COMMITTEE ON ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN CONSIDERS REPORT OF LUXEMBOURG

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today considered the fifth periodic report of Luxembourg on how that country is implementing the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Marie-Josée Jacobs, Minister of the Ministry of Equal Opportunity of Luxembourg, introducing the report, said the previous recommendations had influenced the development of policies with regards to women and equality between men and women in Luxembourg. A National Plan of Action had been adopted in February 2006, with a global action structure and implementation for that structure for each ministry. The Beijing Platform of Action had allowed Luxembourg to set up a programme as recommended by the Committee, and the Government had reoriented its policy on women towards a programme promoting equality between men and women. Gender mainstreaming had led to a greater involvement of women, leading to a greater impact of the policy and encouraging them to take greater responsibility in ensuring equality. The concept of discrimination based on sex was integrated into the judicial framework.

Among questions and issues raised by Committee Experts were the proposed revision of the Luxembourg Constitution, and the need to ensure that the revised text followed the Convention; a request for instances of application of the Convention in the courts and as an example of subjective rights; whether there were any results of the incentive programme for employers, and what was the number of female workers who had been hired, trained and promoted under this programme into non-traditional jobs; the still low participation of women in high-level decision-making posts, both elected and appointed, within the Government’s various levels, and whether there were any plans or measures to be taken to improve this situation; what was being done with regard to the targeting of parents, particularly mothers, to remove entrenched patriarchal attitudes; and what was the situation with regards to a law on divorce and what would be the provisions of no-fault divorce and whether there would be a time period for consideration.

In concluding remarks, Ms. Jacobs said the work of the Committee was very important for Luxembourg, and its recommendations had been included in the report and in the answers provided. The work of the Committee, including feedback, helped to raise awareness in the Ministries of Luxembourg. Luxembourg needed institutions which helped it to move forward. Sometimes this could be a long process, but it could be seen that, over time, there was progress. It was pleasing that some members of the Committee said Luxembourg was a good example - if Luxembourg could share its experience, then it would be delighted to do so.

Dubravka Simonovic, Chairperson of the Committee, in preliminary concluding comments, said there had been good implementation of previous comments by Luxembourg. Timely reporting and the focus on concluding comments was clearly a good way forward for good implementation of the Convention, a leading human rights instrument that should be applied. There was a need for further education of the judiciary in order to have better implementation at the national level. The Committee looked forward to the next report and congratulated Luxembourg on the progress achieved until today.

Also among the delegation of Luxembourg were representatives of the Permanent Mission of Luxembourg to the United Nations Office at Geneva, and representatives of the Ministry of Equal Opportunity.

The next meeting of the Committee will be on Thursday, 24 January, when it will take up the third and fourth periodic reports of Morocco (CEDAW/C/MAR/4).

Report of Luxembourg

The fifth periodic report of Luxembourg (CEDAW/C/LUX/5) says the recommendations issued by the Committee during its examination of the fourth report in January 2003 have been largely respected and integrated into legislation as well as into information, training and awareness raising activities. The same holds for the recommendations received upon presentation of the report on the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The CEDAW Convention has received special attention as an outstanding instrument for protecting and implementing women's basic rights. The declaration by ministers responsible for gender equality policies in the 25 EU Member States refers to the Convention and its Optional Protocol, stresses the importance of a strong political commitment and the need to develop methods and instruments for mainstreaming the gender dimension, to improve the collection and compilation of gender-disaggregated data, to define time-bound targets, and to monitor progress by regularly reporting and assessing results.

In its declaration of 4 August 2004, the Luxembourg Government adopted mechanisms to monitor implementation of the CEDAW Convention and the Beijing documents. A national plan of action for gender equality was drawn up by the Interministerial Committee on Gender Equality and adopted by the Council of Government on 3 February 2005, setting out the measures to be taken by ministerial departments, and providing for an assessment after three years. That plan will be discussed with NGOs, the National Council of Women of Luxembourg, the Committee on Female Employment (Comité du Travail Féminin), and the social partners, with a view to enlisting them in implementing the plan, at a seminar to be hosted on 6 March 2006 by the Ministry for Equal Opportunity and the European Commission, on "CEDAW and the gender equality plan". Luxembourg took advantage of its presidency of the European Union to comply with the recommendation of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to give the Convention central importance as a legally binding human rights instrument, and to make it better known as such.

