COMMITTEE ON ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN HOLDS MEETING WITH NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women this afternoon met with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from Lebanon, Morocco and Sweden whose reports will be considered by the Committee this week.

With regards to Lebanon, NGOs said the laws dealing with discrimination against women had not been updated, including those on honour crimes, rape, sexual crimes and nationality, all of which were discriminatory. Equality within the family was also a very difficult issue - there was no age limit for marriage. There was a need for a law to protect women, punish perpetrators of violence, and prevent trafficking of women, which latter was totally unaddressed. Lebanese women were treated like second-class citizens.

On the subject of Morocco, speakers raised, among other issues, that the Moroccan legal framework was still not totally in keeping with the provisions of the Convention. Legal and traditional barriers could undermine the progress that had been made so far. The political will which underlay the initial reforms in remedying the situation of women could continue to be strengthened in order to overcome these shortcomings and respond to the democratic demands of women’s movements. Legal discrimination continued in the legal framework, despite Morocco’s commitments to implementing the recommendations of the Committee.

Speaking on Sweden, it was said that Sweden had come a long way towards a gender-equal society, and yet women still experienced discrimination and inequality in many areas. No serious actions had been presented to overcome the injustices and implement the Committee’s recommendations subsequent to the 2000 review. Without dedicated and stronger regulation, Sweden would not reach the goals of the Convention. Women with disabilities would continue to be last in line to get access to rights which others took for granted, as they suffered from inter-sectional discrimination.

Speaking this afternoon were the representatives of National Committee for the Follow-Up on Women’s Issues, KAFA (Enough) Violence and Exploitation, Helem: Lebanese Project for Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transsexuals, Federation Internationale des droits de l’homme, Association Nadjeh (Palestinian Refugee Women in Lebanon), Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc, Union de l’Action Féminine, The Swedish CEDAW Network, and the Swedish Association of Visually Impaired.

The report of Luxembourg will also be reviewed this week by the Committee on 23 January, but there were no NGOs present to speak on the situation in that country.

The next meeting of the Committee will be on Tuesday, 15 January, at 10 a.m., when it will take up the third periodic report of Lebanon (CEDAW/C/LBN/2-4).


Statements on Lebanon

FAHIMA CHARAFFEDDINE, National Committee for the Follow-up on Women’s Issues, said more than ten years had elapsed since Lebanon ratified the Convention, and more than ten years since the establishment of the National Institution for Women’s Issues. All of the national institutions had failed to come up with a strategy to remove Lebanon’s reservations to the Convention. The proportion of participation by women was the lowest in the region. The Government had not ratified the Optional Protocol, nor other United Nations Conventions. There was no Government-drawn up programme for civil society in this regard. The laws dealing with discrimination against women had not been updated, including those on honour crimes, rape, sexual crimes and nationality, all of which were discriminatory. Equality within the family was also a very difficult issue - there was no age limit for marriage.

ZOYA ROUHANA, KAFA (Enough) Violence and Exploitation, said despite some progress made by Government bodies to deal with the issue of discrimination, not enough had been made. Society legitimised killing women not just for the sake of their honour, but also to control their behaviour. There was a need for a law to protect women, punish perpetrators of violence, and prevent trafficking of women, which latter was totally unaddressed. Women were subject to violations of human rights, right through the beginning of the recruitment process, and on through their employment. Women working in the sex industry were also punished.

RACHA MOUMNE, Helem: Lebanese Protection for Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transsexuals, said in Lebanon, the most overt form of discrimination against lesbian and bisexual women was in the Penal Code, which criminalised homosexuality. The reasons given for these most often used the language of culture or tradition, claiming that it did not exist in Arab culture, or was a Western import. If the Convention was to remain relevant, than it was imperative that it recognise sexual rights as an important, legitimate and central element of these rights. The work of the Committee on this issue was recognised. This was a critical juncture - the principles of the Convention should not be betrayed.

JULIE GROMELLO, Federation Internatinonale des Droits de l’Homme, said Lebanese women were treated like second-class citizens. Those who married foreigners did not have the right to have their spouses live in the country. The Government practised gender discrimination. UNRWA, like the Government, used a patriarchal registration system, based on the male head of the family. This was a flagrant violation of the principle of equality before the law. United Nations organizations should ensure the application of equal rights in all their policies.

