report initially within one year of the Convention’s
entry into force for that State, and thereafter every four years. During its sessions, the Committee
examines each report, holds a constructive dialogue with a delegation from the Government, and
addresses its concerns and recommendations to the State party in the form of Concluding
Observations that are subsequently posted on the Committee’s website
(http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/sessions.htm).
The Committee established a pre-sessional working group, which meets in a closed session for a
week, to prepare the consideration of periodic reports. The pre-sessional working group serves
to identify priority issues to be addressed by the State Party, and informs not only the List of
Issues (a set of questions on priority issues) to which States Parties must respond in writing prior
to the session, but also eventually the Committee’s concluding observations. The pre-sessional
meeting is usually held six to eight months before the dialogue with the Government delegation
(two sessions prior to the session at which the report will be considered), and always immediately
after a session of the Committee in Geneva or New York.
Article 22 of the Convention provides an opportunity for specialized agencies of the United
Nations to contribute to the work of the Committee by providing it with reliable additional and
objective information on specific issues, which is not readily available from other sources. The
Committee invites the entities of the United Nations system to provide country-specific
information on States parties reports under review, and holds a confidential dialogue with them
during its pre-sessional working group and during the opening of each session. The Committee
finds it most beneficial to receive written reports. UNCT reports are provided to and considered
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by the Committee in its closed pre-sessional meetings, and the reports are not made public on
the OHCHR website.
In addition to the State party’s report, such information helps the Committee obtain a
comprehensive picture of the reality of women’s and girls’ rights in the country, and to deepen
their understanding of the obstacles and opportunities. The Committee uses the information
when identifying priority areas to be addressed by the State Party, and in formulating questions
on the Government report in the list of issues. The information is used again when it prepares its
concluding observations (concerns and recommendations) to the Government following the
dialogue with the State party delegation.
Purpose of UNCT submission of information
Submitting information to the CEDAW Committee not only supports the work of the Committee,
but provides UN Country Teams with a unique opportunity to contribute to concluding
observations which respond to national realities and UN country programming priorities on
gender equality, the empowerment of women and girls, and women’s and girl’s human rights. It
therefore also strengthens the UNCT’s policy advocacy with decision-makers, as well as
relationships with NGOs and other stakeholders.
The CEDAW Committee routinely invites UN Country Teams to submit information on the
countries under consideration. This includes:
 A confidential report highlighting priority concerns for UN Country Teams (see guidance
below).
 A 1-2 page summary of priority concerns and recommendations in English.
 If directly relevant to the process, most recent background material such as situation
analyses, studies, surveys, plans, and strategies in separate documents.
The priority concerns and recommendations are presented to the Committee during its presessional working group by a representative of the inter-agency group on CEDAW reporting, on
behalf of the UNCT, in a closed meeting. The questions raised by the Committee, if any, are
relayed back to the UNCT for response. The summary, preferably updated, is again presented to
the Committee at the start of its session during which it will dialogue with the State Party.
It is encouraged to prepare the report, or at least the 1-2 page summary of priority concerns and
recommendations, in English, so as to make it widely accessible among CEDAW Committee
members.
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Guidance for the UNCT Confidential Submission
The UN system – by virtue of the CCA/UNDAF process, and also through each individual agency’s
work – is in possession of valuable information that can assist the Committee to assess the State’s
progress in implementing the Convention. The UNCTs, through their thematic gender or human
rights groups, may wish to elaborate a joint confidential report to submit to the Committee. The
submission should ideally be prepared in a widely consultative manner. It should also be noted
that UNCTs can choose to share their reports with Government partners.
There is no prescribed format, but the guidelines contained in annex 1 are intended to highlight
the specific types of information that would be most useful and would be most important to
supply to the Committee. The UNCT submission can address the range of issues outlined in annex
1, but should focus primarily on priority concerns and should preferably not exceed 20 pages. As
indicated above, a brief executive summary which can be used as the basis for the oral submission
would be required in order to better emphasize the key priority issues. Structuring the
submissions in line with the Committee’s Reporting Guidelines for State Parties will make it easier
for
the
Committee
to
use
the
information.
