IMPACT OF DECLINE IN FERTILITY RATE ON IMPROVEMENT OF STATUS OF WOMEN AMONG ISSUES RAISED BY WOMEN'S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE

Press Release
WOM/981

IMPACT OF DECLINE IN FERTILITY RATE ON IMPROVEMENT OF STATUS OF WOMEN AMONG ISSUES RAISED BY WOMEN'S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE

Experts in the 23-member Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women this afternoon noted the decline in fertility rate in Antigua and Barbuda, as they discussed the initial, second and third periodic reports of that country.

The Committee, which is the monitoring body for the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, emphasized that when the fertility rate declined, girls stayed in school longer, infant mortality also declined, and the status of women improved in general.

Antigua and Barbuda's report was presented under article 18 of the Convention, which requires States parties to submit reports within one year after accession, and thereafter at least every four years. Reports are to focus on legislative, judicial and administrative measures adopted by States to give effect to the Convention provisions. The Committee reviews those reports and formulates general recommendations.

Commenting on the report, experts wanted to know if efforts were being made to sensitize health care professionals to violence against women. Further, they wondered if gender studies were stressed in university education as the subject was important to efforts at eliminating discrimination against women.

It was also noted by them that no reference was made in the report to the legal position of women in common law unions. Was there a law protecting women in those relationships, and if not, was one contemplated? experts asked.

Experts also observed that the report cited a predominance of women in the hotel industry in areas such as housekeeping and front desk and asked if any steps were planned to diversify their employment, for instance, in areas such as hotel management.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, Friday, 11 July, to hear the replies of Namibia to questions posed by experts on that country's initial report.

Committee Work Programme

The monitoring body for the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women met this afternoon to continue its examination of the combined initial, second and third periodic reports of Antigua and Barbuda on its implementation of the Convention. (For background, see Press Release WOM/980 issued today.)

Comments on Specific Articles

On article 7, which deals with women in public and political life, an expert asked whether a woman had ever been nominated for elective office since there were none in Parliament, although a majority of the electorate were women. Noting that the high number of women in the civil service was remarkable, one expert wondered why that had not influenced the nomination of women to elective office.

Speaking on article 10, which covers education, one expert sought the reasons for the high drop-out rates for women at all levels of education. Another wanted to know whether there were standards in education programmes for girls and boys. Information on adult literacy programmes, if they existed, was sought by an expert, who also wanted figures on school attendance of girls. What efforts were being made to encourage girls to go to school or to influence women to have their daughters educated? What efforts was the Government making to encourage women to pursue professional careers? another expert inquired. The expert asked whether there were training programmes to help women working in the tourist industry to advance professionally.

Furthermore, the experts asked whether gender studies were stressed in university education, noting that the subject was very important for efforts to eliminate discrimination against women. The expert also inquired about details of academic programmes and their contents, as well as statistics on school drop-outs. Another sought information on whether compulsory education at primary and elementary levels was totally free and what the literacy rate was in Antigua and Barbuda.

On article 11, which obliges States to eliminate discrimination against women in employment, and to prevent discrimination against women on the grounds of marriage or maternity, an expert wanted to know if the Directorate of Women's Affairs was planning to have training sessions for women to enable them to take up work which would be more remunerative.

Another expert said the report cited the predominance of women in the hotel industry in areas such as housekeeping and front desk. What steps were being taken to diversify women's employment, for instance, in areas such as hotel management? Further, were women organized in trade unions?

Women's Anti-Discrimination Committee - 3 - Press Release WOM/981 341st Meeting (PM) 10 July 1997

Commenting on article 12, which provides for measures to be taken to eliminate discrimination against women in the field of health care, an expert said that the addendum to the report mentioned a "medical benefits scheme" which subsidized medical care for chronic diseases. She proposed that the Government add AIDS to the list of those illnesses. Further, at what stage was sickle cell anaemia detected? Was it detected at birth to enable adequate treatment?

Experts also wanted to know the number of female doctors, nurses and paramedics in the country. They also wanted information on work-related illnesses of women. Information was also sought on the health status of migrants. It was stressed that treatment pertaining to drug addiction and related problems should be dealt with. Experts lauded the decline in Antigua's fertility rate and emphasized that when the fertility rate declined, girls stayed in school longer, infant mortality declined and the status of women improved. In that context, the negative effects on women of an emphasis on child-bearing were noted.

An expert wanted to know the cost of contraception and other family planning services. It was stressed that if women were required to pay for contraceptives, then there was a need for including the provision of contraceptives in the "medical benefits scheme" and in routine health care. In light of the fact that abortion was illegal, the availability of contraception was all the more important. She also called for repealing the Offenses against Persons Act, which mandates 10 years imprisonment for any person who administered, or any female who administered to herself, any substance or instrument with the intent to procure a miscarriage. It was emphasized that it should not be a crime for a woman to control her own fertility. It was noted that perinatal mortality was high in Antigua and Barbuda. Was that due to illegal abortions?

It was observed by an expert that maternal mortality had been extremely low for a number of years before it climbed precipitously in 1991. What had happened in 1991 to cause so many maternal deaths? Also, was an effort being made to sensitize health care professionals to violence against women? Further, since cancer was the number one cause of death for women, what were the methods for its early detection?

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 discrimination was greatest in rural areas. In that context, priority should be given to the needs of rural women.

Also on article 14, an expert asked why women farmers who constituted a significant part of the agricultural population cultivated fewer land than men. The Committee's Chairperson, the expert from Bangladesh, wondered whether the reason was lack of credit. The expert referred to the micro- credit scheme for rural women in her country, known as the Grameen Bank, and asked whether similar ones existed in Antigua and Barbuda. Another expert asked whether women in rural areas were provided with medical care only in emergency cases, as indicated in the combined report, and also whether they had access to family planning services. The expert said the Directorate of Women's Affairs, especially after the Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women, should make the improvement of the situation of rural women a priority.

Women's Anti-Discrimination Committee - 4 - Press Release WOM/981 341st Meeting (PM) 10 July 1997

On article 16, which deals with marriage and family law, an expert asked for information on inheritance. The expert also inquired whether a woman could become a guardian of her own children, although the law stated that married women had equal rights and responsibilities with regard to guardianship and custody of children. What was the divorce rate per year and how were court decisions on divorce implemented? another asked. Noting that the report made no specific reference to the legal position of women in common law unions -- a prevalent practice in the Caribbean -- an expert wondered whether they were protected legally or whether such a law was contemplated.

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