AZIZA KHALIDI, Association Nadjeh (Palestinian Refugee Women in Lebanon), said there were multiple layers of discrimination which acted to impede the application of CEDAW principles. Palestinian refugee women belonged to marginalised communities. Gender discrimination was apparent in the legal domain, especially in the Personal Affairs Law. This was manifested by a minimal degree of involvement in Palestinian decision-making structures.

Statements on Morocco

HOUDA BOUZIT, Association Democratique des Femmes du Maroc, said the Moroccan legal framework was still not totally in keeping with the provisions of the Convention. Legal and traditional barriers could undermine the progress that had been made so far, and make the situation worse for women and girls. There was no law against rape in marriage, and those who had an abortion were punished. Women could not transmit their nationality. The Family Code still included polygamy, the right to repudiate one’s wife, and that women were still denied the guardianship of their children. There continued to be a problem of gender-based violence - in eight cases out of ten, the perpetrator was the husband of the victim, and they often enjoyed impunity. There were two taboos which forbade the discussion of the issue, including the dominance of men over women. Morocco needed to create a climate of equality, and recognise this politically and publicly in the Constitution. Criminal legislation should be revised in order to investigate domestic violence, repair the damage to the victims, and punish impunity.

AMINA BELOUGHI, L’Union de l’Action Féminine, said the Union de l’Action Féminine realised how much had been done to promote the rights of Moroccan women since the second report presented in 2003. However, there were discrepancies which continued. The political will which underlay the initial reforms in remedying the situation of women could continue to be strengthened in order to overcome these shortcomings and respond to the democratic demands of women’s movements. Legal discrimination continued in the legal framework, despite Morocco’s commitments to implementing the recommendations of the Committee. There was an under-representation of women in public and political life. Discrimination persisted in education, health, access to care, and other areas. A special department should be set up with the sole portfolio of the protection and promotion of the rights of women.

FATIHA MESBAHI, Association du Droit Humain-Maroc, said the authorities continued to apply the religious side, rather than the political and social rights. Much had been organised by women all over the country. The Labour Code was not applied, and women were working in extremely precarious situations. Sit-ins were organised by women to claim their rights, and these were sometimes subjected to violence and prohibitions. Women’s economic, social and political rights should be guaranteed on an equal footing with those of men. Abortions were forbidden, even if the life of the mother was at stake. The health of women should be protected. There was an increase of illiteracy, particularly among rural women. Measures should be adopted to promote the status of women, particularly rural women, in the areas of health, employment and education.

Statements on Sweden

GUNVOR N’GARAMBE, The Swedish CEDAW Network, said from a global perspective, Sweden had come a long way towards a gender-equal society, and yet women still experienced discrimination and inequality in many areas. No serious actions had been presented to overcome the injustices and implement the Committee’s recommendations subsequent to the 2000 review. There was a lack of overall strategies to follow up how programmes were implemented in practice, weakening the impact of the Government’s instructions. Current attitudes were evident in the media, depicting men and women in a stereotyped way, upholding a stereotyped society, built upon a power structure. Sweden aimed to provide equal treatment and opportunities - however, the Constitution was not gender sensitive. The wage gap had remained the same over the last twenty years. Without dedicated and stronger regulation, Sweden would not reach the goals of the Convention.

KICKI NORDSTROM, Swedish Association of Visually Impaired Women, said there were two issues to be addressed in the context of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. New Swedish laws on disabilities would affect women heavily. There was a lack of inclusion of women with disabilities. Sweden would have problems with the part of the Convention that related to women. One such issue was the proposal for a new anti-discrimination law - the issue of accessibility would be left out of the proposal, and thus Sweden would not be able to ratify the Convention. Women with disabilities had less access to social services, the labour market, transportation, technical devices, protection from violence, and others, than did men with disabilities. Women with disabilities would continue to be last in line to get access to rights which others took for granted, as they suffered from inter-sectional discrimination.

Questions by Experts

Among questions and issues raised by Experts on Lebanon, were what did Lebanese NGOs feel about the possibility of discussing a unified code; whether there were any cases which pointed to discrimination because of sexual orientation; whether domestic migrant workers had the right to lodge a complaint with the Ministry of Labour, and what was the mandate of the Ministry in that regard; what work was being done on trafficking; what was the input of NGOs in the Lebanese Commission for Women; and what was the situation in the education, health and employment sectors for refugee women.

