Committee on Elimination of

Discrimination against Women

894^th & 895^th Meetings (AM & PM)

SWITZERLAND, AS HOME TO INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW, SHOULD ACT AS MODEL

FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS, ADVANCEMENT, SAYS WOMEN’S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE

While praising Switzerland as a leader in human rights policy, experts of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women expressed concern over the difficulties of instituting country-wide policies for women’s equality given the federal system that gives great autonomy to its districts, which are known as cantons and communes.

Introducing Switzerland’s third periodic report, Marion Weichelt, Deputy Director, Directorate of International Public Law, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, said that Switzerland had taken very seriously the recommendations of the Committee after the presentation of its first and second report, particularly in the areas of the improvement of measures to fight domestic violence, the introduction of maternity insurance and other initiatives that assisted women to reconcile family and professional life, notably the adoption of a legal basis for child care outside of the family. 

In addition, Ms. Weichelt noted the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, a communications procedure that allows individuals to submit claims of rights violations to the Committee, and enables the Committee to initiate inquiries into situations of grave or systematic violations of women’s rights. 

Switzerland’s federal system made the Convention’s implementation more difficult in some ways, because of the many legal areas under cantonal control, she acknowledged.  However, that diversity also allowed experimentation, competition for best results and development of best practices.  For example, systematic intervention in violence against women and innovative child-care structures were first developed in pioneering cantons.  All districts had accepted the Convention.  Integration of migrant women was being encouraged, and the federal law on foreigners required the recognition of equality and the provision of economic assistance, especially to women.

She described initiatives that had been put in place to fight domestic violence and other violence against women, which were part of a national action plan.  Programmes to encourage equality in professional life were also being instituted, including efforts to increase the number of women in managerial positions and to reconcile family and professional life.  As part of that endeavour, maternity leave with full salary, child care and tax breaks for families were also being put in place.  The cantons were trying to eliminate other financial disincentives for family life and to support young women seeking professional careers, including a national day that sought to fight stereotypical choice of careers by gender and an initiative to double the number of female university professors, which had already met with much success.

After Ms. Weichelt’s presentation, Committee experts welcomed the ratification of the Optional Protocol and other advances made by Switzerland in the Convention’s implementation, but expressed continuing concern over the regional unevenness of institutional mechanisms to promote gender equality.  They suggested that budgetary pressures in many cantons and communes had limited local efforts in that regard.  Some worried that there was not enough power at the federal level to ensure that best practices developed in individual cantons were disseminated nationally.

In the area of trafficking, some experts expressed concern about a provision in Swiss law that made support to victims conditional upon their cooperation with criminal investigations, as well as what the delegation had called “light” sentences for convicted traffickers.  They recognized progress in combating violence against women, but urged further legal and analytic work, especially in the interest of improving the situation of migrant women and other vulnerable groups.  They also urged that more be done to increase the participation of women in politics and managerial careers.  In general, some experts suggested, it was critical that Switzerland act a model for women’s rights and advancement, as it was home to international human rights bodies and international human rights law.

In their responses to those comments, the 10-member Swiss delegation said that it was true that there were differences among the cantons and communes in the means of attaining gender equality, but not in the goal of fully implementing the provisions of the Convention.  The budget for the Swiss Office for Gender Equality had not been cut, although planned increases had been cut back as part of budgetary reductions across the board.  Cantons, however, had fairly standard structures for women’s rights issues.

They stressed that the women’s Convention was universally binding at all levels in the Swiss Confederation.  In addition, the judgments of the Supreme Court allowed for some uniformity in the application of rights, including in the area of the fight against gender discrimination.  Temporary special measures, such as quotas, however, could only be imposed if they did not impinge on the rights of other groups. 

Regarding the conditions imposed on victims of trafficking, they said that a new law was in process to remedy that situation.  It was indeed a matter of concern that, in comparison with the rest of Europe, sentences for trafficking were lighter, but that was the case with sentences for many crimes, and the matter was under discussion.  Young people were being targeted by awareness campaigns and media programmes fighting stereotypical women’s roles, but the struggle against those stereotypes remained among the most difficult tasks in bringing about full gender equality, and would have to continue.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, 29 July to consider Tuvalu’s combined initial and second periodic reports.