While Article 10 bis of the Luxembourg Constitution guaranteeing equality before the law does not expressly prohibit discrimination, in general or by reason of sex, the close link between discrimination and the principle of equal treatment is nevertheless undeniable. Any breach of the principle of equality is considered as discrimination, unless there is an objective and reasonable justification. The Constitutional Court of Luxembourg has ruled on several occasions that the legislature may, without violating the constitutional principle of equality, subject certain categories of persons to distinct legal regimes, provided that such distinction derives from objective disparities, that it is rationally justified, and that it is proportionate to its goal. The Law of 8 September 2003 on domestic violence authorizes the removal of the perpetrator of domestic violence from the family home. Recognizing that removal is not enough in itself to achieve its objectives, the law takes a comprehensive approach focused on five closely linked factors: aggravating circumstances; eviction of the perpetrator by the police; special summary procedures; strengthening the role of victims’ rights organizations; and the collection of statistics.

Presentation of Report

MARIE-JOSEE JACOB, Minister of the Ministry of Equal Opportunity of Luxembourg, presenting the fifth periodic report of Luxembourg, said the previous recommendations had influenced the development of policies with regards to women and equality between men and women in Luxembourg. A National Plan of Action had been adopted in February 2006, with a global action structure and implementation for that structure for each ministry. This would be assessed at the end of the legislative period on the basis of specific indicators that had been pre-determined. The Beijing Platform of Action had allowed Luxembourg to set up a programme as recommended by the Committee, and the Government had reoriented its policy on women towards a programme promoting equality between men and women. Gender mainstreaming had led to a greater involvement of women, leading to a greater impact of the policy, encouraging them to take greater responsibility in ensuring equality. Luxembourg was removing two reservations to the Convention. Since the presentation of the forth report, following the Committee’s recommendations, the principle of equality between men and women had been reinforced and strengthened at different legislative levels.

The concept of discrimination based on sex was integrated into the judicial framework. A centre on equality of treatment had been set up by the law of 6 December 2006, with the aim of promoting, analysing and overseeing the equality of treatment between all people, without discrimination based on race, ethnic origin, gender, religion or belief. It would also deal with discrimination in provision and access to goods and services. The Centre would begin its work in February 2007. On legislative aspects and their impact on gender, there was an evaluation sheet for each Ministry, which performed self-assessment on their work. To implement the National Plan of Action on equality between men and women, the National Public Administration Institute provided training focused on the implementation of the plan, and the Government’s commitments following the Convention were part of the training. Believing that respect of human rights and of equality could be learnt as early as possible, the school textbook containing the text of the Convention had been republished. It was used in civic instruction and language-training courses, and was the most widely used handbook.

Professional training was one of the matters that led to segregation and differences in salaries between men and women. Training with the aim of improving the sensitivity of chief executive officers to the fact that equality of salary was a right would be carried out. Positive changes had been taking place, as seen in the changes on parental leave for men. A change of mentality was taking place, and the work of the Government and by NGOs in awareness-building among the population was succeeding. Information and awareness work on domestic violence was also contributing to a change in families and society - this was no longer a taboo issue, and women were making complaints in increasing numbers. Emphasis had been placed on taking responsibility for victims and the children of families in which domestic violence took place. The Government was aware that the prevention of violence against women remained a serious challenge. In this context, it had also created a special section of the police specialising in trafficking in human beings, and also dealt with sexual abuse and sexual violence. It was difficult to implement the Convention in the economic life of women as long as all economically-wealthy countries did not fulfil the United Nations goal of allocating 0.7 per cent of GDP to the development of poorer countries.

Questions by Experts on Articles One to Three

Among the questions and issues raised by Committee Experts were the proposed revision of the Luxembourg Constitution, and the need to ensure that the revised text followed the Convention; a request for instances of application of the Convention in the courts and as an example of subjective rights; how the judiciary was being trained with regards to the application of the Convention; what methods were used to follow up on the recommendations made by the Committee and their evaluation; what was the relationship between the State and NGOs with regards to the drafting of the report; what was the function of the Ministry for Equal Opportunity and what resources were available to it; whether there was an equal opportunity representative in all Governmental Ministries; a request for more information on the National Plan for Gender Equality and what were its priority areas of concern; what plans existed to make the public and officials more aware of the provisions of the Convention; what plans existed with regards to implementation of the recommendations; and how many Gender Affairs Units existed, and how were they performing.

