Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women
Exceptional session
5-23 August 2002Draft report
Rapporteur: Ms. Rosalyn Hazelle
Consideration of reports of States parties
Guatemala
Combined third and fourth, and fifth pe riodic reports1. The Committee considered the combined third and fourth report and the fifth periodic reports of Guatemala (CEDAW/C/GUA/3-4 and CEDAW/C/GUA/5) at its 577th and 578th meetings, on 12 August 2002 (see CEDAW/C/SR.577 and 578).
(a) Introduction by State party
2. A1 presentar los informes periódicos, la representante de Guatemala apunto que si bien persistían obstáculos indudables, se habían realizado importantes avances en el país, en particular, los relativos a la salud reproductiva de las mujeres, la mujer rural en el marco de la estrategia de reducción de la pobreza y desarrollo rural, siendo la participación política incipiente.
3. En la esfera legal, la representante señalo que la igualdad entre mujeres y hombres, quedaba consagrada en la Constitución, así como la preeminencia de las Convenciones y Tratados Internacionales sobre el derecho interno y en este sentido, destaco la ratificación del Protocolo Facultativo a la Convención en el año 2001, y la aprobación de leyes tales como: Ley para Prevenir, Sancionar y Erradicar la Violencia Intrafamiliar, Ley de Dignificacion y Promoción de la Mujer, Política de Promoción y Desarrollo de las Mujeres Guatemaltecas y Plan de Equidades 2001-2006, Ley y Política de Desarrollo Social y Población, Ley de Consejos de Desarrollo Urbano y Rural y Código Municipal.
4. A pesar de 1a mayor visibilización de la condición de opresión de las mujeres en el ámbito legal, la representante de Guatemala, apunto como obstáculos permanentes en este sentido, el desconocimiento de las normativas y la debilidad del sistema judicial en el país. En este contexto, la representante de Guatemala, enumero diversas propuestas de reformas a los Códigos Laboral, Civil y Penal, que incluían medidas de protección de la maternidad y del acoso sexual, la tipificacion del delito de violencia contra la mujer y la ampliación de penas establecidas para la trata de personas, la inducción y el reclutamiento para la prostitucion, la discriminación, y en especial, la propuesta de reforma a la Ley Electoral y de Partidos Políticos, donde se establece el sistema de cuotas.
5. En lo que refiere a los mecanismos institucionales, la representante de Guatemala, resalto la. existencia de la Secretaria Presidencial de la Mujer (SEPREM) y la Defensoria de la Mujer Indígena adscrita a la Comisión Presidencial de los Derechos Humanos (COPREDEH), destacando asimismo la existencia de órganos específicos de control tanto a nivel político como juridico-administrativo y especialmente el establecimiento de la Coordinadora Nacional de Prevención de la Violencia Intrafamiliar y contra la Mujer (CONAPREVI) encargada de coordinar el trabajo de prevención contra la violencia a nivel gubernamental y de la sociedad civil. No obstante, la representante apunto que la escasez de recursos humanos formados en áreas especializadas y la debilidad en la articulación de los mecanismos nacionales constituían importantes dificultades que estaban siendo abordadas.
6. En el área de la educación, la representante de Guatemala, indico que el Estado garantizaba la igualdad de oportunidades en la concesión de becas y créditos educativos. Asimismo, destaco la aprobación de la Ley de Dignificacion y Promoción de la Mujer, para incorporar los derechos específicos de la mujer en la curricula, becas para mujeres y
medidas especificas para mujeres que abandonaban sus estudios, así como la creación de la Subcomisión de Genero en la Comisión Consultiva para la Reforma Educativa en el 2001. Como cambios significativos en este ámbito, la representante de Guatemala subrayo el incremento de la cobertura educativa en las niñas la implementacion de diversas acciones afirmativas y la propuesta de elaboración de un programa de ostalfabetizacion con temas de salud reproductiva.7. En el área de la salud, la representante menciono los progresos realizados con la puesta en marcha de diversos programas, entre ellos, el Programa de Salud Reproductiva dentro del cual funciona el programa de Salud Integral de la Niñez y la Adolescencia con especial atención a la Mujer Indígena, el Programa de Atención Post-Aborto a nivel hospitalario, y de atenci6n al VIH/SIDA., así como las normas de atención de violencia intrafamiliar en el marco de un sistema integrado de salud y la creación de la Red de Paternidad Responsable. La representante de Guatemala añadió que si bien la tendencia observada era la disminución de la tasa de fecundidad, existía todavía una atención fragmentada de la salud de las mujeres, así como la falta de articulación de las problemáticas de la violencia contra la mujer y la salud.