(http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/docs/AnnexI.pdf)
The UNCT submission should include:
 country-specific analysis of the broader policy and political context, including relevant
political dynamics or recent or impending legislative or constitutional changes;
 information on the status and content of national strategies, plans and legislation to
implement the Convention, and to what extent these are operationalized/ implemented,
effectively coordinated, sufficiently resourced (budget, human resources, etc); and
supported by effective data collection and monitoring systems;
 status of implementation of the previous concluding observations adopted by the CEDAW
Committee (available at http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/sessions.htm),
including gaps and challenges in implementing the Committee’s recommendations, to be
raised with the Government;
 important informational gaps in the State Party report and new developments since the
submission of the State Party report related to women;
 challenges, constraints and specific issues of concern to be raised with Government;
 as applicable, information about ongoing efforts towards supporting the ratification of the
Optional Protocol and the withdrawal of reservations;
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if possible, a 1-2 pages annex with information about key UNCT activities to promote and
support implementation of the Convention and the Committee’s concluding observations
and indicating what additional technical support the UNCT could provide to this end.
The UNCT submission should:
 propose questions the Committee may want to ask the State Party delegation in the List of
Issues or during their dialogue;
 make concrete recommendations on specific, feasible and realistic actions needed in order
to inform the List of Issues, the dialogue with the State Party, and the concluding
observations;
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Annex 1
1. Discrimination
Articles 2, 3 and 4 of CEDAW require States to undertake a range of legal and other measures to
prevent and protect women from discrimination. Please provide the information that is
available regarding progress and obstacles in this area, including, in particular, regarding:
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Administrative measures to protect women victims of discrimination in all
settings
Laws, including Constitutional provisions, that prohibit discrimination against
women and abolish discriminatory customs and practices and measures for their
enforcement
Mechanisms in place, including judicial mechanisms and sanctions prohibiting
discrimination and ensuring that public authorities, organizations or enterprises
refrain from discrimination against women
Temporary special measures in place to accelerate de facto1 equality between
men and women
Existence of any discriminatory practice in the public and private sectors,
including HIV-related discrimination against positive women
Policies in place to prevent discrimination against women such as policies on
work place, sexual harassment, etc
Access to legal aid and other forms of advocacy and assistance
Any barriers to advancing work in this area
2. Public and Political life
Article 7 of CEDAW requires States to take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination
against women in the political and public life of the country. Please provide the information
that is available regarding progress and obstacles encountered, in particular in relation to:
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1
Ability to vote, eligibility to run for elections
Affiliation and effective participation in political parties
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Number (and percentage vis-à-vis men) of women members of Parliament,
number (and percentage vis-à-vis men)
Level of women holding public and independent functions such as ombuds
persons
Mechanisms to ensure women’s participation in the design, implementation and
monitoring and evaluation of social, political and economic policies as well as
budgetary allocations all at the national and the decentralized level
Participation of women in civil society organizations, including NGOs, private
associations, etc
3. Nationality
Article 9 of CEDAW sets clear requirements for nationality laws, which every State must meet.
Please provide any information available regarding the following:
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4.
Are women granted the same rights as men to acquire, change or retain their
nationality?
Does marriage to an alien, or the change of nationality by a husband,
automatically change the nationality of the wife, render her stateless, or force
the husband’s nationality upon her?
Do legislative provisions relating to the nationality of children extend the same
rights to both men and women?
Do legislative provisions relating to the nationality guarantee “double
nationality” when possible?
