Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2014, published 104th ILC session (2015)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Guyana (Ratification: 1975)

Other comments on C111

Observation

Direct Request

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The Committee notes with regret that the Government’s report contains very little information in reply to its previous comments despite the training activities on report writing carried out by the Office in the country. The Committee notes, however, that the report submitted by the Government in June 2014 to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) on the “Way to Beijing +20” (ECLAC report of June 2014) contains relevant information on the implementation of the Convention. The Committee requests the Government to make every effort to provide specific information in its next report on the implementation of the Convention and in particular concerning the issues addressed below.

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Equality of opportunity for men and women. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government according to which women predominate in the health, education, legal and public service sectors. The Committee further notes that, according to the ECLAC report, the Government acknowledges that, although university enrolment is higher among women, they are more affected by unemployment than men and their representation in the private sector is still weak. The Government further indicates in this respect that measures have been adopted to improve access to education and training for women and that their participation has significantly increased in non-traditional sectors such as agricultural production, mining and private security. The Government refers to various specific training programmes, such as those organized by the Guyana Women’s Leadership Institute and the Board of Industrial Training. The Committee notes in particular the Single Parent Assistance Programme (SPAP) which has already benefited 1,106 parents, 400 of whom are mothers. The report also refers to other microcredit programmes to integrate women in the labour market, as well as programmes to ensure equitable access to land. The Committee further notes from the ECLAC report that the Women and Gender Equality Commission (WGEC) of the National Assembly in 2013 developed a five-year strategic plan in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) that will provide guidance for the execution of the WGEC mandate. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the specific measures taken in the framework of the five-year strategic plan of the WGEC to promote gender equality in employment and occupation, including vocational training, and to enhance women’s access to all jobs, including those in non-traditional areas and decision-making positions in both the private and public sectors. Please also provide information on the activities carried out in this respect by the Women’s Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Labour.

Indigenous peoples. The Committee notes from the ECLAC report that the Government has adopted various measures to improve school participation in the hinterland areas and in the Amerindian communities. The Government has also developed the Youth Entrepreneurship and Apprenticeship Programme (YEAP) in four geographical regions where Amerindians reside, in the framework of which training has already been provided to 198 Amerindians on computer skills and solar panel installation and maintenance. The Ministry of Amerindian Affairs initiated the National Hinterland Secure Livelihoods Programme in 15 Amerindian villages to advance economic development through micro-enterprises. The Committee further notes the information concerning the improvement of representation of Amerindians in governmental institutions. The Committee requests the Government to continue providing information on all measures adopted to promote equal opportunity and treatment of men and women from indigenous communities in employment and occupation, and on the concrete impact of these measures on the participation of indigenous peoples in the widest range of economic activities and work. Please provide information on the activities carried out by the Ethnic Relations Commission and the Indigenous Peoples Commission.

Article 2. National policy on equality. The Committee previously noted the legislation establishing the Human Rights Commission, the Indigenous Peoples Commission and the Women and Gender Equality Commission. The Government however provides no specific details on the measures adopted by these commissions for the implementation of a national policy on equality. The Committee highlights that proactive measures are required to address the underlying causes of discrimination and de facto inequalities in order to achieve effective results (General Survey on the fundamental Conventions, 2012, paragraph 856). The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken or envisaged to implement the national policy that covers all the grounds of discrimination set out in Article 1(1)(a) and to indicate the manner in which the Human Rights Commission, the Indigenous Peoples Commission and the Ethnic Relations Commission, as well as employers’ and workers’ organizations, contribute to the implementation of this national policy for the promotion of equality of opportunity and treatment in employment and occupation.

Article 3(f). Results. Statistical information. The Committee notes from the ECLAC report that insufficient sex-disaggregated data remains a major challenge, as no national indicators for the monitoring of progress on gender equality have yet been established, although the Government is committed to implementing a data collection system. The Committee recalls that appropriate data and statistics are crucial in determining the nature, extent and causes of discrimination, with a view to setting priorities and designing appropriate measures, monitoring and evaluating the impact of such measures, and making any necessary adjustments (see the 2012 General Survey, paragraph 891). The Committee hopes that the Government will be in a position in the near future to provide statistical data, disaggregated by sex, on the participation of men and women, as well as the different ethnic groups, in the various sectors and occupations.

Enforcement. The Committee notes the information provided in the ECLAC report related to the existing constitutional and statutory mechanisms for complaints and redress, which include the Public Service Commission, the Women and Gender Equality Commission, the Ethnic Relations Commission, the Indigenous Peoples Commission and the Ombudsman. The Government indicates in the ECLAC report that, given the topography of the country, law enforcement services have been limited in some areas. The Government also refers in this report to workshops organized by the WGEC on sexual harassment in the workplace and access to justice. The Committee requests the Government to indicate: the specific functions of these mechanisms, as well as the Human Rights Commission, in the enforcement of legislation prohibiting discrimination, including sexual harassment; and the effectiveness of these mechanisms in dealing with complaints of discrimination; and how workers, including those in rural and remote areas, have access to them. Please also indicate whether any cases alleging discrimination on the grounds set out in the Convention have been brought to the courts or to administrative authorities.