8. La representante de Guatemala destaco igualmente que en el ámbito laboral, la normativa actual garantizaba el trabajo de las mujeres y hombres en condiciones de igualdad, incluyendo la ampliación de la licencia post-parto, la prohibición de despido de mujeres embarazadas o en periodo de lactancia, así como el acceso a empleos no tradicionales. La representante subrayo como cambios significativos la capacitaci6n de as mujeres trabajadoras sobre sus derechos y mecanismos de denuncia, así como la coordinación tripartita interinstitucional para la promoción y defensa de los derechos laborales de las mujeres, el cual se había constituido en un importante espacio de interlocucion entre la sociedad civil y el Estado.
9. Respecto a la problemática de la Mujer Rural, la representante de Guatemala destaco, entre otras, La Ley y Política de Desarrollo Social y Población y la Ley de Consejos de Desarrollo Urbano y Rural mediante las cuales se intentaba asegurar la participación. De las mujeres en la formulación de políticas de esarrollo, el acceso de las mismas a los bienes productivos, dotar de servicios básicos de infraestructura en las áreas de mayor pobreza y ejecutar y promover el Programa de Salud Reproductiva. La representante señalo como cambios importantes en el área, la implementacion de acciones afirmativas para la educación de las niñas rurales, la tendencia ascendente en el acceso al crédito y el avance cuantitativo y cualitativo de las mujeres en los procesos de participación.
(b) Concluding comments of the Committee
Introduction
10. The Committee commends the State party for its combined third and fourth, and fifth periodic reports. It also commends the State party for the written replies to the questions of the Committee's pre-session working group. The Committee notes, however, that the reports were not drafted in accordance with the Committee's guidelines for the preparation of periodic reports.
11. The Committee congratulates the State party on the high-level delegation, headed by the Presidential Secretary for Women and including officials from various branches of the Government. The Committee appreciates the oral presentation of the delegation and open and informative dialogue that took place between the delegation and the members of the Committee and which sought to clarify the current situation of women in Guatemala and provided additional information on the implementation of the Convention. The Committee commends the State party on its political will to implement the Convention in difficult circumstances of post-conflict reconstruction and shortage of resources.
Positive aspects
12. The Committee commends the State party for its ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on 9 May 2002 and the acceptance of the amendment to article 20, paragraph 1, of the Convention on the Committee's meeting time on 3 June 1999. 13. The Committee welcomes the efforts made by the State party to implement the Convention, as reflected in a range of laws, institutions, policies and programmes to address discrimination against women in Guatemala. The Committee particularly notes and commends the promulgation of the Act on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Domestic Violence and the inclusion of a definition of discrimination in the Act on Dignity and Integral Promotion of Women of 1999.
14. The Committee commends the State party for involving women in the negotiation of the peace accords and for ensuring the incorporation of gender issues in the various components of those accords.
15. The Committee commends the State party for the steps taken to introduce coownership and the positive measures in granting housing subsidies to female-headed households.
Principal areas of concern and recommendations
16. Although the existence of numerous national mechanisms at various levels is a positive step towards institutionalizing women's rights and gender mainstreaming, the Committee expresses concern at the apparent lack of coordination amongst them. The Committee also notes that the State party's reports were unclear about the mandate and levels of authority and resources (both financial and human) invested in each of those bodies.