Education
Article 10 of CEDAW requires States to take all appropriate measures to eliminate
discrimination against women in education. Please provide information available regarding
progress and obstacles, particularly in relation to:
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Access to educational, vocational, technical and professional training, and
percentage of girls completing education or training and acquiring diplomas
Compulsory and free primary school
Literacy programmes (formal and informal education/urban/rural)
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Family preference of sending boys over girls to school
Drop out of girls (Percentage vis-à-vis boys) and causes. Differences in rural and
urban settings
Access to comprehensive and age-appropriate HIV information, education and
life-skills training for children and young people inside and outside schools
Girls’ enrollment in secondary school vis-à-vis boys and retention percentage.
Differences in rural and urban settings
Access of girls to the quality of curricula, staff, premises, equipment,
examination. Differences in rural and urban settings
Teaching material, including books, video, that contain
discriminatory/stereotype messages
Teaching practices and any other school practice that promote discrimination or
stereotypes
Existing programmes for girls and women who have left school prematurely
Equal opportunities for equal participation in sports and physical education and
cultural activities. Differences in rural and urban settings
Provision of information to adolescents on sex education and on family planning
Access to programmes to continuing education, adult and literacy programmes
Sexual abuse and harassment
Discontinuation of school because of early marriage or pregnancy (including the
practice of expelling girls from school because of pregnancy)
Specific measures to ensure girls attend school during menstrual periods
5. Employment and work
Article 11 of CEDAW requires the State to take all appropriate measure to eliminate
discrimination against women “in the field of employment”. Please provide available
information on progress and obstacles to ensuring gender equality in employment, including in
particular regarding:
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Equal opportunity to employment, including same criteria for selection, in law
and in practice
Percentage of working women and gender distribution of employment,
Whether any jobs are specifically prohibited for women, including on grounds of
safety and health,
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Free choice of profession and employment, right to promotion, job security and
benefits, and equal wages
Equal access to social security, particularly in cases of retirement,
unemployment, sickness, invalidity and old age and other incapacity to work and
paid leave
Any special measures for protection of women’s health in the workplace
Requirement of pregnancy test by any employers, possibility of dismissal on the
grounds of pregnancy or of maternity leave, dismissal on the basis on marital
status.
Maternity leave, including whether or not with pay without loss of employment,
seniority or social allowances
Measures in place to allow parents and care-givers to balance family obligations
with work, including existence, access and affordability of child care facilities
Protection and guarantee of the reproductive rights, including special measures
to protect women from harmful work during pregnancy
Access of rural women to employment and work in rural areas
Measures to ensure equal wages between men and women for work of equal
value (which does not mean only the same job and level)
6. Child Labour
 State action in terms of legislation, national policies and measures to ensure the
effective abolition of child labour and to raise progressively the minimum age for
admission to employment or work to a level consistent with the fullest physical
and mental development of young persons
 Minimum ages for admission to different kinds of employment or work
 Types of employment or work deemed to be hazardous by national laws or
regulations
 Types of hazardous work children are actually engaged in, and disaggregated
data on number of children employed in hazardous work
 Measures in place for providing access to education, health and social protection
for children in labour
7. Worst forms of child labour – is there effective protection from:
 All forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking
of children, debt bondage, serfdom and forced or compulsory labour;
 Forced or compulsory recruitment for use in armed conflict
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Use of the girl child for prostitution, production of pornography or pornographic
performances
Use, procuring or offering of the girl child for illicit activities, in particular for the
production and trafficking of drugs
Work which is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of the girl child.
8. Equality in other areas of economic life
Article 13 of CEDAW requires States to take measures to eliminate discrimination in other areas
or economic life. Please provide the information available regarding the equal enjoyment by
both men and women of:
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The right to family benefits
The right to bank loans, mortgages or other forms of financial credit
The right to participate in recreational activities and all aspects of cultural life
9. Women and health with special attention to sexual and reproductive health
Article 12 of CEDAW requires States to take all appropriate measures to eliminate
discrimination in the field of health care, so that women can have equal access to healthcare
services, including family planning services.
