COMMITTEE ON THE ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN REVIEWS THE SITUATION OF WOMEN IN MYANMAR

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today considered the combined fourth and fifth periodic reports of Myanmar on its implementation of the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Maung Wai, Permanent Representative of Myanmar to the United Nations Office at Geneva, introducing the report, said that regardless of the increase in women’s political representation in Parliament, from 4 per cent in 2012 to 13 per cent today, women were not free from challenges and their participation in decision-making was still unsatisfactory. Thus, legislative and policy measures were being introduced to address underlying causes that hampered women’s participation in political and public life. Myanmar had introduced a series of reforms in 2011 to transform the country into a democratic society, which had produced a widening of democratic space, and greater enjoyment of fundamental freedoms and rights, while the promotion and protection of human rights was very high on the agenda of the new administration. The new Government, democratically elected in November 2015, had taken office in March 2016, with the agenda of consolidating democracy, national reconciliation, peace and development.

Also introducing the report, San San Aye, Deputy Director General, Department of Social Welfare, Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, explained that the Myanmar National Committee for Women’s Affairs was the national mechanism for the advancement of women with the mandate of mainstreaming women’s rights in policy making and coordinating relevant ministries. The National Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Women 2013-2022 aimed to ensure that all women in Myanmar were empowered and able to fully enjoy their rights, by enabling systems, structures and practices for the advancement of women.

Committee Experts acknowledged Myanmar’s significant transformation since 2011 and the strengthening of the legal framework, and asked about the time frame for the revision and repeal of the 142 discriminatory laws, and the adoption of important new laws, in particular the Anti-Discrimination Bill and the Prevention of and Protection from Violence against Women Bill. The process of Constitutional reform was crucial and provided an opportunity for Myanmar to ensure that its supreme law did not contain any discriminatory provisions and that it contained a strong and substantive equality guarantee provision. Violence against women was prevalent in the society and took many forms, and was supported by prevailing cultural and gender stereotypes and harmful traditional practices. Experts inquired about concrete measures to put an end to impunity for human rights violations, and to ensure accountability, in particular for sexual violence and abuse committed by the army personnel in post-conflict areas.

Concerns were voiced about discrimination and violence against ethnic minorities, and about several pieces of legislation which could be used to limit the rights of ethnic minorities, including the Population Control Law, and the four Race and Religion Laws, which had been found to be in contravention of international norms and standards. The delegation was asked about limited access to justice for women, and in particular for minority women, and the adverse impact on women’s rights of customary and informal justice mechanisms, which were still widely used; about high maternal mortality rates which were also the result of unsafe and clandestine abortions; very low birth registration rates; and the application of the 1982 Citizenship Law, which should be amended to bring it in line with Article 9 of Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

In concluding remarks, Mr. Wai expressed warmest thanks and deepest appreciation to the Committee Experts for reviewing Myanmar’s efforts in implementing the Convention by raising important questions, and providing useful advice and expert opinions which would contribute to remedying the challenges in the country. As a developing country, Myanmar had limited resources and expertise in tackling human rights challenges, but was nevertheless committed to addressing them.

The delegation of Myanmar included representatives of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Committee for Women’s and Children’s Rights of the Constituency N° 10 of the Yangon Region, and the Permanent Mission of Myanmar to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

The country reviews can be watched via live webcast at http://www.treatybodywebcast.org.

The Committee will reconvene in public on Friday, 8 July, at 10 a.m. to consider the combined seventh and eighth reports of France (CEDAW/C/FRA/7-8).

Report

The combined fourth and fifth periodic reports of Myanmar can be read here: CEDAW/C/MMR/4-5

Presentation of the Report

MAUNG WAI, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Myanmar to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said that the dialogue with the Committee was an opportunity to review the progress made so far and identify areas for further achievements in the fulfilling of the obligations of Myanmar towards all women and girls in the country. Myanmar’s women were held in high esteem in the society and the representation of women in Parliament had increased from 4 per cent in 2012 to 13 per cent today. Women’s rights were guaranteed and protected in the State Constitution and relevant laws, and women did not face obstacles or discrimination in accessing education, employment and career opportunities – there was no glass ceiling for all women who were able and willing. However, women were not free from challenges and their participation in decision-making was still unsatisfactory; legislative and policy measures were being introduced to address underlying causes that hampered women’s participation in political and public life. Myanmar had introduced a series of reforms in 2011 to transform the country into a democratic society, which had resulted in a widening of democratic space, and greater enjoyment of fundamental freedoms and rights, while the promotion and protection of human rights was very high on the agenda of the new administration.

