Feedback Press relies of ADC Memorial and Centre for Social and Gender Research (Kiev)
Brussels-Kiev
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has published concluding observations on Ukraine after considering the 8th report of Ukraine. The Committee also reviewed shadow report “Ukrainian Women: Caught Between New Challenges and Long-Standing Discrimination” submitted by Anti-Discrimination Centre Memorial with the support of the Centre for Social and Gender Research (Kiev)
Following the concerns expressed in this shadow report CEDAW gave important recommendations to Ukraine to improve anti-discriminative legislation and insure non-discrimination and inclusion to women belonging to vulnerable groups: internally displaced women and girls, LBTI, Roma, and women affected by migration.
One of the main aims of ADC Memorial was to draw the attention of CEDAW to the discrimination faced by all women in Ukraine regarding access to more than 450 professions deemed as hazardous for their reproductive health. CEDAW came to the conclusion: The list of occupations that are prohibited for women, which covers a wide range of occupations and branches where there is no objective justification for the prohibition, thereby limiting women’s economic opportunities and access to responsibilities in a number of areas, in particular in the military forces, agriculture and industry.
ADC Memorial welcomes the recommendation of the Committee: Review the list of prohibited occupations and sectors and promote and facilitate women’s access to previously prohibited occupations by improving working conditions and occupational health and safety;
The CEDAW has already made such recommendations to other countries acknowledging that the lists of banned professions for women are discriminatory: In 2016 similar recommendation was given to Armenia and Belarus
Earlier last year the CEDAW stated in its verdict in a case against Russia: “the adoption of a list of 456 occupations and 38 branches of industry contradicts the State party’s obligations under the Convention because it treats men and women differently, it in no way promotes the employment of women and it is based on discriminatory stereotypes”.
In order to support implementation of these important recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and to insure the gender equality in the labor rights ADC Memorial launches 8th of March 2017 a campaign All rights for all women.