Please provide a short summary on key women's health issues using the following indicators identified below- under each specific issues.2 Please provide disaggregated data in your
summary (if possible by age, rural/urban, socio-economic status, ethnicity, race) and trend
data. Please identify the sources you use for the summary.
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2
Are there constitutional provisions on the right to health and/or women's health and/or
maternal health and/or other specific women's health issues?
Are health services that women use ( e.g. reproductive health /maternal health/family
planning/violence against women) publicly funded?
The indicators are selected follow the structure of structural (regulatory and policy framework) , process indicators
(health systems, coverage) and outcome indicators (under each issues.
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Are there waivers or exceptions (i.e. safety nets) to any fee-for- service scheme for the
poor or other mechanisms to ensure that those in need can access and use services? Are
women specified in this scheme?
Are there institutionalized mechanisms for gender mainstreaming in the health sector ?
Please specify. ( e.g. number of focal points, reporting lines, level of seniority, budget,
responsibilities.)
Is there any regulation and/or policy, strategy, plan on maternal health/making
pregnancy safer? (key provisions may include maternity protection, establishment of
maternal death audits, referral system for obstetric emergencies, etc.)
Number of facilities per 500,000 population providing basic obstetric care and
comprehensive obstetric care
Percent of births attended by skilled health personnel
Maternal mortality ratio (number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births).
HIV prevalence among pregnant women (15-24 years old)
Neonatal mortality rate (number of infant deaths within one month of birth per 1,000
live births) and/ or infant mortality rate (number of infant deaths within one year of
birth per 1,000 live births)
Does the State have any regulation and/or policy ,strategy, plan on family planning? 3
Number of family planning service delivery points per 500,000 population offering
comprehensive family planning services and/ or percent of primary health care facilities
providing comprehensive family planning services
Contraceptive prevalence rate
Unmet need for family planning: percent of women at risk of pregnancy who desire to
avoid pregnancy, but who are not using (and whose partner is not using) a contraceptive
method (). Please provide disaggregated data -if possible - by age, rural/urban race,
ethnicity.
Is there any law on abortion/termination of pregnancy? 4 Is there a law that criminalizes
abortion?
Is there any policy (strategy, plan) on preventing unsafe abortion and on providing postabortion care?
3
Please summarize key provisions and specify restrictions . Restrictions may include third-party authorization for
women to receive family planning services and/or only married women may receive family planning services?
Please provide information (if possible) on implementation.
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Please specify whether the law makes abortion services accessible on request; or in some circumstances - for example for
economic or social reasons, for the health of the woman, to save the life of the woman, for cases of rape or incest, for fetal
impairment; or in no circumstances. Please summarize key provisions.
UN Women
Office for India, Bhutan, Maldives & Sri Lanka
C-83 Defense Colony
New Delhi – 110024
India
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Tel : + 91-11- 40452300
Fax : + 91-11- 40452333
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Percent of service delivery points providing abortion and/or post-abortion care
[services].
Abortion rate (number of abortions per 1000 women of reproductive age).
Percent of maternal deaths attributed to unsafe abortion.
Is there any regulation and/or policy, strategy on adolescents’ sexual and reproductive
health? (restrictions may include provisions that allows availability of family planning
services only for married people, etc.)
Maternal mortality ratio (under 18).
Contraceptive prevalence rate (under 18).
Age specific fertility rate (15-19 and 20-24)
Age of marriage
Age of first pregnancy
Is there any regulation and/or policy, strategy, plan on prevention and treatment of
sexually transmitted infections and cervical cancer?
Number of condoms available for distribution nationwide (during the preceding 12
months) per population aged 15-49. and/or Percent of family planning service delivery
points offering counseling on dual protection from STIs/HIV and unwanted pregnancies.
Percent of women screened for cervical cancer within the past five years and accessing
treatment when required.