The new Government, democratically elected in November 2015, had taken office in March 2016, with an agenda of consolidating democracy, national reconciliation, peace and development. In April 2016, amnesty had been granted to more than 200 political prisoners. The nationwide Ceasefire Agreement had been signed between the Government and eight ethnic armed groups on 15 October 2015, and the new administration would endeavour to reach a ceasefire agreement with the remaining groups. The Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee had been re-established and the Peace Conference was expected to be held in August 2016. Women Parliamentarians were taking part in the preparations and there would also be a forum of civil society organizations to ensure that their views and suggestions were heard and considered. The Union Parliamentary Commission for the Assessment of Legal Affairs and Special Issues was now reviewing 140 domestic laws to address the concerns of the people of Myanmar and national and international human rights advocates. The Prevention and Protection of Violence against Women Bill was being drafted and would soon be sent to Parliament for further debate. One of the most visible areas of achievement in the promotion and protection of human rights in the new Myanmar was the freedom of expression and freedom of the media, while the enactment of the Peaceful Gathering and Procession Law in July 2012 allowed the people to organize peaceful demonstrations and exercise their right to freedom of peaceful assembly.

SAN SAN AYE, Deputy Director General, Department of Social Welfare, Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, said that Myanmar did not have a separate ministry for women, but the Myanmar National Committee for Women’s Affairs had been set up as a national level mechanism for the advancement of women. It was responsible for mainstreaming women’s rights in policy making and for coordinating with relevant ministries in implementing women’s development tasks. The Committee was currently reforming its structure in order to guide the review of existing laws and regulations, enacting new legislation to achieve genuine gender equality for women in political, economic and social sectors, prevent all forms of violence against women, raise awareness of women on protective laws, and implement Sustainable Development Goals, policies and principles as laid down by World Conferences and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The National Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Women 2013-2022 aimed at ensuring that all women in Myanmar were empowered and able to fully enjoy their rights, by enabling systems, structures and practices for the advancement of women. With the guidance of the Department of Social Welfare, the Gender Equality Network had conducted a study on the drivers of gender inequality in Myanmar in December 2015 in all states and regions, in order to understand social and cultural norms and their impact on men and women in various domains, including the family, community life, work, health and education. A study had also been conducted on violence against women in order to build the evidence base and enhance activities to respond to and prevent violence against women across the country.

Questions from the Experts

A Committee Expert acknowledged the significant transformation of Myanmar since 2011, including the enactment of a number of laws, and recognized the commitment to reviewing laws which were not in line with the Convention. What was the time frame for the revision of all laws that contained discriminatory provisions, including the Penal Code and the Electoral Law, and for the adoption of important draft laws, including the Anti-Discrimination Bill and the Prevention of and Protection from Violence against Women Bill? The delegation was asked to update the Committee on the Constitutional review process and to explain why recommendations for a strong substantive equality guarantee provision and a comprehensive definition of discrimination against women in line with Article 1 of the Convention had not been included? Turning to access to justice, the Expert noted that judicial independence was being undermined by undue influence of the executive branch and its interference in some cases, and asked how the Government addressed those problems, issues related to weak access to justice for minority women, women in remote areas and women from linguistically diverse communities, and impunity of human rights abusers? What preventive measures were being taken to prevent forced displacement and to ensure that displaced women, mainly Rohingya and Karen who suffered protracted displacement, were offered durable solutions?

The delegation had acknowledged that the implementation of the National Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Women 2013-2022 had not been sufficient so far, said another Expert, and noted that the Plan had been conceptualized on the basis of the 2008 Constitution as one of its primary pillars; however, this Constitution did not work in the same direction as human rights treaties and the Beijing Plan of Action and the Expert asked how the conceptualization of the Plan could be changed. The Plan did not contain specific commitments to implementation and also did not adequately allocate resources for activities, which spanned a very long time frame, from 2013 to 2022. Was this Plan indeed a very serious tool of the Government to advance the rights of women in the country?