17. The Committee recommends that the State party review and assess coordination amongst its existing institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women and provide them with the necessary financial and human resources for the sustainability of the programmes initiated and include in the next report clearer information on this issue.
18. The Committee expresses concern that, while the State party's reports and its oral presentation contained extensive information on programmes and measures introduced for the development and advancement of women on the basis of equal opportunity, very little information was provided on the impact of those programmes and measures.
19. The Committee calls upon the State party to evaluate the impact of existing programmes and measures for the advancement of wome n and to include information on the results of such evaluations in its next report.
20. The Committee notes with concern that, while the Constitution refers to the principle of equality, the terms "equity" and "equality" appear to be used synonymously in the State party's reports and programmes.
21. The Committee calls upon the State party to recognize that the terms "equity" and "equality" are not synonymous and interchangeable and that the Convention is aimed at the elimination of discrimination against women and ensuring equality of women and men.
22. The Committee expresses concern about the ambiguity of laws dealing with prostitution, particularly child prostitution, which prohibit but do not establish sanctions commensurate with the gravity of the offences. It is further concerned about the high level of child prostitution and sexual exploitation of minors.
23. The Committee recommends that the State party review existing legislation relating to the criminalization of child prostitution and sexual exploitation of minors and take steps to implement its National Plan of Action against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents in Guatemala.
24. The Committee expresses concern that, while the human rights of women are explicitly recognized in a number of laws, there does not appear to be wide awareness among women of their rights under these laws or the means by which those laws can be enforced. The Committee notes that, despite the introduction of protections and social security rights in the area of labour, including domestic workers and those working in the maquila industries, this legislation is not complied with or enforced and that some employees in this industry require women seeking employment to undergo pregnancy tests. The Committee notes that non-enforcement of such labour legislation constitutes "discrimination of effect" as defined in article 1 of the Convention.
25. The Committee calls upon the State party to ensure that State authorities implement all current legislation concerning women's human rights, in particular labour legislation through proactive investigations of alleged violations of female workers' rights and take measures to strengthen the enforcement powers of labour inspection authorities. The Committee further urges the State party to take appropriate measures, including the promotion of stronger private sector codes of conduct, to ensure compliance with existing legislation, in particular with regard to the rights of women enshrined in the Convention, which forms part of Guatemalan law. The Committee also calls upon the State party to take steps to raise awareness among women of their legal rights and the means by which those rights can be enforced.
26. While the Committee welcomes the development by the National Office for Women's Affairs of a methodology for eliminating sexual stereotypes in teaching materials and school textbooks, and the creation of a multisectoral commission for the application of the methodology, it expresses concern at the persistence of stereotypes concerning the role of women in the family and society. It notes that those stereotypes are particularly strong within the indigenous population. The Committee is also concerned that, notwithstanding the various efforts being made to achieve equality between women and men through legislative reform, the execution of gender-sensitive programmes, the training of officials and the creation of national machineries, the persistence of such stereotypes will impede the advancement of women in Guatemala, in particular among indigenous women, and the enjoyment of their human rights.
27. The Committee urges the State party to make the raising of awareness among the general public of the rights of women a priority in its strategy for the advancement of women by building upon existing me dia campaigns and introducing new awareness-raising and education campaigns on various women's human rights issues. Such campaigns must target men as well as women at all levels of society, in particular among the indigenous population.
28. Although recognizing the introduction of temporary special measures for the advancement of women in the area of education, the Committee notes the reduced participation of women in political activities, in particular the minimum participation in the Congress and at decision-making levels in both the public and the private sectors.