The Committee also congratulated Luxembourg for withdrawing the two reservations, and for signing the Optional Protocol to the Convention.

Response by Delegation

Responding to these questions and others, Ms. Jacobs said it was not always easy to progress in this field, as minds needed to be changed, and that was the hardest work in politics. To make equality accepted was not an easy goal to achieve, as even women’s minds needed to be changed. With regards to the implementation of article 11 of the Constitution, so far legislation had not proved necessary. On discrimination, this article covered all attacks on equality, unless there were reasonable and objective grounds for this. Not much success had been met with in the training of the judiciary- there was very little interest to make it effective. More work needed to be done in this regard, and a lot of effort would be made in the future. The Plan of Action, with the change of Government in 2004, had changed the name of the Ministry for Equal Opportunity, and had changed its position within the European Union.

With regards to domestic violence, the figures of 16 violations a month had been a great shock, and had caused significant work. There was also a plan for youth, which would be fully evaluated. Each Ministry was also required to live up to commitments on implementing equality, Ms. Jacobs said. No quotas for women had been set, because the Government and political partners decided that they did not want token women. Some political parties had however stated that at least a third of candidates for election should be female. Collective agreements had been examined, and employers and unions had both agreed on not imposing certain issues, however, if these were not voluntarily applied, they would be made obligatory. In Luxembourg, there were a range of languages, French, German, and Luxembourgeois, and this made it difficult for foreigners, in particular vulnerable ones, to learn one of the local languages. However, the Government was increasing efforts to combat this, including formulating a new integration law, with the aim of increasing social cohesion.

The delegation said the report did not really explain the mechanism for equality. The report was submitted at the beginning of 2006, and the equality plan setting up a structure for implementing equality was adopted in February 2006. This was a top-down structure - the Government had decided to implement the equality policy through mainstreaming the gender perspective in all policies. The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Equality between men and women had a representative of each Ministry, and met at least once a year, although it was usually far more. The Committee was under the Ministry for Equal Opportunity. Coordination of implementation activities for the Plan of Action was done at the Ministry. There were very close linkages, and the Ministry was responsible for coordination of the activities of the Committee. The Committee had developed indicators to monitor implementation and progress. There were gender experts who monitored programmes on an ongoing basis, conducting evaluations at the request of the various Ministries and providing them with support. The Beijing Platform had been used to set the Government’s priorities with regards to establishing equality.

Questions by Experts on Articles Four to Six

Among the questions and issues raised by Committee Experts were whether the Equality Plan neglected the various forms of discrimination such as structural discrimination, which needed to be tackled; whether there were any results of the incentive programme for employers, and what was the number of female workers who had been hired, trained and promoted under this programme into non-traditional jobs; that the percentage of women in key posts was virtually stagnant; whether there were any female judges; what plans existed for dealing further with the issue of stereotypes and preconceived ideas, as this was particularly important in seeking to address issues of domestic violence; whether there was any survey comparing the difference between time spent by men and women on childcare and domestic work; the exploitation of children and women through pornography on the Internet and what measures were being taken to halt this; what counselling and therapy was given to children who were abused on the Internet, and whether the perpetrators were traced or tracked; and what were the penalties for crimes like murder, manslaughter, abduction and rape in the context of domestic violence.

Response by Delegation

Responding to these questions and others, Ms. Jacobs said there was a need for compulsory training of lawyers, as there was not enough interest for them to undertake this of their own accord. There was a need for a wider programme for small and medium enterprises and large companies to benefit from positive action, and this was underway, as they needed to be supported both by employers and employees. The Government needed to examine what needed to be done in terms of training so that women could reach higher positions. A constant problem was the issue of the under-representation of women, and the Ministry was considering this. Women undertook further education, but often in stereotypically-female areas, such as hospitality, teaching, and childcare. Unfortunately, they were rarely seen in more remunerative professions, such as engineering. This was why men tended to earn more than women.

