SUBMISSION TO THE UNITED NATIONS’ COMMITTEE ON THE CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN APRIL 2008 SUBMITTED BY THE UNITED KINGDOM WOMEN’S NATIONAL COMMISSION TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements......................................................................................................... 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY............................................................................................. 5 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 18 ARTICLE 1 – ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATION .............................................. 21 CEDAW Definition of Discrimination....................................................................... 21 Direct discrimination ................................................................................................. 21 Indirect discrimination.............................................................................................. 21 Contractual benefits................................................................................................... 21 Harassment................................................................................................................ 22 Pregnancy.................................................................................................................. 22 Intersectional Discrimination..................................................................................... 22 Goods and Services Directive .................................................................................... 22 ARTICLE 2 – OBLIGATIONS TO ELIMINATE DISCRIMINATION........................ 23 Gender Equality Duty................................................................................................ 23 Violence against women............................................................................................ 24 Women accused or convicted of criminal offences..................................................... 24 Non Government Organisations................................................................................. 27 Race and Disability Equality Duties........................................................................... 28 Disabled and learning disabled women ...................................................................... 28 Migrant women ......................................................................................................... 28 Violence against girls ................................................................................................ 28 Devolution................................................................................................................. 29 ARTICLE 3 — THE DEVELOPMENT AND ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN.......... 29 State Equality Machinery........................................................................................... 30 Trade......................................................................................................................... 32 ARTICLE 4 — TEMPORARY SPECIAL MEASURES TO ACHIEVE EQUALITY... 32 ARTICLE 5 — SEX ROLES AND STEREOTYPING ................................................. 32 Women in the media.................................................................................................. 32 Harmful Traditional Practices.................................................................................... 34 Forced marriage ..................................................................................................... 34 Female genital mutilation (FGM) ........................................................................... 35 ‘Honour’ crime ...................................................................................................... 36 ARTICLE 6 — EXPLOITATION OF WOMEN........................................................... 37 Child trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation ................................................ 39 Women in prostitution ............................................................................................... 39 Women in ‘adult entertainment’................................................................................. 41 ARTICLE 7 — POLITICAL AND PUBLIC LIFE........................................................ 42 Public appointments .................................................................................................. 42 Political life ............................................................................................................... 42 Public Sector and the Civil Service ............................................................................ 43 Devolution................................................................................................................. 44 ARTICLE 8 — WOMEN AS INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES ................... 45 Women as international representatives ..................................................................... 45 Conflict prevention and resolution ............................................................................. 45 NGO Representatives ................................................................................................ 46 ARTICLE 9 — NATIONALITY .................................................................................. 46 Asylum, nationality and immigration......................................................................... 46 Destitution and Return............................................................................................... 50 2 ARTICLE 10 — EDUCATION .................................................................................... 51 ARTICLE 11 — EMPLOYMENT................................................................................ 54 Employment .............................................................................................................. 54 Equal pay .................................................................................................................. 58 Work- life balance and childcare................................................................................ 60 Pensions .................................................................................................................... 62 Women in Medicine .................................................................................................. 64 ARTICLE 12 — WOMEN’S HEALTH........................................................................ 65 Teenage pregnancy.................................................................................................... 65 Sex and Relationships education................................................................................ 65 Sexual and reproductive health .................................................................................. 66 Female Genital Mutilation ......................................................................................... 68 Maternity services ..................................................................................................... 68 Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender women .............................................................. 69 Smokers..................................................................................................................... 69 Disabled and learning disabled women ...................................................................... 70 Black and minority ethnic women.............................................................................. 70 Refugee and Asylum Seeking Women....................................................................... 71 Travelling women...................................................................................................... 71 Mental health............................................................................................................. 72 Older women’s health................................................................................................ 73 Cancer screening ....................................................................................................... 73 Coronary heart disease............................................................................................... 74 Homeless women....................................................................................................... 74 Single Sex Wards ...................................................................................................... 74 Devolution................................................................................................................. 75 ARTICLE 13 — SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS ........................................... 75 Environment.............................................................................................................. 76 Lone parents.............................................................................................................. 76 Housing..................................................................................................................... 76 Arts, sport and leisure................................................................................................ 78 Wales ........................................................................................................................ 79 ARTICLE 14 — RURAL WOMEN.............................................................................. 79 ARTICLE 15 — EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW AND CIVIL MATTERS.............