Background

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) today reviewed the third periodic report of Switzerland (document CEDAW/C/CHE/3). 

The report was introduced by Marion Weichelt, Ambassador, Deputy Director, Directorate of International Public Law, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.  Also present in the Swiss delegation were Corina Müller and Claudina Mascetta, from the Department of the Interior; Boris Mesaric, Jeanne Ramseyer, Brigitte Minikus and Stephanie Zbinden from the Department of Police and Justice; and Jean-Daniel Vigny, Christoph Spenlé and Marina Wyss of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Introduction of report

Ms. WEICHELT said that Switzerland had taken seriously into account the Committee’s recommendations after the presentation of its first and second report, particularly in the areas of improving measures to fight domestic violence, and introducing maternity insurance and other measures to assist women to reconcile family and professional life, notably the adoption of a legal basis for child care outside of the family.  In addition, she noted the ratification in 2008 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, a communications procedure that allows individuals to submit claims of rights violations to the Committee, and enables the Committee to initiate inquiries into situations of grave or systematic violations of women’s rights.  In addition, Switzerland had withdrawn its reservation to the article of the Convention related to bans on women in military combat positions.  The current report was public and could be accessed on the Internet.

She said the federal system in Switzerland made the Convention’s implementation more difficult in some ways, because of the diversity of civil areas under cantonal control.  However, that diversity also allowed experimentation in different areas, competition for best results and development of best practices.  For example, systematic intervention in violence against women and innovative child-care structures were first developed in pioneering cantons.  All districts had accepted the Convention.  She also noted the special difficulties of migrant women, for which integration was being encouraged.  The federal law on foreigners required the recognition of equality and the provision of economic assistance, especially to women.

Domestic violence was no longer seen as a private matter in Switzerland, she said.  The criminal code had been revised to criminalize battering, marital rape and other abuses.  Refuges and police procedures, as well as rapid reaction forces in some cantons, had been set up, and numerous other programmes had been designed to change behaviour.  Such measures would be stepped up in the next few years, with the creation of a standardized database on the problem.  Female genital mutilation was a prosecutable offence in Switzerland and forced marriage was the target of other measures.  Those were all part of a national action plan.

In terms of equal pay for employment, there was still a 9.7 per cent employment gap between women and men in the private sector, although it was somewhat smaller in the Government sector, she said.  As a result, programmes to encourage equality in professional life were being instituted, including efforts to increase the number of women in managerial positions.  In implementing Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women peace and security, women’s participation in civil welfare and the police force had been increased.  Towards reconciling family and professional life, more than 16 weeks of maternity leave with salary were now being offered and child-care structures were being set up.  Tax breaks for families were also being instituted.  The cantons were trying to eliminate financial disincentives for family life. 

She noted that support for young women seeking professional careers included a national day to fight stereotypical career choices.  Women were still heavily underrepresented in scientific and technical areas, and overrepresented in social sciences and health.  Overall, women made up 52 per cent of first-year university students, but only 42 per cent of doctoral students.  For that reason, an initiative had been put in place to double the number of female university professors, which had, indeed, succeeded.

Experts’ Comments and Questions

CORNELIS FLINTERMAN, expert from the Netherlands, commended Switzerland for recently ratifying the Optional Protocol.  What had the Government done to make it widely known?  The Swiss Supreme Court’s definition of discrimination was much narrower than that of the Convention.  There was still a need to fully incorporate the Convention’s definition into Swiss law.  What further measures was the Government considering to bring all cantons fully in line with their obligations under the Convention?  

DUBRAVKA ŠIMONOVIĆ, expert from Croatia, commended the delegation for its comprehensive, informative and well-structured report.  Switzerland needed to create a uniform approach for the federal Government and the cantons to apply the Convention, to replace the current fragmented one.  Where there any new State commitments regarding the withdrawal of reservations?

ZOU XIAOQIAO, expert from China, expressed concern over the shrinking budget and staff of the federal gender office and the closure of gender institutions in several cantons.  Did the cantons and federal Government understand the seriousness of gender issues and the need to have adequately funded and staffed gender institutions?

NICOLE AMELINE, expert from France, said family law, education and training were strictly local.  How was gender equality under the Constitution implemented, while at the same time respecting local autonomy?  The Swiss Government invited corporate chief executive officers to provide it, but could it also have a law mandating and monitoring equal pay?  Could the Government harmonize gender equality regulations across the country? 

