Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2002, published 91st ILC session (2003)

1. The Committee notes the report of the Government and the communication received from the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) concerning equality of opportunity and treatment of women, which was transmitted to the Government on 29 July 2002 for any comments it may wish to make. The Committee takes up this communication and the related information in the report of the Government in its comments below. The Committee also notes the second communication received from the ICFTU dated 2 September 2002 concerning discrimination on grounds of social origin and the Government’s reply which was received on 3 December 2002. The Committee will address the matters raised in that communication and the Government’s reply at its next session.

2. Referring to the wide gap between male and female education, the ICFTU submits that there is continuing discrimination against girls in respect of access to education. ICFTU further states that the fact that women constitute only a small minority in the formal workforce is an indication of the existing level of discrimination in the labour market and the lack of opportunities of women to enter formal work. The Committee recalls its previous comments concerning the need to ensure equal participation of women in education and training in order to ensure their equality of opportunity and treatment in employment in occupation. It notes from the provisional results of the 2001 census (Provisional Population Totals, Series 1, Paper 1 of 2001, Web edition) that between 1991 and 2001 male literacy increased from 64.1 per cent to 75.8 per cent, while female literacy increased from 39.3 per cent to 54.2 per cent. The overall male-female gap in literacy rate has thus narrowed from 24.8 per cent to 21.7 per cent (percentages in respect to population seven years and above). In all but one state or union territory female literacy rates have increased faster than that of males, and in six states or union territories the absolute number of female illiterates increased, while those of male illiterates decreased. The Committee acknowledges that according to the provisional results of the 2001 census some progress has been made in promoting female literacy since 1991. It hopes that further measures will be taken to consolidate the positive trend and the results achieved so far, as well as to address the remaining literacy and educational gap between men and women. The Committee requests the Government to provide statistical data on the participation of boys and girls in primary and secondary education (enrolment rates, drop-out rates, illiteracy rates) as well as a copy of the final results of the 2001 census concerning literacy. Recalling once again that employment and work opportunities are invariably linked to education and literacy, the Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information on the measures taken to ensure the equal access of girls to primary and secondary education, particularly in areas where the educational level of women remains very low.

3. Concerning the application of the Convention in respect to self-employed women and women in the informal economy, the Committee notes that measures to achieve de facto equality of women through their economic and social empowerment have been brought together under a National Policy for the Empowerment of Women (2001), which is the result of broad-based consultations under the leadership of the Department of Women and Child Development. The Committee notes that among the policy’s objectives are the equal access of women to quality education career and vocational guidance, employment, equal remuneration, strengthening legal systems aimed at eliminating discrimination, mainstreaming a gender perspective in the development process, the extension of training programmes for women in the field of agriculture and microcredit facilities, and the recognition of women’s contribution to social-economic development as producers and workers in the formal and informal economy. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the status of the National Policy and on measures taken to implement it and any results achieved. The Committee reiterates its request to the Government to indicate what agency or agencies are responsible that the rights and principles of the Convention are applied in programmes and projects aiming at the economic and social empowerment of women in the informal economy and of self-employed women. The Government is also requested to provide the detailed results of the 2001 census concerning workers and non-workers, disaggregated by sex, rural or urban, and other available categories.

In addition, a request regarding other points is being addressed directly to the Government.