WOMEN'S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE CONCLUDES FIRST PART OF CONSIDERATION OF INITIAL REPORT OF ZIMBABWE
Press Release
WOM/1010
WOMEN'S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE CONCLUDES FIRST PART OF CONSIDERATION OF INITIAL REPORT OF ZIMBABWE
19980122 Structural adjustment programmes had disastrous repercussions for education which remained the great hope for Africa, an expert said this afternoon as the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women continued its consideration of the initial report of Zimbabwe.As the 23-member expert Committee continued to review Zimbabwe's compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, several experts expressed concern about the high drop out rates for girls from schools. In that connection, one expert stressed that structural adjustment was hindering girls' development. In the face of such problems developing countries needed comprehensive solutions and affirmative action to promote education for women.
While the Government of Zimbabwe was to be congratulated on its political will to provide for the health of its population, the country was plagued by an enormous number of child-bearing women infected with the AIDS virus, one expert said. An estimated 25 per cent of Zimbabwe women attending pre-natal clinics were found to be HIV positive, with the likelihood that a significant percentage of children born in Zimbabwe would be born with the infection, or were likely to contract it through nursing. The data on AIDS, contained in the report, indicated that women in the 15 to 19 age group comprised 84 per cent of the country's AIDS cases, she said. In the 20 to 29 age group, women accounted for 55 per cent of those infected with AIDS.
Another expert noted that illegal abortion was cited in the report as a major cause of death among women in Zimbabwe. A reappraisal of the abortion law, with a view to liberalizing it, was needed. Prosecuting rape, an allowable cause for a legal abortion, might well last longer than the pregnancy itself. Despite the fact that contraception was available and that there were no restrictions regarding its use, another expert asked for confirmation of a report that health personnel were refusing contraceptives to young women.
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Marital law was also the focus of considerable attention. One expert sought clarification on whether a widow was expected to marry a member of her late husband's family because of the dowry which his family had paid to the bride's family. Such a custom reflected the interrelationship between marriage and the economy, she said, and treated women as "goods" to be exchanged. Another expert asked whether a wife required the escort of her husband or other male family member in her efforts to bring the domestic violence against her to the courts.
Taking up the issue of prostitution, an expert said that the Committee had to demand that States parties meet certain conditions: that the content and implementation of legislation on trafficking and prostitution were effective; that it was not discriminatory; and that it should protect the rights of women. She asked whether legislation on prostitution defined it as an exclusively female activity in Zimbabwe? If so, such legislation would be discriminatory since prostitution was not practised solely by women. Did Zimbabwe's national machinery for the advancement of women have any specific concrete activities for protecting the fundamental rights of prostitutes?
Also this afternoon, the Committee's adopted the report containing the recommendations of its pre-sessional working group which met from 12 to 16 January. Presenting the report, the Chairman of the Working Group, Ivanka Corti, expert from Italy, said the Committee had agreed to hear reports of specialized agencies and non-governmental organizations. The working group had also discussed such trends as the feminization of poverty and the extent to which religion was often invoked as a pretext to obstruct the empowerment of women.
The Committee will meet again at 10:15 a.m. tomorrow to hear responses to their earlier comments and questions on Azerbaijan's report. That country's initial repot was considered on Tuesday, 20 January.
Committee Work Programme
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women met this afternoon to continue its consideration of the initial report of Zimbabwe on its implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. (For background on the report, see Press Release WOM/1009 issued today.)
Comments on Specific Articles
Beginning this afternoon's meeting with article 5, concerning the stereotyped roles of men and women, an expert complimented the Government of Zimbabwe on the progress it had made in addressing traditional and customary practices that hinder the advancement of women. However, she expressed concern about the role of the mass media in advancing equality of the sexes. Was there a programme of action, such as seminars and workshops, being undertaken to sensitize the mass media about their role in helping to raise awareness regarding the equality of women? she asked.
Regarding article 6, on suppression of the traffic in and of the exploitation of the prostitution of women, another expert said neither the Government's report nor the reports of non-governmental organizations had provided enough information on the matter, so that the Committee could assess that situation. How pervasive was the problem? she asked. There was cause for concern about the criminalization of women who were engaged in prostitution in Zimbabwe, as the report seemed to indicate. They seemed to be largely oppressed while "men went scot-free". The role of males in prostitution needed to be highlighted and addressed.
According to the country's Miscellaneous Offences Act, women suspected of prostitution were rounded up and charged for prostitution. Such action seemed to focus on women found on the streets at night and was oppressive to women, curtailing their freedom to move about freely. It resulted in their criminalization on the basis of their sex. She asked for statistics on arrests of women for prostitution. Were there any alternative lifestyle programmes to assist women in need and to sensitize men in those matters? she asked further.