VIOLETA NEUBAUER, expert from Slovenia, said it was unclear how many cantons explicitly had gender-equality institutional structures with executive powers.  Did the federal Parliament have a working body charged with ensuring that gender equality was taken into consideration in the Parliament’s work?  Did the cantons have similar structures?  Gender-responsive budgeting was not uniform among the various Government departments.  Why was gender budgeting so well addressed by development and corporation directorates, but not at the domestic level?

VICTORIA POPESCU, expert from Romania, noting that only some cantons were using temporary special measures to erase gender disparities, asked whether any political parties had used quotas on their electoral lists.

Country Response

Ms. WEICHELT said the Convention was directly applicable in Switzerland and therefore no particular law was needed in that regard.  Switzerland had a monistic system.  Some of the Convention’s norms were self-executing and therefore directly applicable.  Those that were not needed legislative laws and intervention by the courts.  Article 3 of the Constitution gave all powers to the cantons, unless stated otherwise.  There were differences in implementing gender equality among the various cantons, but that was not necessarily a bad thing since some strategies worked in some cantons but not in others.

Another delegate said the strength of the federalist system was that differences were possible and cantons could tailor strategies and programmes to local needs. 

Another delegate said it was difficult to balance the need to provide temporary special measures to erase historical gender biases against women with the need to uphold men’s rights.  Jurisprudence in that regard was imposed by the federal tribunal.  The Government had used temporary measures to increase the number of women in senior university posts.

Another delegate said that according to Supreme Court case law, affirmative action by the State was justified as a matter of principle on the basis of the Constitution’s article 8, paragraph 3, clause 2.  The Supreme Court had ruled that measures for women’s advancement were acceptable insofar as they did not violate men’s constitutional rights. 

Another delegate said the federal budget for gender institutions and programmes had increased from 5.5 million francs and eight full-time staff in 2000 to 7.9 million francs and 12 full-time staff in 2008.  There were budget cuts at the canton level, but they were across the board for all canton programmes and were not specifically targeted to gender programmes.

Another delegate said smaller cantons had one full-time post for gender personnel; larger cantons, such as Zurich, had five full-time posts.

Another delegate said a federal Government working group had conducted a gender budget analysis on youth and sports, which revealed that girls’ programmes received less funding than boys’ programmes.  The federal Government had published a detailed brochure on the Convention and the Optional Protocol. 

On remaining reservations to the Convention, another delegate said there were reservations on article 15 and 16 concerning transitional law on matters of matrimonial law and property.

Another delegate said there was no central parliamentary structure that dealt with gender issues.  All of Parliament’s gender matters, however, had to pass first through the office of the head of judicial services of the Federal Bureau of Equality between Men and Women of the Minister of the Interior.

Experts’ Comments and Questions

In follow-up questions, Mr. FLINTERMAN, expert from the Netherlands, and Ms. ŠIMONOVIĆ, expert from Croatia, asked for more information on the direct applicability of the Convention in national law, maintaining that judgements on temporary special measures had been narrower than they would have been if the courts had taken provisions of the Convention into account.

Country Response

The delegation said that the Government, and not the judiciary, had determined that the provisions of treaties were not self-executing.  It was for the courts themselves, at the federal, cantonal and communal level, to decide which provisions were directly applicable.  It was true, however, that certain judgments might have been different if the Convention was taken more strongly into account.  Therefore, efforts had to continue to make the Convention better known among the judiciary and throughout the legal system. 

Experts’ Comments and Questions

Turning to the issue of stereotypes, Committee Chairperson, NAELA MOHAMED GABR, expert from Egypt, said that there were still problems about the image of women in the media and their acceptance in particular jobs and situations, which was why special temporary measures were needed. She asked what national mechanisms existed to counteract stereotypes, and the strength of traditional roles.  She also asked about measures to protect victims of trafficking.

SOLEDAD MURILLO DE LA VEGA, expert from Spain, expressed concern that mainstreaming of gender issues in university settings was not broad enough and asked for more information on efforts to fight stereotypes in the academic realm. 

VIOLET TSISIGA AWORI, expert from Kenya, asked what stage had been reached in efforts to ratify European measures against trafficking.  She also requested more information on support and protections for victims of trafficking, across Switzerland, and not just in individual cantons.