On Morocco, Experts asked, among other things, what was the knowledge level in institutions, particularly judges and lawyers of the Convention and how it was taken into account when laws were implemented; what were the nature of the gaps in the Criminal Code with regards to sexual harassment and whether women reported cases, were aware of the law, and what were the penalties; how the Labour Code was implemented with regards to health and safety of pregnant women; and whether anything was being done to make changes in order to allow women to transmit their nationality.

With regards to Sweden, Experts asked, among other things, what was the percentage of women engaged in part-time work, and what provisions existed to protect their rights in part-time work; and a request for an assessment of the new law on prostitution and its implementation.

Response by NGOs

Responding to the questions on Lebanon, NGO representatives said the Government considered that personal status was a very sensitive issue, and there were 19 different laws covering 19 different religious groups - and NGOs thought that a unified personal status law was essential, as it would, among other results, bring about more cohesion in society. What was needed in Lebanon was to adopt clear strategies. There was some knowledge of conventions, and over the past ten years the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women had become more or less known in Lebanon. The Government should adopt strategies, and NGOs should be involved in this, and in the work of other inter-governmental institutions.

There was a Parliamentary Commission on Human Rights, and NGOs had been involved in drawing up an Action Plan for women’s rights - however, this was not a strategy nor was it being implemented by the Government in Lebanon, NGO speakers said. The Labour Law did not apply to migrant domestic workers, however, there were regulations on their employment. The Ministry of Labour had created a complaints office where they could lodge a complaint, but this was unlikely to be successful as the legal situation of these workers was very weak. Most officials would give the right to the employer. Physical abuse was often considered an acceptable form of disciplinary action, as long as it did not exceed a certain level. Often officials would ensure the deportation of the complainant before the case came to trial. Palestinian women were the bulk of the refugee population. The organisations covering them were was UNRWA, which reported to the United Nations General Assembly, whose basic mission was assistance, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The bulk of refugees did not have the full package of international protection, however, the Government was officially committed to protecting them. On discrimination against lesbian and bisexual women, they suffered from three levels of discrimination. There was a continuous increase in reports of violence against women in the home because of their sexual orientation. Many were also forced into treatment to cure them.

With regards to Morocco, NGO speakers said there had been progress in terms of the political representation of women in the Parliament, but as far as local communities, there had been a decrease down to 0.5 per cent, and this was attributable to the situation in rural areas, which was rather difficult. Women’s presence in political parties varied. Work was being done to involve them further through training, awareness-raising, and other means. The Government had published the Convention in the legal area, but had not trained judges and lawyers in its use. Reference to the Convention was increasing, including at the level of education, during International Days on Women’s Rights. The steps that had been taken, however, were still insufficient in terms of the wide dissemination of the Convention. Domestic law did not include the fact that international law had precedence over it, and this would have to be remedied. In Morocco, illiteracy, in addition to health, were two crucial aspects. Not all Governments of Morocco had been successful in their aim to eradicate these problems, despite declarations in that direction. Rural women in particular suffered from this.

On Sweden, NGO representatives said NGOs had discovered that all failures were due to cultural attitudes and stereotyped views, and had arrived at the conclusion that changing the law was insufficient, if work was not done to change attitudes. Sweden had introduced special training for all the staff in the judiciary - the problem was that this was voluntary, and very few attended this training. The problem therefore remained. A positive sign today was that 70 per cent of all law students at university were women. The wage gap, as well as violence against women, were also connected to attitudes. Part-time work also remained a problem - in many sectors, women were only offered part-time work. A report had recently been published showing that in the Government itself women were paid less than men. The knowledge of the Convention in Sweden was very small, in particular among local authorities. On the law against prostitution, this criminalised the buyer and not the prostitute. It focused on demand, and when it was passed had been very controversial. It would be evaluated during 2008, but so far it appeared to be more effective than had been expected, and prostitution had diminished. NGOs considered the law to be extremely important in the search for a more just society. Women with disabilities were not seen as a separate group with specific needs, and this was harmful to their situation.

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