Another expert said it was incumbent on States parties to do away with the linked problems of trafficking in and exploitation of the prostitution of women. That was also important in interest of the long-term structural situation of both men and women in Zimbabwe. The Committee had to demand that States parties met certain conditions: that the content and implementation of legislation on trafficking and prostitution were effective; that it was not discriminatory; and that it should protect the rights of women. She asked whether legislation on prostitution defined it as an exclusively female activity. If so, such legislation would be discriminatory since prostitution
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was not practised solely by women. Was prostitution a legal activity in Zimbabwe? she asked. If it was, what penalties were applied to prostitutes or their clients?
Continuing, she asked if those practising prostitution were obliged to respect certain norms and rules. Did they have the same rights as other women in such areas as the health services? Were there specific preventive programmes and information campaigns being undertaken for sexually transmitted diseases? She also asked about trafficking in people, particularly women and illegal immigrants. Was protection provided for women who were victims of prostitution or trafficking when they brought charges against pimps and traffickers? Did Zimbabwe's national machinery for the advancement of women have any specific concrete activities for protecting the fundamental rights of prostitutes.
Turning to article 7, another expert said the article was very important for development in all countries and for the establishment of democracy. Although the report had stressed the importance of legal measures being taken to promote women's rights, the Committee was also very concerned about the de facto situation, as emphasized in the Convention. Noting the barriers to women taking up decision-making posts, she stressed the importance of political will to ensure progress in that area.
She asked a series of questions relating to whether women were satisfied with the political system and political life in the country, noting that apathy or indifference to participating in politics depended on how the Government and political parties managed the country's political life. Women would tend to refrain from participation if their concerns were not addressed in the political arena. She asked what was the national machinery for the advancement of women doing to educate women and encourage them to enter politics.
Noting that more women had participated in previous elections, she asked what were the functions of women in Parliament who had been appointed by the President. The number of appointees in the Parliament seemed to have decreased following the last elections. The number of female ministers should be increased, she said, adding that the increased appointment of women as deputy ministers was welcomed. What was the role of women in trade unions? she asked. Both the Beijing Platform for Action and a general recommendation of the Committee had stressed the importance of improving women's participation in the decision-making process in their countries, and provided guidance on measures to encourage women's participation in that process.
Questions were raised regarding the law related to citizenship. One expert asked for more information on the citizenship of children, and whether they were entitled to their citizenship from both mothers and fathers.
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On article 10, that expert expressed concern about the fact that girls and women had less access to education than boys and men. Had measures been successful to allow girls to continue their education after pregnancy? How many girls had actually continued their education after giving birth and did they receive any financial assistance after the birth of their children? She welcomed the intention to include education on gender equality, sex education and women studies in school curricula. Such courses should begin in the early years of schooling to end customary practices and gender stereotyping.
Another expert asked about the different types of schools in the country -- such as private schools for foreign children? She asked if the private schools were religious institutions and which denominations managed those schools. What was the source of financing for them? Were they state financed and by how much? Why was there racial separation of white and African students in those schools in an African country? she asked further. She then asked about parents contributions to the financing of private schools; whether there was any plan to change the racial and sexual separation of students? She also asked about the continuation of traditional fields of study for males and females, and about the high drop-out rates for girls.
Another expert drew attention to the persistent problems of education in all developing countries. States had to remain resolute and use the necessary imagination to deal with issues like the high rate of drop out by girls. She detailed a successful programme in her country -- Burkina Faso -- for such girls between the ages of 11 and 18, which had given them marketable skills and enhanced their appreciation of agriculture, trades and cooperatives. She noted, however, that Zimbabwe had a great deal of experience with such progressive programmes.
She went on to say that structural adjustment programmes had disastrous repercussions for education, a sector which "remained the great hope for Africa". Structural adjustment was hindering girls development. In the face of such problems, developing countries needed comprehensive solutions and affirmative action to promote education for women. She asked if school uniforms were obligatory in the rural areas since it tended to be discriminatory against needy families. In her country it had been too demanding on families with many children to provide as many as three uniforms to each child. The requirement was then withdrawn. Zimbabwe could take note of that development. She welcomed the introduction of human rights courses for schools in Africa that still faced male domination over women and "macho attitudes".
Another expert made more suggestions to the Government of Zimbabwe to improve education for girls and to discourage them from dropping out of schools. Zimbabwe's next report to the Committee should contain quantifiable
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indicators regarding the drop-out rate for girls and measures taken to address that situation. She asked if there were supportive programmes for girls who had given birth?