SAISUREE CHUTIKUL, expert from Thailand, asked what could be done to put in place stronger support for victims of trafficking in the cantons.  She maintained that the requirement that victims cooperate with investigations of trafficking as a condition of receiving protection and support was not acceptable.  She also asked if the Swiss programme to assist other nations to prevent exploitation of minors had been continued.

FERDOUS ARA BEGUM, expert from Bangladesh, asked about measures to protect senior women against abuse from caregivers and to protect foreign-born wives against domestic violence and discrimination.  Noting that there were fewer shelters for victims of domestic violence than there were cantons, she asked if there were plans to increase such shelters.

SILVIA PIMENTEL, expert from Brazil, said she was concerned over the fear of some migrant women to return to their home countries after their violence-plagued marriages failed.   She asked what was being done to assure such women of continued residence in Switzerland. 

ZOHRA RASEKH, expert from Afghanistan, said that the lack of regular reporting and data had a negative impact on the fight against gender-based violence.  What plans did the Government have to ensure the improved collection and analysis of such data?  Among other questions, she asked what actions were being taken to prevent child pornography and other sexual exploitation of girls.

Country Response

A delegate said the Swiss Government had decided in 2008 to ratify the Council of Europe Convention and to create a new law for victim protection.  By the end of 2009, the cantons and civil society would receive the first draft of the new law.  By the end of 2010, it would go to the Parliament for adoption, which would likely occur in 2011.  That ratification process was fast when compared with the process for ratifying other international conventions. 

Foreign victims of trafficking were entitled to residence permits in Switzerland, the delegate said.  The Federal Office of Migrants would publish a new directive to better explain that situation to the cantons’ migration offices.  It was difficult to gather statistics on trafficking because cantons used a different process from the federal Government for doing so.  He said he would try to gather trafficking statistics and submit them to the Committee for its review.

A new statistics system had been created last year for law enforcement officials, in which all prosecutions under every article of the Penal Code would be counted, he said.  The 2007 report on Government efforts to combat human trafficking included information on the national anti-trafficking action plan.  His Government did not provide financial assistance to non-governmental organizations for anti-trafficking efforts.  Rather, it provided funding through the cantons.  

Regarding services to assist and protect migrant women, another delegate shed light on various social programmes.  A foreign migrant woman married to a Swiss citizen for at least three years could remain in the country.  The law gave migrant women suffering from domestic violence or other forms of abuse the right to stay in the country, particularly if they would likely face abuse if they returned to their countries of origin.

Another delegate said a federal body provided specialized services to women victims of trafficking and it worked with canton bodies that provided such services.

Regarding efforts to end child pornography and sexual abuse of minors, another delegate said schools and non-governmental organization disseminated information and cooperated on ways to end it and assist victims.  Several cantons had taken preventive measures such as publishing and distributing informational brochures, as well as devising games, films and exhibitions to educate children and adults about the crime.  The Government also worked with athletes; the Swiss Alliance to Prevent Sexual Exploitation, which was set up by four non-governmental organizations; the Federal Office of Sports; and the Swiss Foundation to Protect Children.  

Continuing, she said an Internet site provided information on prevention, assistance and monitoring of sexual child abuse.  Last year, the Swiss Alliance to Prevent Sexual Exploitation organized the first national conference on how abuse could be prevented in the home, at school and in society.  A national coordination service against cyber-crime was set up by directors of cantonal justice and the police, which had resulted in the prosecution of several offenders. 

On protection of elderly women against abuse, which was punishable under the penal code, Ms. WEICHELT said offenders were brought to justice.  There had been a public outcry against such heinous crimes.  

The delegation said that it was true that sentences for trafficking were light in comparison to the rest of Europe.  That was, indeed, a matter of concern to them.  Sentences in Switzerland tended to be lighter in general.  It was important, however, that new training was being carried out to enable everyone in the criminal justice system to better prosecute trafficking cases.  There were now 27 cases being pursued against traffickers.  A unit for cooperation with police abroad on trafficking cases was being enlarged, and police attachés in many Swiss consulates abroad cooperated on many matters.  It was important to note that the Swiss regulations on foreigners were fully consistent with the European Convention on trafficking.  A non-refoulement policy on refugees also applied.