Responses by the Delegation

Responding to questions and comments concerning the National Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Women 2013-2022, a delegate explained that the Myanmar National Committee for Women’s Affairs was being transformed in order to be able to carry forward this long-term plan and agreed that the implementation of this Plan required resources and specific action plans. The National Committee for Women’s Affairs, as the coordinator, would be organizing meetings with other Ministries, as well as civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations in order to understand which resources were available for the implementation of the many tasks contained in the Plan.

The Union Parliamentary Commission for the Assessment of Legal Affairs and Special Issues was now reviewing the 140 domestic laws which contained discriminatory provisions; labour laws would be included in this package. The Constitution did not intend to discriminate against women, but wished to protect women, for example from heavy and dangerous jobs. The Parliamentary Commission had reviewed the Women Protection Law and Child Protection Law in May 2016, and had met with various stakeholders, including non-governmental organizations and the Attorney-General’s Office. This was an ongoing process. The Myanmar National Committee for Women’s Affairs was reforming its structure in line with current political, economic and social conditions with new policies, including in guiding the review of existing laws and regulations, and enacting necessary new laws and legislation to achieve genuine gender equality for women in political, economic, and social sectors. The Department of Social Welfare was also leading the process of drafting the Prevention and Protection of Violence against Women Bill, in consultation with civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations, and United Nations agencies.

The Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities had been adopted in 2015, and the Government was in the process of preparing bylaws for its implementation, in consultation with all relevant stakeholders. The Myanmar National Committee for Women’s Affairs was a national mechanism for monitoring and coordinating all initiatives aimed at achieving gender equality and advancing women’s empowerment. In order to implement the United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, Myanmar had organized a workshop with stakeholders, and was working on developing a National Action Plan with gender-sensitive targets. There were different complaint mechanisms in the country for all individuals who considered that their rights had been violated, including the National Human Rights Commission and the Office of the President. The Supreme Court had the right to issue writs, in line with the Writ Law adopted by the Union Parliament in 2014.

The new Government had taken office on 1 April 2016 and had declared that Constitutional reform was one of its priorities; more time was needed, however, particularly because contacts and relationships must be established with armed groups, in order to conclude power-sharing agreements, which would be followed with the Constitutional reform. It was not possible to give a time frame now. In January 2015, a draft law on access to justice and legal aid had been presented, which gave priority to persons with disabilities, women, children, and the poor.

In their follow-up questions, Experts stressed that the legal framework was very important and, acknowledging that it was hard to give a time frame on the revision of all of the 142 laws identified as containing discriminatory provisions, stressed that it was important to better understand the state of the adoption of some very important bills, such as the Anti-discrimination Bill. Equally, it was crucially important to learn about the status of the Constitutional reform and how the State party would ensure that its supreme law did not contain any discriminatory provisions. The delegation was also asked to explain how civil society was really included in the processes in the country, and to comment on cases of reprisals against members of civil society working in Geneva.

One of the reasons that explained the difficult access of women to justice was the wide-spread use of informal justice mechanisms based on customary laws. What measures were being taken to ensure that those mechanisms and customary laws were not discriminatory against women and were in line with the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and what was the state of adoption of the Optional Protocol to the Convention?

Responding to those and other questions, the head of the delegation stressed that the promotion and protection of human rights was the number one priority in Myanmar and reiterated that human rights issues were on the front burner for this very young Government. The Government had not forgotten the human rights of internally displaced persons, including female internally displaced persons. He reassured the Committee that no harm would come to the civil society activist in Geneva, and that no one in the country was above the law. Referring to some Constitutional provisions, the head of the delegation said that Myanmar did not want its women folk to do combat duties in the army, and that was because there was still a long way in changing societal and cultural points of view.

The role of non-governmental organizations in the changes in the country was very important; they had a very important role in monitoring the elections for example, while a number of elected and nominated officials had long experience in the civil society sector. Parliament was actively consulting with civil society organizations and women groups on a number of laws, including on the bill on violence against women. More than 100 Members of Parliament had been political prisoners.

