PRESS BRIEFING ON WORK OF WOMEN'S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE

Press Briefing

PRESS BRIEFING ON WORK OF WOMEN'S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE

More than ever, the issue of gender mainstreaming was being incorporated into the work of the main human rights treaty bodies, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, Angela King, told correspondents at a Headquarters press briefing this morning.

Ms. King was joined by the Chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, Salma Khan, of Bangladesh; Vice-Chairperson, Carlota Bustelo Garcia del Real, of Spain; Ayse Feride Acar, of Turkey, and Aida Gonzalez, of Mexico. The 23-member expert Committee, which monitors implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, was expected to conclude its eighteenth session this afternoon, with the adoption of a report that included recommendations to eight countries for improving the status of women, and a wide range of recommendations on women's health.

Ms. Khan said that initial reports were presented by Azerbaijan, Croatia, Czech Republic and Zimbabwe. Subsequent reports were presented by Bulgaria, Indonesia, Dominican Republic and Mexico. The Committee, for the first time, heard from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and interacted with specialized agencies and other United Nations bodies.

She drew attention to the address by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, which was a highlight of the session. The Committee also prepared a draft recommendation on article 12 of the Convention concerning women's health, and drafted a statement on the issue of States parties' reservations to the Convention to mark the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Committee focused on a number of issues during its consideration of the country reports, the Chairperson said. Those included discrimination against women in conflict situations, the issue of exploitation of prostitution and trafficking in women, and various forms of violence against women, particularly domestic violence. Most States parties had taken measures to address those problems, including laws to establish the de jure equality of women. However, de facto equality was far from achieved.

Both positive and negative trends had emerged during the session, she said. There was a greater emphasis on the establishment of national machinery, as well as efforts to incorporate international standards into domestic law. Many countries demonstrated a stronger political will, which had led to the enactment of laws prohibiting gender discrimination, the promotion of a comprehensive health-care system, and the appointment of ombudspersons, even in some developing countries.

The negative trends included increased violence against women and trafficking in women, and a deepened pattern of poverty, especially in the newly independent countries of Eastern Europe, she said. Also disturbing were high rates of infant mortality, abortion and teenage pregnancy.

Ms. Acar, expert from Turkey, said that in the course of the current session the Committee reviewed the cases of three countries in social and economic transition -- Croatia, Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic. Their reports confirmed the Committee's impressions of trends it had observed in previous sessions. Structural transformation and economic change combined with the transition to a democratic system posed a danger to the status of women if proper measures were not undertaken. Poverty, including the feminization of poverty, as well as unemployment increased. Such change in the economic sphere was often accompanied by the re-emergence of an emphasis on the traditional roles of women.

She said that the Convention aimed to provide women with significant choices that included the opportunity to contribute to society, as well as the self-realization of their human rights. The institutionalization of special temporary measures, such as affirmative action initiatives, was particularly useful to women of countries in transition. Such affirmative action might ensure women's presence in positions of leadership in the economic and political spheres, at a time of transformation in their countries.

Asked how the human rights of women had been affected in countries at war, and what was being done by the Committee to protect those rights, Ms. Acar said that women needed special protection in areas of armed conflict. Women in countries in transition were particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of armed conflict. The Committee had directed questions to the Croatian delegation and made recommendations concerning reports of violations of women's human rights, including the use of women as tools of war, that accompanied allegations of rape and violence.

Asked about statistical information concerning the number of women being forced into slavery or prostitution, or suffering domestic sexual abuse, the Chairperson said that, while countries recognized the significance of the problem, they were often unable to provide specific information because it was not collected in a systematic manner. The Indonesian delegation told the Committee that some 70,000 women in their country were involved in prostitution, a statistic that was probably underrated.

Ms. Bustelo, of Spain, said that trafficking in women was a very important concern in Europe owing to the numbers of women coming from the former Soviet Union. Non-governmental organizations, as well as the new States parties from that region, had supplied information concerning the increasing incidence of trafficking. Owing to unemployment and poverty, and the immigration limits imposed by the European Union, it was very difficult for women to obtain legal employment and immigration status in the developed European countries. In many

King Briefing - 3 - 6 February 1998

countries, the victims of trafficking and prostitution could not prosecute their offenders because of their own illegal status.

Responding to a question about the involvement of NGOs in the originating countries of trafficking activities, Ms. Gonzalez, of Mexico, said that they were very active in Latin American countries, such as the Dominican Republic, which were experiencing a high level of trafficking in women. Ms. Acar added that NGOs were very active in countries in transition, and had demonstrated a high level of participation in the current session. Unfortunately, no NGOs participated in the presentation of the Czech Republic.

To a question concerning measures the Committee might recommend to protect unemployed women from exploitation in foreign countries, Ms. Gonzalez drew attention to the intensifying involvement of organized crime in the trafficking of women and children. Governments, as well as NGOs and societies, were being urged to make their best effort to combat the problem. She said that special attention was also being sought to ensure the human rights of women with AIDS. The high rate of induced abortion in many countries, as a tool for family planning, was another concern.

Ms. King said that the Committee understood the connection between a strong national machinery and the evolution of the advancement of women. Several recommendations were made to States parties to strengthen their national machinery, as well as to ratify the Convention and re-examine their reservations. There was a distinct difference between countries which had consulted NGOs and civil society in preparing their national action plans.

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