Clarifying the regulations for women admitted under cabaret-dancing visas, the delegation said that brochures were given to those women warning them about the dangers of trafficking, and they were briefed on their rights.  Regarding taxes on individuals, the 26 cantons had various rules, but the burden on married couples with two incomes, as well as single-parent households, was generally being eased.  Fighting stereotypes was one of the most difficult tasks in gender equality, and young people were being targeted for awareness campaigns and media programmes for that purpose. 

In addition, the delegation said that just last week the Government had issued a new report on domestic violence that showed the problem was still serious, but also that police were better trained to handle it.  Also, clearer statistics were being collected and awareness of the problem was spreading throughout the criminal justice system.  It was true, however, that shelters were not yet sufficient to take in every woman that needed shelter.  There was as yet no specific legislation against female genital mutilation beyond laws that already proscribed physical harm.  Specific legislation had been proposed, but it was controversial because, among other perceived problems, it only targeted girls and not boys.  However, preventive work was being done among communities susceptible to the practice.

Experts’ Comments and Questions

Ms. NEUBAUER, expert from Slovenia, asked how Switzerland was going to address the imbalance of men and women in elected positions comprehensively, both through political parties and civil society groups. 

MERIEM BELMIHOUB-ZERDANI, expert from Algeria, suggested that, to deal with the different levels of jurisdiction in Switzerland, a structure be created both at the federal and cantonal level to implement the women’s Convention.  Noting that the number of women in the federal legislature had risen slowly, she suggested that, in order to achieve full parity, party procedures that had succeeded in increasing the participation of women be applied across the board.

Ms. MURILLO DE LA VEGA, expert from Spain, said she understood the problems presented by federalism in applying affirmative action across the country, because Spain had a similar federal structure.  It had been able, however, when sufficient political will was mustered, to put in place measures that increased women’s political participation.  In the area of equal employment, she asked if there were mechanisms that could make existing regulations more effective.

Country Response

Switzerland had not wanted to pursue temporary quotas to increase women’s participation in elected position because that was seen as impinging on individual men’s right to participate, the delegation said.  However, there had been progress in many areas that had formerly been resistant to change.  There was not much that could be done within political parties because they operated independently.  The most effective way to increase women’s participation was through information, active recruitment and assurance of equal air time for women candidates.

The delegation said that a national human rights body had been considered.  A pilot project was being conducted and, after five years, a decision would be taken on its future.  That was why there was no way to take decisions on a national gender-equality body.

Experts’ Comments and Questions

Ms. PIMENTEL, expert from Brazil, asked what measures had been adopted by the federal Government and the cantons to provide education for women with disabilities.   Were measures to educate migrant women sufficient to eliminate discrimination against them?  

BARBARA EVELYN BAILEY, expert from Jamaica, expressed concern that gender inequality in education was unrealized in several areas, such as post-compulsory professional education and specialized education programmes.  Vocational training was largely segregated by gender.  How could the law to end gender inequality in education be more binding and how could it effectively expand women’s participation in educational programmes currently dominated by men and in decision-making bodies for higher education? 

PRAMILA PATTEN, expert from Mauritius, asked about concrete steps at the federal and cantonal levels to address gender segregation in the workplace.  How was the principle of equal pay for equal work being applied?  Were judges, including labour judges, trained on that principle?  Had the courts receive complaints of violations of that principle?

NIKLAS BRUUN, expert from Finland, asked if the position of article 11 had been addressed by the courts and judges.  Noting that about 80 per cent of part-time workers in the country were women and that more than half of female workers were engaged in part-time work, he asked about measures to help women who wanted full-time jobs.   

YOKO HAYASHI, expert from Japan, commended the delegation for its well-structured and informative report.  Did the Government encourage men to have flexible working hours and thus help erase the tendency of only women opting to work at home and with flexible hours?  What kinds of job training programmes were available for migrant workers at the federal and cantonal levels?  She urged the delegation to refer to the Committee’s general recommendation on migrant women.

MAGALYS AROCHA DOMINGUEZ, expert from Cuba, said not enough attention and funding were given to programmes for breast and uterine cancer prevention.  Had there been an increase in those cancers and in the death rate due to those cancers?  Noting the high prenatal death rate among migrants, she asked if there were specific health-care services for pregnant migrant women.  She asked the delegation to elaborate on the special report on mental health, violence and suicide among women.

