DESPITE ITS ACHIEVEMENTS IN IMPROVING STATUS OF WOMEN, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC MUST DO MORE, ITS REPRESENTATIVE TELLS MONITORING COMMITTEE

3 February 1998

Press Release
WOM/1024

DESPITE ITS ACHIEVEMENTS IN IMPROVING STATUS OF WOMEN, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC MUST DO MORE, ITS REPRESENTATIVE TELLS MONITORING COMMITTEE

19980203 Committee Concludes Consideration of Report On Country's Compliance with Women's Anti-Discrimination Convention

Despite hard-won achievements to improve the status of women in the Dominican Republic, the country had some catching up to do, the Director of its Ministry of Women's Affairs said this afternoon. She was addressing the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women as it concluded its consideration of that country's implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Gladys Gutierrez said her country was ashamed about the marginalized situation of Dominican women. However, the Government had done much to elevate their status, and women themselves had struggled to end the discrimination against them. Several of the Committee's 23 expert members expressed concern that despite many measures taken by the Government to ensure implementation of the Convention, the Dominican Republic seemed to be very rigid, particularly regarding the stereotyped roles of men and women. The prevailing "macho" attitudes discouraged women from becoming involved in the country's political and social life. More intensive campaigns were needed to counter those attitudes and to provide a more positive picture of women. Concern about the lack of separation between the Catholic Church and the Dominican Government was also the focus of much attention. One expert warned that the very strong influence of the Church impeded women's advancement. Another stressed that despite the importance of the Church in many countries, the State had the ultimate authority, and its programmes and policies should be formulated accordingly. In a closing statement, Acting Committee Chairperson Charlotte Abaka drew a link between the high rate of maternal mortality in the Dominican Republic, likely due to induced abortion, and the Church's views on the subject. On behalf of the Committee, she urged the Government to use its political will to take a closer look at the issue of women's reproductive rights. Women need not die because they had to bear children, she said. The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, 4 February, to conclude its consideration of the country's reports and to hear a statement by the Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

Committee Work Programme

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women met this afternoon to consider the Dominican Republic's implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. It had before it that country's combined second and third periodic reports, covering the period from 1988 to 1989 (document CEDAW/C/DOM/2-3). It also had before it the country's fourth periodic report, of November 1997 (document CEDAW/C/DOM/4). (For background, see Press Release WOM/1023 of 3 February.)

Statements by Dominican Republic

PATRICIA SOLANO, Director of Communications for the Ministry of Women's Affairs, said the Dominican Republic had a number of different social security, pension and health-care systems for its citizens. Membership in those systems was dependent on the type of work one performed. There was also broad coverage for women needing gynaecological attention. In 1996, over 90 per cent of women received some prenatal care. Women were also offered such services as tests for uterine and mammary cancer, monitoring of maternal breastfeeding, and birth- control measures. Clinics and hospitals also offer testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS. Birth control in her country was voluntary and safe.

To date, there were over 4,157 cases of AIDS and 4,082 cases of HIV infection in her country, she said. Of those, 43 per cent were women and 66 per cent were men. Recently there had been a 20 per cent increase in the number of women with AIDS. The Government had undertaken efforts to have greater monitoring of AIDS, as well as of other health problems.

Abortion was illegal in the Dominican Republic in all circumstances, she said. Centres that offered such services did so clandestinely. As a result, there were inadequate statistics on the number of abortions. The Government estimated that there were 3,500 induced abortions last year and that 16.6 per cent of maternal deaths were associated with abortion.

Prevention of AIDS had assumed priority in the Dominican Republic, and greater education and awareness-building campaigns had been implemented among health professionals and the general public, she said. Mass media campaigns had focused on the prevention of all sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and a national strategy for information on and prevention of STDs and AIDS had been established. There was also a national action plan for women and AIDS.

GLORIA MUNIZ, in charge of Technical Affairs at the Ministry of Women's Affairs, said that there were severe limitations with respect to health-care coverage for those who did not obtain it through their place of employment. However, there was broader coverage for severe illness, maternity and old-age needs, and paediatric care was offered to all children up to age of one.

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Under social security and pension programmes, women in general had the same rights as men. However, pregnant women and those who had children without being married were excluded from social security and health-care programmes.

