United Nations CEDAW/C/RUS/CO/7/Add.1* Convention on the Elimination Distr.: General 13 September 2012 of All Forms of Discrimination English against Women Original: Russian English, French, Russian and Spanish only Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Fifty-fourth session 11 February–1 March 2013 Concluding observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women: Russian Federation Addendum Information provided by the Government of the Russian Federation on the follow-up to the concluding observations of the Committee (CEDAW/C/RUS/CO/7)** * Reissued for technical reasons on 8 January 2013. ** In accordance with the information transmitted to States parties regarding the processing of their reports, the present document was not edited. GE.13-40066 (E) 080113 CEDAW/C/RUS/CO/7/Add.1* Information provided by the Russian Federation on implementation of the recommendations made in paragraphs 25 and 31 of the concluding observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women following its consideration of the country’s combined sixth and seventh periodic reports on implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women Information on paragraph 25 of the concluding observations (CEDAW/C/RUS/CO/7) 1. Pursuant to the Federal Police Investigations Act of 12 August 1995, the law enforcement agencies work constantly to identify, prevent, suppress and detect offences committed against women in the Northern Caucasus, and to identify and expose the individuals who mount and carry out these crimes. 2. In line with articles 144 and 145 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, all reports and information received concerning the use of physical force against, or causing of death of, persons, including women and girls, are investigated promptly and the appropriate procedural decisions are taken. 3. A criminal case is opened on every established case of violent crime against women in the Northern Caucasus and investigations are conducted in accordance with criminal procedure legislation. 4. There was a decrease in 2011 in the number of women victims of violent crime in the Northern Caucasus. The figure for 2011 was 3,048, 4 per cent lower than that for 2010 (the national average fell by 10.9 per cent). In the Chechen Republic, 64 such offences were recorded in 2011, a fall of 12.3 per cent compared to 2010. 5. In the Northern Caucasus federal area, one murder committed with violent acts of a sexual nature (Criminal Code, art. 105, para. 2 (j)) was recorded in 2011, in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania; no such crimes were recorded in other regions of the federal area. 6. Over the past year, 213 cases of rape (Criminal Code, art. 131) were recorded in the Northern Caucasus federal area, a rise of 3.4 per cent compared to 2010 (average for the Russian Federation: -0.8 per cent); this resulted from increases in the number of such offences in two regions: 103 (+35.5 per cent) in Stavropol territory, and 47 (+20.5 per cent) in the Republic of Dagestan. In the other constituent entities of the Russian Federation in the Northern Caucasus federal area, the number of rapes fell significantly: by 50 per cent (1 case) in the Republic of Ingushetia; by 36 per cent (16 cases) in the Karachai-Cherkes Republic; by 35 per cent (13 cases) in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania; and by 11.8 per cent (30 cases) in the Republic of Dagestan. In the Chechen Republic, the figure fell by 70 per cent (3 cases) in 2011, the most rapid decline in all the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. 7. There were 97 cases of violent acts of a sexual nature (Criminal Code, art. 132) against women in the Northern Caucasus region, a decrease of 3 per cent compared to 2010. No such cases have been recorded in the Chechen Republic in the past year. 8. There were nine cases of coercion to perform acts of a sexual nature (Criminal Code, art. 133) in 2011, the same as the previous year, all recorded in the Republic of Dagestan. There were no cases of this category of offence in the remaining constituent entities of the Russian Federation in the Northern Caucasus federal area. 9. In 2011, 137 cases of sexual relations and other acts of a sexual nature performed on a person under the age of 16 (Criminal Code, art. 134) were recorded, a fall of 12.2 per cent compared to 2010; none of these occurred in the Chechen Republic. 2 GE.13-40066 CEDAW/C/RUS/CO/7/Add.1* 10. Ten cases of recruitment of women to engage in prostitution (Criminal Code, art. 240) were registered in the Northern Caucasus federal area in 2011, a fall of 16.7 per cent compared to 2010. They were recorded in Stavropol territory (5 cases), the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania (3), the Republic of Dagestan (1) and the Kabardino-Balkar Republic (1), while none occurred in the Republic of Ingushetia, the Karachai-Cherkes Republic or the Chechen Republic. 