29. The Committee recommends that the State party strengthen current measures and adopt and implement further measures in accordance with article 4.1 of the Convention to promote women's participation in public and political life in Guatemala, in particular by promoting the adoption of the proposed quota system for women candidates in the next five federal elections, offering or supporting programmes for current and future women leaders and undertaking awarenessraising campaigns on the importance of women's participation in decision-making aimed at decision makers in both the public and private sectors.
30. The Committee expresses concern about the high rate of infant and maternal mortality in Guatemala.
31. The Committee recommends that the State party make every effort to increase access to health-care facilities and medical assistance by trained personnel, particularly in rural areas and especially in the areas of pre- and post-natal care.
32. The Committee also expresses concern about the limited autonomy that women have over decisions on the number and spacing of their children, and the limited sex education and knowledge of family planning. The Committee is also concerned about prevalent social attitudes that measure a man's masculinity by the number of children he fathers.
33. The Committee calls upon the State party to improve its family planning and reproductive health policy and programmes by, inter alia, making affordable contraceptive means widely available and accessible to both women and men, in particular in the rural areas. It encourages the State party to redouble its efforts to eliminate the view that the sole role of women is reproduction, as stated in its combined third and fourth periodic report.
34. The Committee expresses concern about the disparity between the legal age of marriage for girls and boys, which is discriminatory. The Committee notes with concern that the minimum age at which a girl can legally contract matrimony - 14 years, is too low and can impact negatively on their health and impede their education.
35. The Committee urges the State party to take steps to remove the disparity in the legal age of marriage of women and men, and take measures to raise the minimum age of marriage for girls in line with article 1 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which defines a child as being below the age of 18, and the provision on child marriage in article 16, paragraph 2, of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The Committee urges the State party to develop awareness campaigns on the negative implications of early marriage on the health and education of girls.
36. The Committee notes with concern the persistence of illiteracy among women in Guatemala, particularly among the indigenous population.
37. The Committee calls on the State party to enhance its efforts to combat illiteracy, especially in the rural areas and among indigenous people, and to develop more programmes to address illiteracy among adult women.
38. The Committee expresses concern about the lack of information provided in the State party's reports and oral presentation about the number and the levels of women in the academic field and the distribution among different disciplines.
39. The Committee calls upon the State party to include specific information in its next report on these issues.
40. The Committee notes with concern the high incidence of child labour in Guatemala, in particular among girls, and its implications for their personal development and enjoyment of the right to education and health care.
41. The Committee urges the State party to take steps to ensure that all children, especially girls, have access to basic education, health care and the protection of minimum labour standards elaborated by the International Labour Organization.
42. The Committee notes with concern that the Guatemalan health care system has no mental health programme specifically for women. It is also concerned about the lack of information on the incidence and possible impact of drug and substance abuse on women in Guatemala.
43. The Committee recommends that the State party take steps to introduce a mental health care programme for women, particularly in view of the specific traumas suffered by women in conflict situations, such as that which took place in Guatemala for more than 30 years. The Committee also calls upon the State party to include in their next report information on the incidence and possible effects of drug and substance abuse among women in Guatemala.
44. Taking into account the gender dimensions of declarations, programmes and platforms for action adopted by relevant United Nations conferences, summits and special sessions of review (such as the special session of the General Assembly to review and appraise the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (the twenty-first special session), the special session on children (the twenty-seventh special session), the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance and the Second World Assembly on Ageing), the State party should include information on the implementation of those aspects of these documents relating to relevant articles of the Convention in the light of the subjects dealt with in these meetings.
45. The Committee requests the Government to respond to the concerns expressed in these concluding comments in its next periodic report under article 18 of the Convention.
46. The Committee requests the wide dissemination in Guatemala of the present concluding comments in order to make the people of Guatemala, and particularly government administrators and politicians, aware of the steps that have been taken to ensure de jure and de facto equality for women and the future steps required in that regard. It also requests the Government to continue to disseminate widely, in particular to women's and human rights organizations, the Convention and its Optional Protocol, the Committee's general recommendations, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the results of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, entitled "Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century".
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