On the topic of agrarian laws, she said a reform package was passed last March allowing women to inherit and own land. Since then, a number of parcels of land had been given to women, and that number was expected to increase in the future. Training workshops for rural women had also been started to prepare women for owning and managing property.

Ms. SOLANO said that rural women were not fully aware of their rights under the Convention. To address that problem, an education and dissemination programme on the new agrarian reform law was being carried out by the Department for the Advancement of Women. The overall status of rural women was now being reviewed. The main obstacle to their advancement was the absence of a national policy and the lack of priority given to it in national development plans and projects.

In recent years, broadened health services were introduced at the rural level, she said. According to a recent demographic and health survey, more than 90 per cent of women in rural areas were aware of at least one modern contraceptive method, and nearly 60 per cent of sexually active women were using some form of birth control. There was insufficient information on maternal mortality, owing to the fact that rural women were not very visible in local positions of power or in other positions of authority, as in land and agricultural producer associations.

Stereotypes -- which had even greater influence in the rural areas -- accompanied by greater poverty, meant greater marginalization of rural women, she said. Under law, rural women had the same rights as men to credit and technical assistance programmes, but discriminatory practices continued to be an obstacle to compliance with provisions requiring equal opportunities for rural women. The percentage of rural women heads of households reflected a sustained rate of growth, although it was still far below the total figure recorded in the country.

Overall, rural women endured worse living conditions than those in other poor areas, she said. In short, they were the "poorest among the poor". That was reflected in a lower educational rate, as well as in higher rates of illiteracy, general and infant mortality, malnutrition and unemployment. Although there was no general policy concerning rural women, a programme was being developed to define regional development plans for them. The Department for the Advancement of Women, together with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), was working to implement a national network to support the development of rural women. Efforts were also being made to counter the discriminatory effects of the previous agrarian law by facilitating rural women's access to credit and land.

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To questions regarding gender equality before the law, she said the Government was reviewing proposals by women's organizations to amend the civil code. Those recommendations would be submitted to the legislature for approval. The law included the principle of equal treatment before the courts. In practice, however, the treatment of women was discriminatory. Women had limited access to lawyers and legal clinics.

General Comments

Several experts expressed appreciation for the Dominican Republic's detailed report, particularly with respect to violence against women, and for the detailed response of the delegation to the more than 160 questions posed by the Committee's working group. The political will of the Government to carry out its international commitment in the field of human rights was well reflected in its response to the Committee.

One expert drew attention to measures aimed at improving the situation of rural women and of women heads of households. Also appreciated were the efforts of the Department for the Advancement of Women to incorporate the gender perspective in data collection. Programmes to combat violence against women illustrated what could be achieved by the combined efforts of the Government, women's groups and non-governmental organizations. She supported continued government efforts to fight and punish the sexual abuse of children through its recent laws penalizing traffic in children and child abuse. The Government might consider the adoption of new and broader measures to fight the gangs that trafficked women and children for sexual purposes. Joint action by all countries concerned could produce positive results.

She expressed the hope that pressure by the Catholic Church could be reduced, so as to enable the development of sexual education programmes in the schools.

A number of experts said that poverty was a major problem in the Dominican Republic and a chief contributor to the problems affecting women. That extreme poverty, along with a number of other factors, led to prostitution and the trafficking in women. It was reported that 40 per cent of households were headed by women, and many of those were probably living in poverty. To alleviate the poverty of women, affirmative steps should be taken in the area of education, so that sustainable changes could be made in women's lives. Many among the 57.3 per cent of the population living in poverty were women. Measures should be taken to ensure that priority was given to women and women's health in efforts to eliminate poverty.

One expert referred to the status of women in the industrial free zones, where women suffered from considerable discrimination. The Government should provide greater protection to those women.

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Another expert said the country needed to address the lack of progress by women in political and social life. That might be due to machismo, which led men to discourage women from such involvement. The report failed to address fully the problems of women in the workplace. There was a need for better treatment of working women and a need to stop the emigration of women to other countries. The Dominican Republic should help them find work in their own country and develop better conditions and new jobs for them.

A number of experts said the influence of the Church was not entirely clear in the report. There was a definite need for a separation between the Church and the State to promote equality for women. Despite the importance of the Church in many countries, the State still had ultimate authority. Separation could benefit both the Church and the State.