The Government was trying to work with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to change this situation, and had noticed that there were women working in the industrial sector, but they did not maintain this employment, and often moved to the traditional spheres. It was important to have women in the private sector and in Government, but also to have men in teaching. Further work needed to be done with migrant workers in this regard as well as the general population. Severe sentences had been handed down to individuals who had used child pornography on the Internet. Up to now, the police had not located any children involved in prostitution, Ms. Jacobs said, but she was sure that, with drug abuse links, there were probably cases. With regards to the health care rights of migrant women, there were awareness campaigns with regards to the treatment of women’s bodies. A system of witness protection had been elaborated with neighbouring countries. There was a programme in coordination with NGOs to inform women from Africa and Eastern Europe with regards to the dangers and traps of trafficking in their native languages.

The delegation said as far as the law on domestic violence went, it was in two parts: one part was the eviction of the perpetrator of the violence, the other was exacerbating circumstances. The Government was examining the law, and would evaluate it further. In 2007, there were 2,011 evictions, and the police had intervened many times. The Prosecutor’s Office was the body determining eviction. The Government worked with the Prosecutor’s Office and with NGOs, aiming to centralise all information and statistics. There were less than 2 per cent of complaints made against the police, and this was due to training. Women victims of trafficking were provided post-traumatic stress therapy in women’s centres which tended to women’s concerns, including violence.

In response to brief follow-up questions, Ms. Jacobs said that further efforts needed to be made to make those in employment aware of the provisions of the Convention. As related to eviction, there was not a lot of information on violence, and this had not yet been covered by the law. There was a need to gather further information. The Government welcomed the efforts of other institutions in this regard. On the affirmative action programme, the delegation said that some six years ago, companies had been invited to participate in the programme, and support had been provided with respect to each action, whether this included training, enhanced family life, or public transportation. The evaluation carried out last year had determined that in the companies involved, there was very little change - but the people participating in the programme had benefited considerably. The programme had been re-worked, and three key areas had been determined: equal treatment and equal pay; inclusion of women in decision-making; and equality in participation in social life and family life. Companies now had to address these three issues.

Questions by Experts on Articles Seven to Nine

Among the questions and issues raised by Committee Experts were the still low participation by women in high-level decision-making posts, both elected and appointed, within the Government’s various levels, and whether there were any plans or measures to be taken to improve this situation; a request for information on the situation of women in diplomacy as their presence was quite low; what were the difficulties women faced in acceding to the highest levels of the diplomatic service; what was being done to ensure that more women had access to decision-making posts both locally and nationally, and what problems were faced in installing binding temporary measures in this regard; and what was the percentage of women in the judiciary, and what problems had been encountered in this context.

Response by Delegation

Responding to these questions and others, Ms. Jacobs said there was ongoing discussion in Luxembourg as to how to improve women’s representation. However, non-binding measures had been adopted with regards to political parties. There was a need to motivate women, and financial assistance had been provided to train women to make them more functional in political parties, and teach them all they needed to know on entering politics. Over the past 10-15 years, however, there had been an increase in the number of women in politics. This was however harder at the local than the Governmental level, as women had employment and families, and getting involved in politics usually meant them having to juggle another full-time job, which discouraged them from considering the possibility.

A large number of women in Parliament were unmarried or childless, and this was a shame, as it meant that a section of society was not involved. There was a need to find another way of involving women in political life, as well as in decision-making in the business sector. A lot of work had been done to involve women in local Government elections, Ms. Jacobs said, and the Government was aware that more needed to be done. The issue of equality of the sexes was something that required constant effort. There was really no difference with regards to participation of women in public administration. On the participation of women in the administration of justice, there were no figures, but more than 50 per cent of judges were women, and that applied at the various levels of the judiciary. This was one area where there was absolutely no impediment to women.

Questions by Experts on Article Ten

Among the questions and issues raised by Committee Experts were the need to make sure that teaching was interesting and economically compensatory; what was being done with regard to the targeting of parents, particularly mothers, to remove entrenched patriarchal attitudes; whether there were special schools established for immigrant children, or whether there was a special programme in schools to enable them to keep up; whether immigrant children were ensured education of the same quality as local children; what was the ratio between girls and boys who had dropped out of education or had failed; a request for further information on vocational training; what measures the Government was envisaging to encourage foreign girls and their parents with regards to their attendance in secondary schools; and whether there were any special family planning programmes geared at young people, in particular young foreign girls.

