Today's News: Bhutan’s record worries CEDAW

30 years after signing convention, women in the country still getting a raw deal 21 August, 2009 - Almost three decades after Bhutan ratified the convention on elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW), Bhutanese women’s participation in public and political life is still poor. CEDAW committee’s concluding observations on Bhutan’s recent 7th periodic report raised serious concerns and said that women’s participation in decision making bodies, including the parliament, government, diplomatic services, at regional and local levels, should be improved. “Bhutan should urgently implement policies aimed at the promotion of women’s full, active and equal participation,” according to committee members. The government was asked to submit a report on the steps taken to address this issue within two years. A study by the national commission for women and children (NCWC) found that women made up only 29.5 percent of the civil service and only 5 percent at the policymaking level. Only 10 of the 72 parliamentarians are women, and men largely hold the offices of gup, mangmi and tshogpa at the local government level. NCWC director, Dr Rinchen Chophel, said that the biggest challenge for the government was the lack of substantive evidence on what is preventing Bhutanese women from enjoying equal rights or participation. “We have no evidence to prove that there is substantive equality between men and women,” he said. Bhutan joined CEDAW in 1980 and presented its first report only in 2004 as a signatory to the convention. There was no institutional mechanism to take on the obligations of being a member state, although Bhutanese women did encounter forms of gender bias at home and in the workplace, said government officials. Bhutan also lacks sufficient information to evaluate the specific situation of women in some areas. On violence against women, the CEDAW committee was concerned over the low level of awareness among women of their rights and the culture of silence. Therefore, Bhutan should enact legislation on domestic violence as a matter of priority, said the committee. They also said that domestic girl child workers are vulnerable to violence. There is no adequate national data on violence against women in Bhutan, but an NCWC study found that more than half the reported cases of domestic violence were withdrawn and that domestic violence is accepted in silence. CEDAW has also urged the government to adopt and implement measures to ensure equal access for girls and women at all levels of education. The committee was worried over the limited access to school for girls, who live in rural and remote areas, due to inadequate facilities and infrastructure. They have asked the government to take necessary steps to encourage pregnant or married girls to continue education. “The committee is also concerned that we don’t have adequate services for early detection of breast, ovarian and uterine cancers for overall health care of women,” said Dr Rinchen Chophel. CEDAW committee welcomed NCWC’s ‘national plan of action for gender 2008-2013’ and devoting a chapter in the 10th Plan to women in development. However, the committee said that enough resources were not allocated to NCWC and the commission has low visibility in rural and remote areas. “The committee is concerned that NCWC deals with both women and children, thereby reinforcing stereotypes regarding role of women in society,” stated the CEDAW observation report. Dr Rinchen Chophel said that CEDAW committee emphasised having clear separation of NCWC’s functions to deal with women and children. “They thought that NCWC reinforced the stereotype that a woman can’t be a woman without children,” he said. “We’ve taken note of that and, after having enough human resources, we’ll implement it.” CEDAW committee has asked Bhutan to submit its eighth and ninth periodic reports on implementation of CEDAW in September 2014. By Phuntsho Choden Retrieved from Kuenselonline http://www.kuenselonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13251 on 21.8.2009