The National Human Rights Commission Law had been drafted in wide consultation with domestic and international stakeholders; the laws had been enacted in March 2014, and a new Commission with 11 members had been established in September 2014. The National Human Rights Commission had a very wide mandate in the promotion and protection of human rights in Myanmar. Myanmar was reviewing all human rights treaties and its priority for ratification was the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict.

The Legal Aid Law had been enacted in January 2016, so the budget for its implementation had not been allocated as yet. The work was ongoing on adopting the bylaws for its implementation and on setting up legal aid organizations at different levels; the time necessary for the adoption of bylaws was usually one year. At the moment, there were 18 civil society organizations which provided legal aid to women and children.

Questions from the Experts

A Committee Expert said that quotas were the most preferable temporary special measures, and noted with regret that, although the National Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Women 2013-2022 had called for the adoption of quotas for the participation of women in political and public life, none had been adopted yet. This was an important moment to discuss the use of temporary special measures to ensure the important participation of women in the life of the country. Temporary special measures were also a very important tool to address the situation of women who faced multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and the Expert asked what measures would be taken to improve the situation of Muslim women.

Another Expert recognized difficulties in eliminating stereotypes and harmful traditional practices, and stressed the importance of a consolidated framework, cooperation of all stakeholders in the society, a favourable legal environment, and the building of the capacity of police, judiciary and community workers. Most importantly, it required political will, and the Expert welcomed the statement by the head of the delegation that there was no glass ceiling for women in Myanmar. Gender stereotypes and negative cultural practices were present in Myanmar and they were well known. Violence against women was prevalent in the society, and it existed in many forms, including domestic violence, rape, and conflict-related violence against women; it was of concern that very few cases were reported, and also that violence against women was culturally acceptable. The delegation was asked about national activities to raise awareness about violence against women, about resources allocated to such activities, whether there had been a systematic attempt to review the laws through gender stereotype lens, and if there were community-based activities to change the attitudes about violence against women. What was the exact state of the provisions on rape and marital rape, both in law and in practice, and how did traditional justice mechanisms address violence against women?

In the matter of human trafficking and trafficking in persons, Myanmar had been downgraded to the level of Tier 3 countries, and the delegation was asked about the plans to address those challenges. The Human Trafficking Law 2005 had sometimes been misused, with people arrested on false charges of trafficking in persons. When would the revision of this law be completed, what measures were being taken to prevent re-trafficking of victims and remove stigma associated with being trafficked, and how were anti-trafficking initiatives and programmes being monitored and assessed? Some root causes of human trafficking in ethnic areas included armed conflict and humanitarian crises, lack of social services, limited employment opportunities and the high level of drug addiction of men which put many women in bread-winning positions – what steps were being taken to address this situation? Some victims of human trafficking for purposes of sexual exploitation were considered criminals and offenders – how would this be changed and what measures were in place to reduce the demand side in sex trade?

Responses by the Delegation

There were temporary special measures for the entry of women into university to study medicine, while the Myanmar Women Entrepreneurs Association, a non-governmental organization, supported the participation of women in economic life. Political parties had been given instruction to give priority to women, ethnic minorities and the young in the selection of their candidates standing in the November 2015 elections. A national microfinance programme, financed by several institutions, was an important financing mechanism for the poor, which had 2.8 million beneficiaries so far, 95 per cent of those were women as the key criteria for selection was women-headed households. With regard to women’s participation in the peace process, the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee had been re-established under the leadership of the State Councillor, who was a women, and women were also actively participating in the preparatory process for the Peace Conference expected to be held in August 2016.

It had been agreed to amend the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Law of 2005, to bring it in line with international norms and standards, in the near future. The police was developing community policing to fight this crime, and a number of civil society organizations participated in this programme, which was part of the Australia-Asia Programme to Combat Trafficking in Persons. In addition, Myanmar was a party to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Convention against Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Plan of Action against Trafficking in Persons.

A series of meetings were taking place in Parliament to ensure that gender stereotypes were adequately addressed in new legislation. Members of Parliament needed capacity building on the questions of gender, and a series of specialized talks would be taking place in Parliament on this subject in July and August 2016.

The Department for Social Welfare was involved in providing rehabilitation and support to victims of trafficking, including through running three shelters; those activities were supported by the regular budget of the Ministry of Social Welfare, while last year additional resources had been received for rehabilitation and livelihood opportunities for victims of trafficking.