Response by Delegation

Responding to these questions and others, Ms. Jacobs said the Government was trying to see whether it needed to make extra efforts to guarantee the academic success of boys, to ensure that there was balance with that of girls. With regards to migrant children, most problems were encountered with those who came to Luxembourg at the age of ten or later, as they had different learning habits, culture, and language, all of which were firmly engrained. There were relay houses, which covered children from three to twelve, providing an out-of-school environment for teaching. This was where parents were met and provided with incentives with regards to their children’s education. A lot of emphasis was put on informal training, in order to ensure progress. There were young people’s houses which carried out programmes. Young people of migrant origin were welcomed in these houses to participate in different activities as they were not able to be integrated into more traditional structures such as the boy scouts.

There was a figure of about 90 per cent of breastfeeding in the country, Ms. Jacobs said. The language system of the country did not facilitate the job of teachers, parents, or indeed students, but great efforts were made to provide opportunities. About 300 students a year dropped out without any form of certificate. A new system provided these children with orientation so that they were given tools to move forwards in life, and to make them understand that they were needed by society, with the hope that they would reintegrate in society, go back to school, and at least enter the first echelon of the job market. There were many different efforts that were being carried out at different levels to ensure integration, which was a key element for Luxembourg’s future prosperity and peaceful life.

On whether access to education of foreigners was different, there was no difference with nationals - it depended on the level of education that had been achieved. The Government had programmes to ensure harmonisation, for national, international and other children, including disabled children. The goal was to develop the skills of every child, and not only provide them with theoretical knowledge, but also to teach them practical skills. There was a pilot project of a school that would include 60 per cent foreigners and 10 per cent handicapped children. Luxembourg was fully aware of the complex problem that was integration, and the need to provide training in order to ensure everybody had access to the labour market.

Questions by Experts on Article Eleven

Among questions and issues raised by Experts were what measures the Government had decided to take to address the persistence of pay gaps and whether there would be reformulation of the wage structures in women-dominated areas; whether there were measures to encourage the hiring of women; whether part-time workers had the right to increase their hours before employers hired new staff; whether the Government had addressed gender stereotypes in the context of the labour market; whether collective bargaining included plans for equal pay for equal value; and what were the Government’s plans towards reducing the pay gap.

Response by Delegation

Responding to these questions and others, Ms. Jacobs said there were salary differences between men and women, and there were reasons for this - such as women being involved in certain forms of employment. There were also structural differences, even within the same profession. There was also a study on collective agreements when it was seen that trade unions and employers needed to discuss equality of remuneration and of salaries. There was an obligation in this regard in law, but it was not always implemented. There was a lack of political will, due to the attitude of the social partners, in this regard. The Government was implementing training programmes in order to evaluate what constituted equal work. Action against discrimination experienced at work was enshrined in the Labour Code and the Penal Code. However, discrimination also needed to be eliminated, and the Government was in this regard battling pervasive stereotypes in order to change mentalities.

Questions by Experts on Articles Twelve to Fourteen

Among the questions and issues raised by Committee Experts were the issue of the high figures of breast cancer and what action was being taken in this regard; what was the mental health policy, whether it was part of the public health policy, and whether there was an intention to provide comprehensive services for the entire population; whether there was a comprehensive adolescent health policy in terms of prevention and counselling as well as healing; whether the well-being of immigrants was at the same level as that of nationals and if there was a difference was there a policy paying particular attention, be it in terms of education or through mental health care, that was addressed to youth and groups with difficulties; what the Penal Code had to say with regards to abortion and access thereto; whether there was any research on why smoking was increasing so much among the young; whether women owned agricultural land; and what were the proposals to individualise pension rights.

Response by Delegation

Responding to these questions and others, Ms. Jacobs said that Luxembourg was not waiting for European directives when it came to young women with breast cancer. The mammogram programme was being extended to cover younger women as well. With regards to mental health, there was a centre for children, and another which dealt with young people. There was a problem with suicide, very much as there was in other countries - it was compounded by the issue of drug abuse. There was no separation or distinction with regards to immigrants - everybody had access to health care virtually free of cost. Programmes were broadcast in foreign languages to ensure that non-natives knew what health-care facilities were available. With regards to smoking, there was a law banning this in public places, and this was being implemented. Patches and other resources were made available free of charge to those who wished to stop smoking, and there was a programme for youth.