Some experts said that the Dominican Republic needed to report on how women were benefiting from the many laws and programmes that had been mentioned. There was generally a difference between de jure and de facto equality, and it was not enough to have laws. Success depended on the ability to actualize them.

Another expert said the women's movement needed to integrate its many efforts and projects to increase and make them more effective in promoting equality. Such lack of coordination was one of the main obstacles facing women's movements. The women's movement in the Dominican Republic did not seem to have the support of the women who were in politics or positions of authority. Also of concern were the laws prohibiting unmarried women from receiving social security and health benefits. Since 40 per cent of households were headed by women, and a great number of those were single women, that policy seemed to be very detrimental.

Another expert said that despite the many administrative measures to ensure implementation of the Convention, the country seemed to be very rigid, particularly regarding the stereotyped roles of men and women. More intensive campaigns were needed to offset that rigidity and provide a more positive picture of women. Such measures should target schools, as well as young people preparing to marry.

The characterization of Dominican rural women as "the poorest of the poor" was true for many countries, she said. That was why particular attention must be given to article 14 of the Convention [on problems faced by rural women]. Further use of technology in rural regions would lighten their load and enable rural women to focus on income-generating activities. Pilot projects to ensure the sharing of domestic responsibilities could be implemented. A number of experts drew attention to the shortage of available data, although the research studies undertaken in many problem areas had been enlightening.

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The legislative amendments in the penal code, particularly in the area of violence against women, represented very important achievements, she said. The anti-abuse campaigns provided a model which all countries should follow. The scant data presented regarding violence against women drew attention to a large number of homicides resulting from so-called "crimes of passion". Such crimes may have emanated from the macho culture of Latin American countries. They should be investigated, and men should be enlightened regarding their assumption of superiority over women.

The section in the report on female heads of households was ground- breaking as a category that needed to be addressed, she said. The migratory flow of women to Europe for economic reasons was another disturbing trend that needed to be reviewed. Discriminatory labour practices, which resulted in men earning more overall and being selected for more managerial positions even though Dominican women had higher educational levels, must also be reviewed.

Another expert said that certain aspects of the free market economic system had gravely impacted on women. Also impeding women's advancement was the very strong influence of the Catholic Church.

The general education act, which had overhauled the curriculum, was to be congratulated, another expert said. Education and literacy formed an important basis for development, as illiteracy and poverty usually went hand in hand. However, given that the illiteracy rate was lower among women than men, women's chance to enter the labour market on equal terms with men was still limited.

Another expert said that while the system-wide approach to gender equality should continue, priority should be given to the eradication of poverty and illiteracy, as well as to the creation of jobs, the implementation of existing labour legislation, and labour reform. She expressed concern about the so-called "free zones", and did not think they should be encouraged at women's expense. Countries which established free trade zones should create them as an integrated part of an overall policy. It must be made clear that the Dominican Republic was not a safe haven in which international labour laws did not apply.

In response to the Committee's questions, GLADYS GUTIERREZ, Director at the Ministry of Women's Affairs, said her country was very ashamed of some of the prevailing problems that hurt women. The Dominican Republic had some catching up to do in that area, and the current Government had done a great deal to address the problems facing women. Those efforts represented the considerable efforts of women who had fought and struggled constantly to end discrimination against them. The report presented was truthful and sincere and did not hide anything. Those fighting for equality were facing a deeply rooted tradition in Dominican society, and they were truly committed to their work.

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Statement by Acting Chairperson

In a closing statement on the Dominican Republic's report, Acting Committee Chairperson Charlotte Abaka of Ghana said the report had enabled a comparative assessment of situation in that country. The amended agrarian law was highly commendable, as it gave Dominican women the right to own land. The Government rightly identified poverty as a priority area, and that was a big step forward. The programmes to encourage women's access to credit were also welcome.

Despite such achievements, however, the high rate of maternal mortality was very troubling, she said. Being in the medical profession, she believed that rate was likely connected to induced abortion and problems relating to pregnancy. Given the Catholic Church's views on abortion, the Committee would urge the Government to use its political will to take a second look at the issue of women's reproductive rights. Women need not die because they had to bear children. Their right to life was fundamental. Most experts had expressed concern about the close relationship between the Government and the Catholic Church, including the domination of the Government by the Church. The country was a secular State, and its policies and programmes should be treated accordingly. The influence of the Church contradicted the Constitution.

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