Population with self-reported or diagnosed symptoms of bacterial or viral STIs and RTIs
HIV prevalence in pregnant women and in sub-populations with high-risk behavior
Percent of women with cervical cancer.
Are there any harmful practices to women's health existing in the country? What is the
prevalence of these (how common are they)
Are there regulations/policies/strategies /plans to address the identified harmful
traditional practices? How are they addressed in the health sector?
10. HIV and AIDS 5
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Percentage of young women and men aged 15–24 who are HIV infected
Percentage of women and men with advanced HIV infection receiving antiretroviral
combination therapy
HIV indicators drawn from Guidelines on Construction of Core Indicators: Monitoring the Declaration of
Commitment on HIV/AIDS (Geneva: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS). July 2005, document
UNAIDS/05.17E. http://data.unaids.org/publications/irc-pub06/jc1126-constrcoreindic-ungass_en.pdf
UN Women
Office for India, Bhutan, Maldives & Sri Lanka
C-83 Defense Colony
New Delhi – 110024
India
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Tel : + 91-11- 40452300
Fax : + 91-11- 40452333
www.unwomenindia.org
www.facebook.com/unwomenindia
www.twitter.com/unwomenindia
www.flickr.com/unwomenasiapacific
Has your country developed a national multi-sectoral strategy/action framework to
combat HIV/AIDS? Can you describe the main components and level of implementation?
Is reduction of gender inequalities as relates to HIV/AIDS prevention/care part of the
strategy?
Does your country have laws and regulations that protect people living with HIV and
AIDS against discrimination
Does your country have a policy to ensure equal access, between men and women, to
prevention and care?
Does your country have non-discrimination laws or regulations which specify
protections for certain groups of people identified as being especially vulnerable to HIV
and AIDS discrimination (i.e., groups such as sex workers, youth, IDPs)
Does your country have a policy or strategy promoting HIV and AIDS related
reproductive and sexual health education for young people? Does the
strategy/curriculum provide the same reproductive and sexual health education for
young men and young women?
11. Women in rural areas
Article 14 of CEDAW requires States to ensure that rural women participate in and benefit from
development on a basis of equality with men. Please provide available information on progress
and challenges, including in relation to:
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General legislative and administrative measures intended to implement the provisions
of Article 14 of the Convention
Access of rural women as compared with rural men to land ownership, and equal
treatment in land and agrarian reform and resettlement schemes
Participation by rural women and rural men in the elaboration and implementation of
developing planning
Access to health care facilities and information related to family planning, counseling,
HIV/AIDS and other STIs of rural women as compared with rural men
Access of rural women as compared with rural men to agricultural credit and loans,
marketing facilities, and appropriate technology
Adequate living conditions, particularly housing, sanitation, electricity, water supplies,
transport and communications
Conditions of rural women in rural areas and the proportion of rural women with
respect to the total population of the country (population structure, active population,
rural/urban populations)
UN Women
Office for India, Bhutan, Maldives & Sri Lanka
C-83 Defense Colony
New Delhi – 110024
India
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Tel : + 91-11- 40452300
Fax : + 91-11- 40452333
www.unwomenindia.org
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Rural/urban population statistics
Gender-sensitive rural population trends
Proportion of the rural population that is illiterate
Literacy needs for women and men
Gender distribution of heads-of-household
Percentage of rural women and men working in agriculture and their activities
Access of rural women and men to agricultural extension programmes
Workloads and working hours of rural women (farm work, domestic chores, care and
education of children)
Participation of rural women in comparison to rural men in community life
Rural women and social security as compared with rural men
Access of rural women to medical care as compared with rural men
Share of programmes for rural women in the national budget;
Rural women’s self-help groups
Conditions of rural women (housing, household aides, domestic appliances)
Training, self-help programmes and establishment of cooperatives, credit and
autonomous loans for rural women and for rural men
Techniques to enhance the living and working conditions of rural women; structures and
procedures put in place to enhance the participation of rural women in the economic,
political, social and cultural life of their communities and countries
Available information on the obstacles as well as on the progress and challenges
12. Equality before the law
Article 15 of CEDAW requires States to ensure that women are granted equality with men
before the law. Please provide available information on progress and obstacles, including in
relation to the following:
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Do women and men have the same legal capacity to conclude contracts and administer
property?