Turning to the issue of equal access to employment, contained in article 11, an expert noted that its implementation was far from being realized in Zimbabwe. Although there was no law preventing women from employment or pursuing a profession of their choice, the posts offered to women perpetuated their roles as mothers and caregivers. Furthermore, women were concentrated in lower-income jobs, and even the report stated that domestic workers were often ignored. Given the very high level of domestic workers in a country with a rather low level of income, a series of questions followed concerning their earnings and the number of hours worked, whether they were able to take leave without losing their jobs, and whether they were protected by the trade unions.
Turning to workers in the private sector, she asked about the Government's efforts to harmonize labour laws? Given the importance of employment as a fundamental human right, it seemed that there was no protection under the law in Zimbabwe by which women workers were protected. How did the Government envisage changing that situation?
Concerning the issue of health care, covered in article 12, one expert congratulated the Government of Zimbabwe on the political will to provide for the health of its population. At the same time, however, the health system in Zimbabwe was "facing a predicament" with the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The data on AIDS contained in the report indicated that women in the 15 to 19 age group comprised 84 per cent of the AIDS cases. Of 761 cases, 644 in the 15 to 19 age group were women. In the 20 to 29 age group, women accounted for 55 per cent of those infected with AIDS. According to information provided by a non-governmental source, 25 per cent of pregnant women attending pre-natal clinics were found to be HIV positive. Therefore, the likelihood existed that a significant percentage of children born in Zimbabwe would be born with the infection, or were likely to contract it through breastfeeding.
She said that since young women and women of reproductive age were showing an increase in the infection, and were liable to transmit it to their children, their education about the disease was crucial. She asked a series of questions about the efforts being undertaken to manage that "grave situation". For example, she sought information on what types of national programmes and resources were available, and whether those were a priority of the Government. Was there information and support for home-based care for sick people infected with the virus? What was being done to mitigate the stigmatization of the disease that led people to deny that they had the illness.
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Another expert asked about the entitlement of the urban poor to health care. She also focused on information contained in the report concerning cited malnutrition and malignant tumors as the most common causes of female morbidity. If the malignancies referred to breast cancers, then early detection measures could be undertaken. Planning safe motherhood required the gathering of more detailed information on maternal deaths.
Noting that illegal abortion was cited in the report as a major cause of death among women in Zimbabwe, she said that a reappraisal of the abortion law, with a view to liberalizing it, was needed. She shared a report in which a criminal case prosecuting rape and requesting permission to abort took so long that by the time the ruling had been decided, the women had already given birth. Given the report's statement from 1994 that the Government had been subsidizing contraception for poor women, did that data actually reflect the situation in Zimbabwe today, given the economic restraints affecting the health field? She also asked whether, despite the fact that contraception was available and that there were no restrictions regarding its use, health personnel were refusing contraceptives to young women?
Turning to the situation facing rural women, covered in article 14, an expert said that young girls in rural areas needed to be prepared for marriage in order to better face up to their responsibilities and prevent their relegation to an inferior position. A major problem of African women, in particular black African women, was their hectic work schedules of up 18 hours a day, that left no time for rest or leisure. With such time consuming activities as grinding flour and maize, perhaps grain mills could be introduced as they were in her country of Burkina Faso. Such time consuming activities affected the health of rural women and impeded their right to revenue-producing activities. In addition, looking after children and the elderly was solely their responsibility.
Concerning equality before the law, contained in article 15, and the issue of women in marriage, contained in article 16, an expert asked whether married women could sue and be sued in their own right, or whether they required the assistance of a husband or other male relative? Was it possible for a woman to go to a legal aid centre without the knowledge or assistance of a male relative, especially since it might be someone she wished to sue? Why was there no branch of Government consisting of experts who could assist women in court? A series of questions were asked about the rights of women to own or inherit land, which was most important in rural areas and gave women control over their own lives.
A question also followed about a custom whereby a widow was expected to marry a member of her late husband's family or stay in that family because of the dowry which the husband's family had paid to the bride's family. Such a custom reflected the interrelationship between marriage and the economy, and treated a woman as a "good" to be exchanged. Concerning the registration of
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marriages, she said many common law marriages were not registered, leaving the wife and children virtually unprotected. What measures were being taken to improve that situation?
Finally, an expert asked whether a victim of domestic violence could apply to the court for a peace order, given that there was no formal domestic violence act. It was difficult to ascertain the depths of the incidences of domestic violence because it was such a private matter. Was there any means by which the Government could keep statistics, and was there any refuge for victims of such abuse?
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