United Nations CEDAW/C/BLR/7 Convention on the Elimination Distr.: General of All Forms of Discrimination 24 March 2010 English against Women Original: Russian Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women Seventh periodic report of States parties Belarus* * The present report is being issued without formal editing. 10-28869 (E) 090610 *1028869* CEDAW/C/BLR/7 Seventh periodic report of the Republic of Belarus on the implementation of the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women Minsk – 2009 2 10-28869 CEDAW/C/BLR/7 Contents Page Introduction ................................................................... 5 Part I. Background information ......................................................... 5 A. Demographic situation ...................................................... 5 B. Socio-economic and political situation ......................................... 7 C. Institutional machinery to improve the status of women ........................... 14 Part II. Implementation of the provisions of the articles of the Convention ...................... 15 Article 2 Elimination of discrimination against women .............................. 15 Article 3 Ensuring the equality of men and women ............................... 17 Article 4 Temporary special measures to ensure de facto equality between men and women 17 (1) Adoption of temporary special measures......................................... 17 (2) Protection of motherhood ..................................................... 18 Article 5 Eradication of gender biases and stereotypes ............................... 20 (а) Modifying social and cultural patterns of conduct ................................. 22 (b) Upbringing and development of children in the family ............................. 22 Article 6 Suppression of all types of trafficking in women............................ 23 Article 7 Women in political and public life........................................ 28 (а) Voting rights................................................................ 28 (b) Participation in leadership positions in Government............................... 29 (c) Participation in non-governmental organizations ................................. 30 Article 8 Women in international organizations and in the diplomatic service ............ 31 Article 9 Nationality........................................................... 32 (1) Right to acquire, change and retain one's nationality .............................. 32 (2) Nationality of children ....................................................... 32 Article 10 Education............................................................ 32 (a) Choice of a profession........................................................ 35 (b) Access to and quality of education.............................................. 35 (c) Coeducation ................................................................ 35 (d) Scholarships and study grants ................................................. 36 (e) Continuing education and retraining ............................................ 36 (f) Compulsory education ........................................................ 37 (g) Participation of sports and physical education .................................. 37 (h) Development of a healthy life style ............................................ 38 10-28869 3 CEDAW/C/BLR/7 Article 11 Employment ......................................................... 40 (1) (а), (b) Right to work......................................................... 40 (с) Vocational training .......................................................... 43 (d), (e) Wages and social security ................................................. 43 (f) Protection of labour .......................................................... 44 (2) Work responsibilities and family obligations...................................... 46 Article 12 Health care .......................................................... 48 (1) Medical care ............................................................... 48 (2) Protection of women's and children's health ...................................... 51 Article 13 Other areas of social and economic life ................................... 52 (a) Social protection of the family ................................................. 52 (b) Right to obtain loans and credit ................................................ 56 (c) Participation in cultural life and in sport ........................................ 57 Article 14 Rural women ......................................................... 58 (1) Situation of rural women .................................................... 58 (2)(а) Village employment programmes............................................. 60 (b) Health protection............................................................ 61 (c) Protection of labour.......................................................... 62 (d) Vocational training .......................................................... 63 (e),(g) Improving conditions of work ............................................... 63 (h) Improving living conditions in rural areas ....................................... 64 Article 15 Equality before the law ................................................ 65 (1) Equality before the law ....................................................... 65 (2)-(3) Various rights regarding the conclusion of contracts............................ 65 (4) Choice of place of residence................................................... 65 Article 16 Marriage and family relations ........................................... 66 (1) (а) Equal rights to enter into marriage .......................................... 66 (d) Responsibilities as parents .................................................... 66 (2) Minimum age for marriage.................................................... 66 Part III. Information with regard to the Committee's recommendations .......................... 67 4 10-28869 CEDAW/C/BLR/7 Introduction 1. In accordance with article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Republic of Belarus submits its seventh periodic report on the implementation of the Convention during the period from 2002 to 2007. 2. The report has been prepared in accordance with the reporting guidelines adopted by the Committee on the form and content of reports. The report is based on information provided by ministries and other Government bodies of the Republic of Belarus and by Belarusian civil society organizations working in the fields of gender equality and the elimination of gender-based discrimination. 3. The report presents an overview of the socio-economic situation in the Republic of Belarus as it affects demographic processes and the institutional machinery established in implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. 4. The sections of the report contain information on the legislative, administrative and other measures adopted in the Republic in order to fulfil the commitments set by the provisions of the Convention. 5. The report reflects the progress achieved in improving the status of women in the Republic during the reporting period, as well as persistent obstacles in that area. 6. The report now being submitted has been approved by the National Council on Gender Policy of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus. Part I Background information А. Demographic situation 7. The contemporary demographic situation in the Republic of Belarus is marked by a process of natural decline in the size of the population. In 2007, the number of deaths exceeded the number of births by 29,400. 8. As at 1 January 2008 the population of the Republic stood at 9,689,800 people, having declined by 24,700 since 2007, i.e. by 0.3 per cent, which represents, in comparison with the population size as at 1 January 2002, a decline of 261,100, or 2.6 per cent. 9. The age structure of the population has also changed, owing mainly to a declining number of people under the working age, i.e. 0 to 15 years of age. On 1 January 2008 the number of such young people amounted to 1,547,000 people, or 16 per cent of the population, a decline since 1 January 2002 of 371,200 people. 10. At the beginning of 2008, the size of the working-age population (men from 16 to 59 years of age and women from 16 to 54 years of age) stood at 6,053,300 people or 62.5 per cent of the overall population, a rise of 135,300 since 2002. That increase was due to a growth in the number of people in the 50-54 year-old age group, who were born after World War Two. 10-28869 5 CEDAW/C/BLR/7 11. At the beginning of 2008, the number of people of retirement age amounted to 2,089,500 people, or 21.5 of the overall population, which represented an increase of 25,200 since 2002. The proportion of such people amounted to 18.4 per cent in urban areas and 30.2 per cent in rural areas. 12. The year 2007 saw a continuation of the trend towards a decline in the size of the population in all parts of the country except for the city of Minsk. 13. The following factors influence the size and structure of the population: fertility, mortality and migration. Belarus saw 103,600 births in 2007 and 133,000 deaths, with 14,200 people entering the country and 9,500