In a series of follow-up questions, the delegation was asked about the steps taken to address impunity for human rights violations, and how rape and marital rape were treated in law and in practice. Another Expert reiterated the logic behind temporary special measures, stressing that such measures must be specific and time bound, and that they should be dissolved once the target was reached within the given time frame.

Answering, the delegation said that the public complaint direct line and the police 119 number were in place, which gave a possibility to anyone to file a complaint about the behaviour of a police officer or other public officials. As an example of temporary special measures, the delegation said that girls were supported to attend vocational training. Community members were being trained to raise awareness about the rape law, and shelters were run for the victims.

Questions from the Experts

Voices of women must be included in the national policy making and in international organizations, and they were still under-represented in the political and public life in Myanmar. Women’s political participation at local levels remained extremely low: only 0.3 per cent of all village leaders were women in 2011. Would it be possible to study the barriers to women’s political participation in Myanmar, and what measures were in place to support the access of women to political and diplomatic positions? Women were also under-represented in peace negotiations – only two women were members of the ongoing peace negotiations, and only three women were members of the 14-person Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee. Were there plans to draft a National Action Plan on women, peace and security, in order to improve representation of women?

The 1982 Citizenship Law was being used without any amendment and the Experts encouraged Myanmar to assess the impact of this law on women and men, and on children of various ethnic backgrounds, and to amend this law and bring it in line with Article 9 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Women in the rural areas often did not have resources to obtain their identity documents, which prevented them from registering the birth of their children, which had a negative impact on access to health and education of those children. Would Myanmar consider waiving fees for rural poor and thus extend citizenship to persons living in rural areas, in particular women? The citizenship verification process in Rakhine state had not resulted in improvement in the lives of people living in this state, and there were complaints that the procedures were not open and transparent? How would the Government ensure that all persons in Rakhine state obtained their citizenship? Turning to birth registration, an Expert asked how many children living in Myanmar were not registered at birth and what measures would be taken to ensure that all children born in camps for internally displaced persons received their birth certificates and were registered.

Responses by the Delegation

According to the 1982 Citizenship Law, everyone could apply for nationality and citizenship. So far, more than 1,900 persons had received citizenship. The citizenship verification process was indeed taking place in several townships, and this was a voluntary process. Every child born in Myanmar had the right to be registered at birth and receive a birth certification. In 2014, Myanmar had reiterated its commitment to achieving universal civil registration, including registration at birth. Myanmar planned to register more than one million children in seven territories, although the time line for this operation was not fixed.

In their follow-up questions, Committee Experts stressed the importance of birth registration in fighting statelessness and asked the delegation to elaborate on birth registration in Rakhine state and the registration of Rohingya children, as well as the birth registration mechanisms which existed in camps for internally displaced persons. The Government had recently decreed that all new-born children must be added to household lists, but poor and women-headed households faced various barriers in ensuring this, from poverty and lack of finance, to illiteracy and inability to comply with administrative requirements. Experts warned that children who were not on household lists risked exclusion from access to basic services, and eventually identity documents.

The head of the delegation regretted that a representative of the relevant Ministry was not in the delegation and said that Myanmar would provide written replies to the Committee.

Questions from the Experts

Experts stressed that the effective implementation of the 2014 Myanmar National Education Law would require a multi-sectoral coordination approach, particularly in order to establish accountability on the achievement of the set target. The status of the national strategic education plan was not very clear, and there was a plethora of plans that intersected each other, so the Experts asked how those plans – which were all related to various forms and levels of education – would be coordinated. How was the gender perspective integrated and mainstreamed in those plans?

Experts commended Myanmar for increasing access to vocal training for women, particularly in conflict areas, and for the establishment of 36 vocational training schools there. However, courses offered in those vocational schools reinforced rather than changed traditional gender stereotypes on the role of women in society, so the delegation was asked how the educational offering could be diversified to provide training on non-traditional trades, which would provide greater income generation activities. What steps were being contemplated to ensure that inclusive education of children with disabilities – boys and girls – was a part of the National Education Plan 2015/16-2020/21?

