ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE EXPERTS SAY SITUATION OF ICELANDIC WOMEN CANNOT BE VERIFIED WITHOUT STATISTICS
Press Release
WOM/881
ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE EXPERTS SAY SITUATION OF ICELANDIC WOMEN CANNOT BE VERIFIED WITHOUT STATISTICS
19960118 The impact of legislated equality on the actual situation of women in Iceland could not verified without adequate statistics, experts of the 23- member Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women said this afternoon as they continued discussing that country's initial and second report.Information on the situation of rural and migrant women in Iceland was sought by the Committee which monitors the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The experts also requested data on single mothers as well as details on the health services available to women.
Iceland will respond to the questions of Committee experts on Wednesday morning, 24 January.
Also this afternoon, Committee members were briefed on contacts with the Sub-Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, and the Geneva Centre for Human Rights.
The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 19 January, to consider the combined initial, second and third report of Ethiopia.
Discussion of Report
During discussion of the report of Iceland, an expert citing article 12 of the Convention, which calls for measures to eliminate discrimination against women in health care, requested more information on migrant women. She also asked for statistics on abortions.
Another expert wanted details on health services in Iceland. She wondered who covered the cost of treatment for breast and cervical cancer. Were the health needs of women fully or only partly funded by the State? The expert asked if there had been any attempt to address violence against women as a social health issue. Questions were also raised about the inclusion of women in research studies as subjects and the incidence of use of infertility treatment in Iceland.
Speaking on article 14, which takes account of the particular problems of rural women and spells out their rights in the economic and social areas, an expert said there was no information about future strategies in the report. She wondered about the level of economic power of women and asked if the sexual health care needs of young girls had been met.
Another expert said there was a lack of statistics in the report. There was little information on rural women and their occupations. On the de jure level, developed countries like Iceland had reached equality, but on the de facto level that was not verifiable without statistics. The expert also requested data on single mothers. She wondered if the women working on farms were entitled to their own social security.
Regarding article 16, which spells out the equality of women's rights in matters relating to marriage and family relations, an expert sought more information on women's right to inheritance. Was it enforceable by court action? She also asked whether women always received half the assets when a marriage broke up.
Other experts wanted to know if 18 years was indeed the minimum age of marriage and whether men and women were taxed individually or on the basis of family as a unit.
Briefing by Experts
CHARLOTTE ABAKA, Committee expert from Ghana, briefing the Committee on the last session of the Sub-Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, said that body had adopted a number of resolutions of interest to the Committee. One resolution concerned the situation of human rights in Rwanda; that was of interest since the Committee would be hearing an oral report on the situation of women in Rwanda during the current session. Another resolution, on systematic rape and sexual slavery during periods of armed conflict, invited the Special Rapporteur to submit a working paper on the issue to the Sub-Commission. She said the Committee should request that the report be made available to it.
A resolution on traditional practices affecting the health of women and children recommended to the Commission on Human Rights the extension of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on that issue, she continued. The Committee should initiate contacts with the Rapporteur to ensure an exchange of information. A resolution on the implementation of human rights of women and the girl child expressed the hope that the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women would be integrated as soon as possible with other human rights bodies. She requested that the question of reservation to the Convention be examined at a further session. She also suggested that the
Women Anti-Discrimination Committee - 3 - Press Release WOM/881 291st Meeting (PM) 18 January 1996
Committee draft a general recommendation on the effects of structural adjustment on women.
An expert asked if it were possible for the resolutions of the Sub- Commission to be made available to the Committee. They could be incorporated into the Committee's concluding comments where appropriate.
EVANGELINA GARCIA-PRINCE, Committee expert from Venezuela, speaking on contacts with the Geneva Centre for Human Rights, said she had attended a meeting last summer which was attended by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, chairmen of the treaty bodies, specialized agencies of the United Nations system, non-governmental organizations and various experts.
The meeting sought to generate methodological guidelines to examine human rights treaties with a gender perspective, she continued, and to develop minimum standards in that regard. A report issued at the meeting contained specific recommendations for conducting gender-sensitive human rights missions. For the first time within the United Nations system, an effort was made to collect all of the initiatives of treaty bodies to interpret specific questions regarding women's human rights. It was also the first time that the theoretical concept of gender was looked at in a practical way in interpreting human rights instruments.
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