against Women

Fifty-second session

Summary record of the 1044th meeting

Held at Headquarters, New York, on Wednesday, 11 July 2012, at 3 p.m.

Chair:Ms. Pimentel

Contents

Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention (continued)

Combined sixth and seventh periodic reports of Indonesia (continued)

The meeting was called to order at 3 p.m.

Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention (continued)

Sixth and seventh periodic reports of Indonesia (continued) (CEDAW/C/IDN/6-7, CEDAW/C/IDN/Q/6-7 and Add.1)

1.At the invitation of the Chair, the delegation of Indonesia took places at the Committee table.

Articles 1 to 6 (continued)

2.Ms. Sari (Indonesia), responding to questions posed at the previous meeting, said that a dialogue would be held with all stakeholders, including religious leaders and civil society, on the matter of female circumcision and it was hoped that the matter could be resolved in accordance with the Convention’s principles.

3.Mr. Fakrulloh (Indonesia) said that between 2002 and 2009 the Ministry of Home Affairs had reviewed thousands of local by-laws. In 2010 alone, it had reviewed 3,000 by-laws and issued some 400 recommendations for the revision of those found to be problematic. In 2011, the Ministry had reviewed 9,000 by-laws and issued some 350 recommendations. By-laws that were found to be discriminatory were subject to a judicial review, carried out by the Supreme Court, thus ensuring impartiality and independence from political considerations. There was no set time frame for such judicial reviews, but the decisions were published. A by-law had been adopted in the province of Aceh which imposed stoning as a punishment for adultery; however it had not been implemented as it had not been published in the official gazette. The Government was working to eliminate discriminatory by-laws by monitoring and supervising local legislation and requesting clarifications where necessary. It had produced legislative guidelines on women’s rights, based on the Convention and gender mainstreaming and encouraged local authorities to draft legislation that respected and promoted all human rights. There were 50 by-laws that did explicitly promote and protect human rights, such as those that sought to protect victims of trafficking in persons and sexual violence in various provinces.

4.Ms. Danti (Indonesia) said that a bill on gender equality and parliamentary parity, based on the principles of the Convention, was being prepared in conjunction with civil society and should be enacted into law in 2014. It would include special temporary measures, a definition of discrimination and provisions for gender equality in socioeconomic, political, and decision-making positions, as well as for gender mainstreaming, monitoring and budgeting. In reply to the question concerning the criminalization of victims of trafficking, she said that such cases were anomalies and were the result of law enforcement officers’ poor understanding of issues.

5.Ms. Harkrisnowo (Indonesia) said that Indonesian law did not criminalize lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons. Domestic violence was a criminal act, according to article 46 of Act No. 23/2004, which provided that the punishment for such crimes was 12 years imprisonment or a fine of 36 million rupiah. Article 53 of the same Act made marital rape a criminal offence. There was no mediation mechanism in national criminal law in cases of rape. Although it might have happened in practice, it was a violation of the law and any law enforcement officers who were found to have used such methods would be prosecuted.

6.The decision of the Constitutional Court of 2008 that deemed the so-called “zipper system” of closed party lists unconstitutional had nullified the special temporary measure of a 30 per cent quota of women parliamentarians. Only one political party had called for a judicial review because no legal sanctions were in place to penalize parties that failed to comply with the quota. Lastly, article 18 of Act No. 21 of 2007 provided that a “victim [of trafficking] who commits criminal acts after being forced by the person convicted of the criminal act of trafficking in persons shall not be punished”, therefore protecting victims from prosecution.

7.Ms. Sardjunani (Indonesia) said that the Ministry of Social Affairs provided rehabilitation programmes for former prostitutes, including vocational training, and offered grants to enable them to start their own businesses and support from social workers to help them reintegrate into society. In addition, there was a complaints hotline for those prostitutes who had been victimized by their pimps. Local authorities were also working to abolish red light districts.

8.A National AIDS Commission had been established and there were now 33 provincial commissions, together with national and regional action plans. Persons with HIV/AIDS were entitled to free health services and the Government had launched a multi-media awareness-raising campaign to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. Places in sheltered accommodation were available to infected persons who could not live with their families, although the Government's long-term strategy was to enable them to live as normal a life as possible with their families.

Articles 7 to 9

9.Ms. Schultz said that paragraph 53 of the periodic report (CEDAW/C/IDN/6-7) had highlighted the prevailing patriarchal attitudes in the State party. Strong political leadership was therefore needed to introduce temporary special measures and combat gender stereotypes. Although there had been an increase in the number of female parliamentarians between 2004 and 2009, the 30 per cent quota had not had the desired effect, perhaps because the law had no teeth. She asked if the Government planned to make the quota system more effective and introduce sanctions, such as fines or bans, for political parties that failed to comply. The use of electoral lists had been found to be unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court, with parliamentary seats now being awarded to the candidate with the highest number of votes. However, the number of female candidates varied greatly across the country. She welcomed the Government report, but stressed that more concrete steps needed to be taken, such as having more women in charge of parliamentary committees and commissions and ensuring that 30 per cent of the members of those committees and commissions were women. The Government should review different electoral systems, such as the “zebra system” used in Switzerland, before adopting a new one, as it was important to ensure that women were not only put forward as electoral candidates but that they had reasonable chances of becoming members of parliament and local government bodies. While it was unlikely that any temporary special measures would be in place before the next general election in 2014, she asked if the Government intended to strike down those local and provincial by-laws that prevented women from participating in political life. In addition to women members of parliament it was also important to adopt measures and a timetable to ensure the entry of women into the higher echelons of the civil service, judiciary and legislature.

