On January 15 the 24th session of the United Nations' Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women began the first of its twice-yearly sessions in UN headquarters in New York — for the next few weeks it will receive and consider reports on countries' records on women's rights and living standards.
The committee monitors the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The convention, which as of December 31 had been ratified or acceded to by 166 countries, requires states to eliminate discrimination against women in the enjoyment of all civil, political, economic and cultural rights.
The 23rd session examined the status of women in countries as diverse as Austria, Romania, Lithuania, Iraq, Cameroon and Cuba. Evaluation reports from the committee were then published which listed the positive aspects of each country's progress and the principal areas of concern, as well as recommendations from the committee.
Comparing the reports for Austria and Cuba, one might expect the former to have made much more headway on the position of women, given its First World status and relative wealth and resources. The results of each investigation, however, showed that Cuba's record of efforts to eradicate gender inequality were far in advance of what would be expected from a poor country in such a difficult economic situation.
The report's coverage of the positive aspects of Austria's progress focused on measures taken to combat violence against women, including domestic violence and trafficking in women. It noted though that gender stereotyping of women as homemakers and child-rearers was still a problem and that a government restructuring of responsibility for discrimination issues would result in a lower priority for women's rights.
Of concern too was the current situation of migrant women, women and girls who are victims of trafficking, the gender segregation of women in low-paid employment, the education levels attained by women and girls, the effect of violence on elderly women and discrimination against women in welfare, especially single women.
Cuba's report on the other hand was heavy on the positives, and comments on the areas of concern were tempered by acknowledgement of the particular hardship the country faces as a result of the 38-year blockade imposed and strictly enforced by the US.
The committee even went so far as to express "its appreciation for the government's political will and commitment to implement the Convention under extremely difficult circumstances".
The committee also pointed out the increase in women's participation rates in employment, in the National Assembly, in technical and professional mid- and higher-level posts (now at 66.1%), and in the judiciary (60%).
High literacy rates for women, favourable indicators on women's health, Cuba's invitation to the Special Rapporteur on violence against women to visit the country in June 1999, and its signing of the Optional Protocol to the convention in March 2000 (which came into force on December 22), were singled out as being of special note.
The Optional Protocol, which John Howard has refused to sign, aims to provide a mechanism for women who are the victims of sex discrimination to take their cases to a UN body if all national avenues for redress have been exhausted. The Optional Protocol also entitles the committee to conduct inquiries into "grave or systematic violations of the Convention".
The areas of concern addressed by the committee included aspects of Cuban culture such as the ongoing effects of a macho culture, which affects men's participation in child rearing and enforces some persistance of gender stereotyping. Even here, though, the committee recognised that the government is undertaking serious measures to address these issues.
The committee also recommended further action on increasing women's participation in employment, wanted more information on statistics on violence against women and on the incidence of prostitution, which it noted was not a crime in Cuba.
The situation for women is not perfect in Cuba, nor is Cuba a perfect society — those are facts readily acknowledged by any Cuban. But eradicating the remnants of sexism, such as macho culture, is an ongoing process involving women and men, the government and all parts of society.
Cuban women enjoy a freedom comparable to very few countries in the world.
BY MARGARET ALLUM