Ms. XIAOQIAO, expert from China, asked if any survey had been conducted on young women addicted to drugs and whether the Government had developed measures to help them. 

Ms. ARA BEGUM, expert from Bangladesh, asked about the effectiveness of poverty-eradication programmes to benefit single, elderly and divorced women.  What programmes assisted rural women?  Did they have the same access to social security benefits as urban women?

Ms. RASEKH, expert from Afghanistan, asked about the availability of family planning services for migrant and foreign women.  Why was it that female genital mutilation was illegal in Switzerland, but people who sent women and girls abroad to have the procedure in countries where it was legal were not punished after they returned home?  She asked for details about services to assist women with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Country Response

A delegate said the right to equal pay for equal work was guaranteed in the Constitution and applied to the public and private sectors.  The federal Tribunal, to her knowledge, had not referred to the Convention in cases of equal pay for equal work.  But there was excellent case law in terms of comparing law enforcement professions and there were hundreds of cases in the health profession, which had led to an increase in women’s wages in that sector in recent years.  The gender pay comparison could only be made when it applied to men and women working for the same employer.

Another delegate said cantons led two equal opportunity education programmes.  There were federal equal opportunity programmes in universities and graduate programmes, including mentoring programmes and management programmes to help female post-doctoral students.  The 2008-2011 action plan of the federal programme for gender equality pursued three goals:  equal representation of male and female students in middle management; raising awareness of gender; and promoting gender equality research and management.

Another delegate said Switzerland had bilateral conventions with several countries on social security that covered 90 per cent of foreigners.  Regarding the study on suicide, violence, ageing and health care, each chapter provided statistical data followed by recommendations.  She flagged a copy of the report, which had been published in 2008, saying she could give it to the experts.  There were projects in place created by a parliamentary initiative to set up more services for poor families.

Regarding migrants and their degrees, the most important issue was disseminating information on the somewhat complex process of getting foreign diplomas validated and raising awareness among employers as well.  It was also important to ensure that migrants’ informal skills were recognized.  For those purposes, there were skills assessments and language tests for migrants to certify their qualifications.  Training, education and language assistance was targeted to migrant girls.  In addition, the “migration and health” strategy had made major efforts in improving the maternal health of migrant women.  Forced sterilization of persons with disabilities was no longer allowed, but compensation for those who had been sterilized previously was controversial.

Experts’ Comments and Questions

Turning to the distribution of property in cases of divorce, RUTH HALPERIN-KADDARI, expert from Israel, said that it seemed like the State recognized the inequalities that existed in the area, but had not taken adequate action.  Changing the pension rules was not enough.  She asked if there were concrete proposals to assure women’s economic security after divorce.  She also urged reform of rules regarding the break up of de facto but unmarried couples.  Finally, she said that the movement towards shared custody, which was taking place in Switzerland and elsewhere, often benefited men in the form of lowered child-support payments and asked for the delegations’ thoughts on that problem.

Ms. BELMIHOUB-ZERDANI, expert from Algeria, asked about the possibilities of lifting Switzerland’s remaining objections to the Convention.  Ms. ŠIMONOVIĆ, expert from Croatia, asked for further information on family names and corporal punishment.

Country Response

A delegate said the law for future pension rights for divorced women was currently being devised.  Concerning national transitional law on marital property, only a limited number of couples were affected by that matter.  After they were addressed, Switzerland would withdraw its reservation in that regard.

Ms. WEICHELT said the Penal Code prohibited capital punishment.  Another delegate said commissions existed in Swiss schools to monitor capital punishment.

Experts’ Comments and Questions

Ms. HALPERIN-KADDARI, expert from Israel, said her questions on rights and protections for unmarried women living in de facto relationships and on the move towards shared custody had not been answered.

Ms. ŠIMONOVIĆ, expert from Croatia, asked the delegation to clarify the legal status of corporal punishment.

Ms. RASEKH, expert from Afghanistan, said her questions on shelters for women also had not been fully answered.

Country Response

Ms. WEICHELT said there were no rules at present regarding the rights of unmarried women in de facto relationships after they separated from their partners.  She did not have answers at present on the issue of shared custody.  

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For information media • not an official record