Another Expert welcomed the adoption of new labour legislation, including the Law on Settlement of Labour Disputes, Minimum Wage Law, Social Security Law, and others, and asked whether this legislation guaranteed equal access to employment for women, whether employees were protected from sexual harassment in the workplace, and if the Social Security Law provided for maternity leave in formal and informal sectors? Myanmar had been a member of the International Labour Organization for a long time and it was astonishing to realize that it was not a State party to the International Labour Organization’s fundamental Conventions, including Convention 100 on equal pay and Convention 111 on non-discrimination. What were the intentions in this regard and also in requesting technical assistance from the International Labour Organization for their implementation?

Experts also commended Myanmar for the adoption of several health-related laws and the National Health Plan 2000–2030. The cost of health services remained prohibitively high, particularly in remote areas, and for ethnic minorities, particularly Muslim women. The key question was the allocation of resources for the implementation of this plan, which would ensure equal, non-discriminatory and affordable health services for all, and in particular poor women from rural and remote areas, and ethnic minorities, especially Muslim women. Experts were concerned that the Population Control Law aimed to control the population growth in a discriminatory fashion, by deciding on birth spacing and the number of children. The concerns were that this law would be used to target minorities, such as Rohingya, for whom a two-child policy would apply, which might lead to infanticide, an increase in maternal mortality due to clandestine and unsafe abortions, and - given the preference for male children - sex-selective abortions. Maternal mortality rates were very high - 200 per 100,000 birth, also due to unsafe and clandestine abortions, while the rate for Rohingya was twice as high. Abortion was illegal, unless a mother’s life was at risk: what plans were there to legalize abortion, at least for pregnancies arising from rape, incest, or in case of foetal abnormalities?

Responses by the Delegation

A comprehensive education sector review had been conducted in 2011, and the National Education Strategy Plan 2016–2020/21 had been developed in cooperation with the United Nations Children’s Fund. This Plan was also linked to the National Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Women 2013-2022 in its educational goals, particularly in the area of gender. The curriculum reform was ongoing, and current textbooks were being carefully examined to identify all instances of gender stereotyping. Starting in 2012/13, the Government had been providing school grants to all schools, based on the number of students.

In order to ensure the education of special needs children, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Social Welfare cooperated closely in order to ensure early child interventions. The Ministry of Social Welfare ran special schools for the deaf and dumb, and special schools for disabled people, and provided resources for the community-based training of caregivers of children with disabilities. The Ministry also ran vocational schools for women and girls, which were focused on women in need, and provided very specialised training in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

The Population Control Law would apply only in special areas, and its application would be voluntary. The purpose of the law was to provide reproductive health services in areas where such services were required. The health expenditure at the moment was 3.8 per cent of the gross domestic product. The Government had invested $ 6 million in family planning services for the 2012/2013-2014/2015 fiscal year. In order to achieve quality reproductive, maternal and neonatal health services in Rakhine state, the Government was cooperating with United Nations agencies. Additional midwifes and traditional birth attendants from Muslim communities had been recruited and trained.

In their follow-up questions, Committee Experts noted that the limitations on the freedom of movement imposed on the Rohingya increased the mortality rates, including from preventable diseases, and asked the delegation how the new administration would address this issue.

Answering, a delegate said that there was no such thing in the society in Myanmar as targeting or marginalization of minorities; the Government was promoting loving kindness of everyone. The situation was the same for everyone and everywhere in the country, the same services and same level of access to health and education; Myanmar was one of the least developed countries, and generally had lower access to basic services than other countries. Committee Experts should look at Myanmar through those lenses. That said, access to basic services, particularly health and education, had improved. The health coverage in Rakhine state had been increased, as had the system of referrals to Yangon. Abortion was not legalised and only therapeutic abortion was legally permitted, to save the life of the mother. The amendment of the Penal Code would be required to legalize abortion of pregnancies arising from rape, incest or for foetal abnormalities.

Questions from the Experts

A Committee Expert noted that there were some traditional practices and customs that limited the participation of women in social life, and limited the right of women to enjoy the benefit of family life, on an equal footing with men. Could women from the formal and informal sector access equally the law on maternity benefits?

The Committee was particularly concerned about the impact of the development policy in the rural area, given that people in rural areas had limited access to basic services, and also given the fact that it was the rural population that lived in a post-conflict environment, which was marked by violations of the rights of women, which often remained hidden. The delegation was asked about the participation of rural women in peace processes and about humanitarian activities in post-conflict rural areas, how the zero-tolerance policy for sexual misconduct of the army personnel was being implemented in rural areas, and which justice institutions existed in rural areas that could address seizure of land and were accessible to women.