Are women and men treated the same way in the procedure of courts and tribunals?
Does the law consider any contract or other instrument directed at restricting the legal
capacity of women to be null and void?
Do women and men have the same legal rights relating to the movement of persons and
freedom to choose residence and domicile?
UN Women
Office for India, Bhutan, Maldives & Sri Lanka
C-83 Defense Colony
New Delhi – 110024
India
Tel : + 91-11- 40452300
Fax : + 91-11- 40452333
www.unwomenindia.org
www.facebook.com/unwomenindia
www.twitter.com/unwomenindia
www.flickr.com/unwomenasiapacific
13. Marriage and family relations
Article 16 of CEDAW requires States to take all appropriate measures to eliminate
discrimination against women in marriage and family life. Please provide available information
on progress and obstacles, including in relation to the following:
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Do women and men have the same rights regarding entry into marriage?
Have women and men been granted the same freedom to choose a spouse, and same
ability to exercise free and full consent?
Do women and men have the same rights and responsibilities during marriage and at its
dissolution?
Do women and men have the same rights and responsibilities as parents?
Do women and men have the same rights to decide freely and responsibly on the
number and spacing of their children?
And do women and men have the same rights to have access to the information,
education and means to enable them to exercise these rights?
Do women and men have the same rights and responsibilities with regard to
guardianship, wardship, trusteeship and adoption of children?
Do married women and men have the same rights to choose a family name, a profession
and an occupation?
Do married women and men have the same rights in relation to the ownership,
acquisition, management, administration, enjoyment and disposition of property?
Does the betrothal and the marriage of a child shall have no legal effect?
Has a minimum age of marriage been specified by law? Is it different for women than
men?
Has the registration of marriages in an official registry been made compulsory?
Existence of harmful traditional practices e.g. early marriage, early union, forced
marriage
Differences in child rearing practices with respect to role of mothers vis-à-vis fathers,
and upbringing/socialization of boys vis-à-vis girls; and role of the community in family
relations and child rearing practices
14. Violence against women
UN Women
Office for India, Bhutan, Maldives & Sri Lanka
C-83 Defense Colony
New Delhi – 110024
India
Tel : + 91-11- 40452300
Fax : + 91-11- 40452333
www.unwomenindia.org
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In General Recommendation #19, the CEDAW Committee made clear that violence against
women is a form of discrimination encompassed by CEDAW, and that State must take all
appropriate measures to eliminate it. These range from legal measures, such as criminal and
civil penalties for perpetrators, to protective measures, such as the provision of refuges,
counseling and rehabilitation for victims, to preventative measures, such as public information
and education. As well, article 6 of CEDAW requires States to suppress all forms of trafficking in
women and the exploitation of prostitution of women. Please provide information available on
progress and obstacles, including in the areas of:
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Laws/policies/strategies for the prevention of violence against women
Rape and other forms of sexual violence
Forced pregnancy
Forced sterilization
Forced abortion
Infanticide
Female genital mutilation/cutting
Early/Forced marriage
Trafficking/prostitution
Violence against IDPs/Immigrant women, domestic workers, and others
15. Older Women
Provide information on the situation of older women in your country.
16. The concluding comments of the CEDAW Committee are attached as an annex. At the
last session in which the country’s progress was assessed by the Committee, specific
recommendations were made for future action in the concluding comments. Please
provide any information available regarding progress and obstacles in implementing
these specific recommendations.
17. Finally, please provide information regarding programmes and activities to advance
gender equality currently being undertaken by individual agencies, through joint
programming, and within the framework of the CCA/UNDAF.