UN Committee to review Estonia’s record on women’s rights

GENEVA (3 November 2016)  – Estonia’s record on women’s rights will be examined by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) on 9 November. Estonia has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and so is reviewed regularly by the Committee on how it is implementing the Convention. 

Among the possible issues for discussion between CEDAW and a delegation from the Estonian Government are: 

• Measures taken to reduce gender inequalities, including regarding childcare and  parental leave;
• Stereotypical representation of men and women in  the media;
• Lack of research and data on victims of domestic violence;
• Prevalence of prostitution,  measures taken to prevent the sexual exploitation of women and girls;
• Gender wage gap, with women earning 30 per cent less than their male counterparts;
• Measures to improve medical services for women, including those in rural areas; Identification, prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence in reception centres for asylum-seekers;
• Measures taken to address hatred on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity;
• Raising the legal age of marriage to 18 years old from 15 years old.

The review will take place in Room XVI at Palais des Nations in Geneva from 10:00 – 13:00 (11:00 – 14:00 in Tallinn) and 15:00 - 17:00 (16:00 – 18:00) and will be webcast at http://webtv.un.org/.

The Committee will also hear from NGO representatives. More information about the review, including Estonia’s written report, here:
http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=1027&Lang=en

The Committee’s findings, officially known as concluding observations, on Estonia and the other countries being reviewed – Canada, Burundi, Bhutan, Belarus, Argentina, Switzerland, Honduras, Armenia, Bangladesh, and the Netherlands will be published on 21 November here:
http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=1027&Lang=en

ENDS

For more information please contact Jakob Schneider at  jschneider@ohchr.org 
Media requests: Liz Throssell +41 (0) 22 917 9466 ethrossell@ohchr.org

Media accreditation for the Palais des Nations:   http://unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpPages)/70991F6887C73B2280256EE700379C58?OpenDocument

Background

CEDAW is composed of 23 independent human rights experts drawn from around the world. They serve in their personal capacity and not as representatives of States parties. The Committee’s concluding observations are an independent assessment of States’ compliance with their human rights obligations under the treaty. More information:
http://www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/cedaw/pages/cedawindex.aspx

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