The situation of ethnic minorities in Myanmar remained of utmost concern as stated by the report that the High Commissioner for Human Rights had presented to the Human Rights Council just last week. Conflict continued to erupt despite the ongoing peace process. Experts asked the delegation how the new administration would ensure that there was an investigation into historic violence against ethnic minorities, measures envisaged to break the cycle of impunity and ensure accountability for the sake and benefit of all people in Myanmar, and how it was planning to stop discriminatory policies and practices and repeal discriminatory laws. The Experts were especially concerned about the Population Control Bill, and others, which had been approved in record time, and were in violation of international standards and Myanmar’s own stipulated values. The National League for Democracy had been opposed, at the time, to the adoption of those laws, and now had the opportunity to repeal or amend those laws. What measures would be taken to protect women human rights defenders?

Replies by the Delegation

Responding to the questions and comments made by the Committee Experts, the delegation confirmed that all women and men in Myanmar had equal rights and access to economic opportunities, as attested by the gender disaggregated data on the number of traders in Myanmar. There was a need to strengthen the capacity of women in economic leadership, and in politics, and Myanmar was committed to doing so.

Complaints about sexual violence in the conflict areas committed by armed forces could be filed directly with the Army, or through the National Human Rights Commission, or the Office of the President. Once complaints were received, military prosecutors would investigate the case. As defined by the 1959 Military Act, crimes of murder or rape committed during the conflict were tried by the military court, while it was the civilian court which had the jurisdiction for such acts committed in peace time.

With regard to Race and Religion Protection Laws, including the Law on Religious Conversion, a delegate explained that there were no limitations on conversion from one’s religion and belief, to another, and said that the purpose of the law was to prevent forced conversions. The National Land Policy was in the final stages of drafting, with a view to drafting the National Land Law.

Questions from the Experts

A Committee Expert expressed concerns about a spate of recently adopted laws on family life and marriage, including the Buddhist Women Special Marriage Law which punished and prevented conversion, and in reality discriminated on gender grounds. The Monogamy Law encouraged couples to embrace monogamy, but given the fact that polygamy was already prohibited in the Penal Code, the fear was that this law would allow for undue interference into personal affairs. The Population Control Law was discriminatory against the Rohingya, allowing state officials to enter into their homes and do spot checks. How would Myanmar harmonise civil, religious and customary law with the provisions of the Convention relating to equality in legal and civil matters, and in family law?

Responses by the Delegation

The head of the delegation noted diverging views and said that, short of repeating earlier responses, the delegation could not add new information at this stage.

Follow-up Questions

A Committee Expert reiterated concerns in relation to the four Race and Religion Protection Laws, which had been assessed by international entities and found to be incompatible with international standards. Myanmar should seriously consider reviewing those laws and taking steps to either repeal or amend them, in line with human rights standards. The Experts stressed that the upcoming Peace Conference was a very important opportunity for national reconciliation, and that everyone looked at it with great attention and hoped it would make a tangible difference in the lives of people in Myanmar.

The delegation was asked about land confiscation issues, the application of the Law on Agricultural Land, access to ownership of the land for unmarried women, and the law on social protection.

Responding, the head of the delegation reiterated the commitment to the national reconciliation process and said that it was closely linked to the peace negotiation process. Myanmar needed more time to accommodate more concerns and ensure that the concerns of all were taken into consideration.

Concluding Remarks

MAUNG WAI, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Myanmar to the United Nations Office at Geneva, expressed warmest thanks and deepest appreciation to the Committee Experts for reviewing Myanmar’s efforts in implementing the Convention by raising important questions, and providing useful advice and expert opinions which would contribute to remedying the challenges in the country. The dialogue had highlighted the areas where more needed to be done. As a developing country, Myanmar had limited resources and expertise in tackling human rights challenges, but was nevertheless committed to addressing them.

YOKO HAYASHI, Committee Chairperson, thanked the delegation for the constructive dialogue and encouraged Myanmar to take all necessary measures to address the various recommendations made by the Committee.