SOUTH AFRICAN SHADOW REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN Submitted To The CEDAW Committee‘s 48th Session, 17 January - 4 February 2011 Submitted by: Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation People Opposing Women Abuse Western Cape Network on Violence Against Women Contact Person: Claire Mathonsi Director of Operations WCNOVAW, South Africa P.O. Box 155 Mowbray, 7700 Cape Town, South Africa Email: [email protected] Tel: +27 21 448 6180 Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation People Opposing Women Abuse Western Cape Network on Violence Against Women Page 2 of 74 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This report has been made possible through the collective effort of the organisations listed below. We wish to acknowledge everyone, who, with great dedication, donated their time and effort to the production of this report. African Disabled Refugee Organisation (ADRO) Aids Legal Network (ALN) Alliance for Children’s Entitlement to Social Security (ACCESS) Bonne Esperance (Catholic Welfare Development) Bonne Esperance Refugee Shelter Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) Gender Advocacy Project (GAP) Gender Health and Justice Research Unit (GHJRU) Gender Links Health Systems Trust Industrial Health Resource Group (IHRG) Joint Working Group on LGBTI Rights Land Access Group of South Africa (LAMOSA) Legal Resources Centre (LRC) Masifundise Development Trust Masincedisane Community Development Organization, Du Noon National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (NUMSA) New Women’s Movement Open Democracy Advice Centre of South Africa Open Society Initiative South Africa OUT LGBT Well-Being People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA) Rural Women's Movement SA Domestic Service and Allied Workers Union South African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (SACTWU) Sikhula Sonke Slum Dwellers International The Black Sash Trust University of Cape Town: Gender & Health Unit University of the Western Cape Community Law Centre Western Cape Network on Violence against Women (WCNOVAW) Women in Sexual and Reproductive (WISH) Women on Farms Women’s Legal Centre (WLC) The report would not have been possible without the generous sponsorship of Oxfam GB, UNIFEM and the Heinrich Böll Foundation who funded the development of the report. We wish to extend our sincerest appreciation to them. Page 3 of 74 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS _______________________________________________________ 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS ________________________________________________________ 3 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY _______________________________________________ 6 2 INTRODUCTION ____________________________________________________ 8 3.1 ARTICLES 1 and 2: ELIMINATING DISCRIMINATION _______________________ 11 3.1.1. RELEVANT OBLIGATIONS ____________________________________________ 11 3.1.2 FOCAL AREAS IN THE STATE REPORT ___________________________________ 11 3.1.3 CORE ISSUES ______________________________________________________ 12 3.1.4. BARRIERS ________________________________________________________ 18 3.1.5 RECOMMENDATIONS _______________________________________________ 20 3.2 ARTICLE 3: DEVELOPMENT AND ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN ______________ 20 3.2.1 RELEVANT OBLIGATIONS ____________________________________________ 20 3.2.2 FOCAL AREAS IN THE STATE REPORT ___________________________________ 20 3.2.3 CORE ISSUES ______________________________________________________ 21 3.2.4 BARRIERS ________________________________________________________ 21 3.2.5 RECOMMENDATIONS _______________________________________________ 22 3.3 ARTICLE 4: ACCELERATION OF EQUALITY BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN ______ 22 3.3.1 RELEVANT OBLIGATIONS ____________________________________________ 22 3.3.2 FOCAL AREAS IN THE STATE REPORT ___________________________________ 22 3.3.3 CORE ISSUES ______________________________________________________ 22 3.3.4 BARRIERS ________________________________________________________ 24 3.3.5 RECOMMENDATIONS _______________________________________________ 24 3.4 ARTICLE 5: SEX ROLES AND STEREOTYPING _____________________________ 25 3.4.1 RELEVANT OBLIGATIONS ____________________________________________ 25 3.4.2 FOCAL AREAS IN THE STATE REPORT ___________________________________ 25 3.4.3 CORE ISSUES ______________________________________________________ 25 3.4.2 BARRIERS ________________________________________________________ 27 3.4.3 RECOMMENDATIONS _______________________________________________ 27 3.5 ARTICLE 6: SUPPRESSION OF TRAFFICKING AND EXPLOITATION OF WOMEN __ 27 3.5.1 RELEVANT OBLIGATIONS ____________________________________________ 27 3.5.2 FOCAL AREAS IN THE STATE REPORT ___________________________________ 28 3.5.3 CORE ISSUES ______________________________________________________ 28 3.5.4. BARRIERS ________________________________________________________ 28 3.5.4 RECOMMENDATIONS _______________________________________________ 29 4.1 ARTICLE 7: POLITICAL AND PUBLIC LIFE ________________________________ 30 4.1.1 RELEVANT OBLIGATIONS ____________________________________________ 30 4.1.2 FOCAL AREAS IN THE STATE REPORT ___________________________________ 30 4.1.3 CORE ISSUES ______________________________________________________ 30 4.1.4 BARRIERS ________________________________________________________ 32 4.1.5 RECOMMENDATIONS _______________________________________________ 32 5 PART 3: ARTICLES 10 - 14 ____________________________________________ 33 5.1 ARTICLE 10: EDUCATION ____________________________________________ 33 5.1.1 RELEVANT OBLIGATIONS ____________________________________________ 33 5.1.2 FOCAL AREAS IN THE STATE REPORT ___________________________________ 33 Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation People Opposing Women Abuse Western Cape Network on Violence Against Women Page 4 of 74 5.1.3 CORE ISSUES ______________________________________________________ 33 5.1.4 BARRIERS ________________________________________________________ 35 5.1.5 RECOMMENDATIONS _______________________________________________ 37 5.2 ARTICLE 11: EMPLOYMENT __________________________________________ 38 5.2.1 RELEVANT OBLIGATIONS ____________________________________________ 38 5.2.2 FOCAL AREAS IN THE STATE REPORT ___________________________________ 38 5.2.3 CORE ISSUES ______________________________________________________ 38 5.2.4 BARRIERS ________________________________________________________ 41 5.2.5 RECOMMENDATIONS _______________________________________________ 42 5.3 ARTICLE 12: HEALTH _______________________________________________ 42 5.3.1 RELEVANT PROVISIONS _____________________________________________ 42 5.3.2 FOCAL AREAS IN THE STATE REPORT ___________________________________ 43 5.3.3 CORE ISSUES ______________________________________________________ 43 5.3.4 BARRIERS ________________________________________________________ 47 5.3.5 RECOMMENDATIONS _______________________________________________ 48 5.4 ARTICLE 13: ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL LIFE ______________________________ 48 5.4.1 RELEVANT PROVISIONS _____________________________________________ 48 5.4.2 FOCAL AREAS IN THE STATE REPORT ___________________________________ 49 5.4.3 CORE ISSUES ______________________________________________________ 49 5.4.4 BARRIERS ________________________________________________________ 53 5.4.5 RECOMMENDATIONS _______________________________________________ 55 5.5 ARTICLE 14: RURAL WOMEN _________________________________________ 55 5.5.1 RELEVANT PROVISIONS _____________________________________________ 55 5.5.2 FOCAL AREAS IN THE STATE REPORT ___________________________________ 55 5.5.3 CORE ISSUES ______________________________________________________ 55 5.5.4 BARRIERS ________________________________________________________ 56 5.5.5. RECOMMENDATIONS _______________________________________________ 56 6 PART 4: ARTICLES 15 -16 ____________________________________________ 57 6.1 ARTICLE 16: EQUALITY IN MARRIAGE AND FAMILY LIFE ___________________ 57 6.1.1 RELEVANT PROVISIONS _____________________________________________ 57 6.1.2 FOCAL AREAS IN THE STATE REPORT ___________________________________ 57 6.1.3 CORE ISSUES ______________________________________________________ 57 6.1.4 BARRIERS ________________________________________________________ 58 6.1.5 RECOMMENDATIONS _______________________________________________ 60 7 PART 5: VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN __________________________________ 61 7.1 GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS 12 &19: VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN _______ 61 7.1.1. RELEVANT OBLIGATIONS ____________________________________________ 61 7.1.2 FOCAL AREAS IN THE STATE REPORT ___________________________________ 61 7.1.3 CORE ISSUES ______________________________________________________ 61 7.1.4 BARRIERS ________________________________________________________ 65 7.1.5 RECOMMENDATIONS _______________________________________________ 66 8 PART 6: COMMITTEE’S ’98 CONCLUDING COMMENTS ____________________ 68 8.1 CONCLUDING COMMENTS: OVERVIEW OF COMPLIANCE __________________ 68 8.1.1 Reconcile conflict between the constitutional protection of equality and discriminatory religious and customary laws ________________________________________________ 68 8.1.2 Adequately resource of the Commission on Gender Equality ________________ 68 8.1.3 Prioritise national comprehensive responses to reduce high levels of violence against women 68 Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation People Opposing