Tuberculosis was a very rare disease in Luxembourg, Ms. Jacobs said. Rural women had the same access to health services as did urban women. The furthest point from a hospital was 30 kilometres. There were programmes for HIV/AIDS, and the perception was that people were more easy-going with regards to that disease - there were education programmes to remedy this attitude, in particular in schools, with sexual education classes and free condom distributors. There was abortion legislation, which was limited to three months. Rural women had the same opportunities for participation in rural life as did urban women. On pensions, reform had been discussed for a while, and various plans were circulating in this regard for consideration. The Ministry was considering the issue. The issue was also relevant to those working part-time, whose pension was less than those working full-time.

Questions by Experts on Articles Fifteen and Sixteen

Among the questions and issues raised by Committee Experts were what was the situation with regards to a law on divorce and what would be the provisions of no-fault divorce and whether there would be a time period for consideration; in what way would this law change the alimony system; whether law covered de facto spouses in terms of maintenance and property rights; whether there was any difference under law for children whose parents were married and those who were not; whether the father’s name took precedence in the case of dispute among unmarried parents; how many applications per year did the courts receive for restraining orders in the context of domestic violence; and how many eviction orders had been applied for in the years since 2003 - and how many granted to remove the perpetrators of domestic violence from the family environment.

Response by Delegation

Responding to these questions and others, Ms. Jacobs said with regards to lengthy procedures on adoption of legislation, this was due to democratic procedures. Apart from the question of child support, there was the issue of compensating one from one’s previous lifestyle. There were marriage contracts, and everything that was settled therein was untouchable, and action was taken with regards to the provisions of that contract. There was also a form of civil partnership for both heterosexual and homosexual couples. There was protection, and people who lived together in registered situations had social security rights applicable to them in this situation as would persons who were married. On custody, in the Divorce Bill, it was stated that joint custody would be extended to fathers as well as to mothers - it was a matter of respecting the rights of the child. On children’s names, there had been discussion of this issue, but finally agreement had been reached to use either the mother’s, the father’s, or both names. If parents did not agree, then both names were used.

The delegation said with regards to evictions, eviction measures were not issues that went to a court - they were determined within an hour. A request was made by the police, and a reply was immediately given from the Prosecutor’s Order. A separation order could be requested, and this took up to ten days. Spontaneous evictions were more effective. More than 50 per cent of marriages ended in divorce, through all age groups.

Responding to brief follow-up questions, Ms. Jacobs said that when the mother’s life was at stake, then she was not allowed to suffer, even if she was past the three-month abortion deadline. It was not a doctor’s prerogative to decide if a child should be aborted, even if it was disabled. With regards to associations, the spouse provided financial aid related to their economic income, covering debts, and providing support with regards to food and lodging. The State provided tax breaks under certain conditions. Many women lived in common-law marriage, without rights, and thus the State had wanted to create a legal means under which they were protected, however, this legislation had not been used a great deal.

The Committee on Cooperation covered domestic violence, the delegation said, and had developed a system on this. This Committee was a platform for exchanges, providing a unified clearing house with the space to discuss issues, to exchange best practices for work and how to collaborate.

Concluding Remarks

MARIE-JOSEE JACOB, Minister of the Ministry of Equal Opportunity of Luxembourg, in concluding remarks, said it was always a stressful endeavour to be before the Committee for five hours, and to try to answer all the questions put to the delegation. If it had not done so, this was not because it did not want to. The work of the Committee was very important for Luxembourg, and its recommendations had been included in the report and in the answers provided. The work of the Committee, including feedback, helped to raise awareness in the Ministries of Luxembourg. Luxembourg needed institutions which helped it to move forward. Sometimes this could be a long process, but it could be seen that, over time, there was progress. It was pleasing that some members of the Committee said Luxembourg was a good example - if Luxembourg could share its experience, then it would be delighted to do so.

DUBRAVKA SIMONOVIC, Chairperson of the Committee, in preliminary concluding comments, said there had been good implementation of previous comments by Luxembourg. Timely reporting and the focus on concluding comments was clearly a good way forward for good implementation of the Convention, a leading human rights instrument that should be applied. There was a need for further education of the judiciary in order to have better implementation at the national level. Luxembourg had also been able to withdraw all reservations to the Convention. The Committee looked forward to the next report, and congratulated Luxembourg on the progress achieved until today.

For use of the information media; not an official record

CEDAW08010E