11. Given that a fairly large proportion of offences committed in the Northern Caucasus federal area go unrecorded, the procuratorial agencies pay particular attention to detecting violations of the law when crimes are reported, recorded and reviewed. 12. Disciplinary measures have thus been taken by the procuratorial agencies against 4,572 officials, of whom 3,067 were responsible for violations committed during the reporting, recording or reviewing of information on crimes. In the Chechen Republic, disciplinary measures were taken against 401 officials, of whom 238 were responsible for violations in registering offences. 13. Between January and December 2011, the procurators in the Northern Caucasus federal area issued 3,824 orders to desist from unlawful activity, 430 of them in the Chechen Republic, as a result of monitoring adherence to legal requirements during the pretrial stage of court proceedings. 14. The procuratorial agencies submitted 147 reports, including 10 in the Chechen Republic, to the authorities as part of their work to prevent and suppress violations of the law. 15. Furthermore, investigating officers of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation are trained to rigorously respect the rights and legal interests of all participants in criminal proceedings and other persons, to implement their duty in strict compliance with the requirements of the law, and to carefully verify information and reports received concerning acts of violence and murder, including any committed against women and girls. 16. In 2011 and 2012 to date, courts in the Northern Caucasus federal area have considered 883 cases concerning violent crimes against women, in 106 of which the victims were minors, and 590 of which involved offences against life and health (murder, intentional infliction of serious bodily injury causing death, unintentional manslaughter, battery); 289 involved offences against the sexual inviolability and sexual freedom of the individual; and 4 involved offences against freedom, honour and dignity (kidnapping, deprivation of liberty). 17. However, these offences are considered as general crimes, unrelated to sexual discrimination against women in the sense of the Convention. 18. Measures are taken to detect offences linked to local practices. Court practice in terms of criminal sanctions for such offences has varied. Cases can lead to a guilty verdict, but may also be terminated as a result of reconciliation of the parties, usually linked to marriage between the defendant and the victim. 19. In the cases for offences against women, 10 persons were found not guilty, 2 of them in private prosecutions (battery, minor bodily harm). A total of 63 cases concerning minor and ordinary offences were terminated: 58 against the person, and 5 against sexual inviolability. The overwhelming majority were terminated as a result of reconciliation between the parties, which does not contradict Russian legislation. 20. The courts can also award damages to women recognized under the Code of Criminal Procedure as victims of violent crimes. Thus, in 2010–2011, courts in the Republic of Dagestan considered 2 criminal cases in which the women victims of violent crimes claimed damages; courts in the Kabardino-Balkar Republic considered one such GE.13-40066 3 CEDAW/C/RUS/CO/7/Add.1* case; courts in the Karachai-Cherkes Republic considered 5 civil cases involving claims for damages by women victims of violent offences; in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, there was one such criminal case; and there were 36 cases in Stavropol territory. All claims in this category were met either fully or partially. 21. The Russian Government is also making considerable efforts to promote the social and economic development of the Northern Caucasus. 22. A Government commission on social and economic development in the Northern Caucasus federal area was set up under the chairmanship of Mr. Putin, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation. Its work is intended to make the activities of the federal executive authorities, the authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation in the Northern Caucasus federal area and local authorities more effective, and to ensure that coordinated decisions are taken and any potential disagreements are resolved. 23. A federal programme has been adopted for the social and economic development of the Northern Caucasus federal area; it includes a series of wide-ranging measures to build up industry, agriculture, transport, health-care provision, education, culture, sport and tourism. A further federal programme, for the social and economic development of the Chechen Republic for the period 2008–2012, includes reconstruction of the region’s infrastructure, notably its social facilities. 24. In 2011, a budget of 20 billion roubles, including 18.4 billion roubles from the federal budget, was allocated to measures under the programme for the Chechen Republic.