10.Ms. Hayashi asked what the State party intended to do to remedy the situation of the millions of Indonesian children without a birth certificate and the 5 million live births that had not been registered. The Child Protection Act of 2002 required that children must be given an identity from birth; moreover, since 2006 birth certificates had been free of charge. In addition to national legislation, some 280 districts had enacted by-laws guaranteeing free birth certificates, yet it was unclear whether all women could obtain a free birth certificate for their children, even in areas where no local rules had been adopted. It also appeared that mothers who were unable to provide a marriage certificate could not be issued a birth certificate for their children. As the wedding ceremonies of some minority religious groups were not officially recognized, many women did not have a marriage certificate. What measures was the Government adopting to ensure that women from all religious and social groups were able to obtain both certificates?

11.Mr. Fakrulloh (Indonesia) said that the Government was continuing to strive to achieve the 30 per cent quota for women in Parliament, but that many voters were unaware of the quota. It was therefore important to empower women candidates and encourage voters to elect more women. There were now two parliamentary commissions headed by women and as more women were elected it was hoped that figure would improve.

12.Ms. Danti (Indonesia) said that the Government had adopted a number of measures to increase the number women representatives within the executive, notably, gender mainstreaming through the Ministry for the Utilization of State Apparatus, and gender equality and mainstreaming training programmes aimed at civil society, with the aim of institutionalizing those norms. Affirmative action provisions contained in the new bill on elections and party lists, which stipulated that women must represent 30 per cent of the executive board and candidates on party lists, including at the top of the electoral lists, should have a positive effect.

13.Ms. Sari (Indonesia) said that the Ministries of Home Affairs, Education, Health, Foreign Affairs and Law and Human Rights had been leading efforts since 2010 to ensure that certificates were issued more quickly. Birth certificates were free as long as the birth was registered in the first 60 days and certificates could be issued after that time, regardless of the age of the child. The Supreme Court was working with the Ministry to facilitate the registration of births by sending judges to remote areas.

14.Mr. Fakrulloh (Indonesia) said that, in an effort to speed up the process, a number of circuit courts had been set up since 2010. The religious courts had received some 25,000 requests for marriage certificates, which would facilitate the issuance of a birth certificate for a child. The Ministry of Home Affairs was coordinating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to implement mechanisms for the legalization of marriages of migrant workers overseas so that children born to those workers could be issued a birth certificate. The Ministry of Home Affairs encouraged provincial authorities to distribute free registration forms widely.

Articles 10 to 14

15.Ms. Acar said that she welcomed the news that 20 per cent of the State budget would be allocated to education. However, despite free primary education, the main reason given for girls dropping out of school was family financial difficulties. She asked what contribution families were still expected to make towards the cost of their children’s education. Parity had almost been attained at the primary level; however, she wondered if the figures related to enrolment alone or included attendance. Many girls continued to drop out of school to go to work or marry or were excluded if they became pregnant. She asked what steps the Government was taking to ensure that early marriage and pregnancy did not have a detrimental effect on girls’ education. Gender parity also existed in madrasa education, but she wondered what skills such an education offered girls and whether it led to higher financial and social status for girls in later life. Although on average, girls performed better than boys at school, it was unclear if that translated into higher-salary jobs for girls in the future. Students at vocational schools tended to divide along gender lines and follow stereotypical areas of study. She asked if those skills led to upward social and financial mobility for young women. Lastly, she asked if domestic workers had access to education.

16.Ms. Patten welcomed the recent ratification of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Their Families and asked if Indonesia intended to ratify International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions No. 143 on migrant workers, No. 97 on migration for employment, No. 189 on domestic workers and No. 181 on private employment agencies. Act No. 39/2004 on the placement and protection of migrant workers abroad included provisions for a 200-hour training session to be given by private training and recruitment agencies; it appeared, however, that the law was poorly enforced. She asked how the law was monitored and enforced, what sanctions were in place, and whether the content of those training courses was also monitored to ensure that workers were informed of their rights. A number of memoranda of understanding had been established with destination countries of Indonesian migrants; she asked for the details of those agreements. She asked if there was a timeframe in place for the adoption of the new law on domestic workers, and if it would fill the gaps identified in the 2003 Act, such as the lack of an explicit definition of discrimination in employment.

17.Statistics had shown that the gender pay gap had decreased significantly between 2004 and 2008; however, recent data had shown an increase of 5.4 per cent, particularly in the wages of professionals and technical workers. She asked what steps were being taken to ensure that women received equal remuneration for work of equal value. Lastly, she noted that the equal opportunities task force, established in 2005, appeared to have lost momentum since 2007 and asked what was being done to revive it.

18.Ms. Jahan said that it was vital for national legislation to be harmonized with the newly ratified Migrant Workers Convention. Enforcement was difficult if the host country was not a party to that Convention; the Indonesian Government should be proactive in helping migrant workers before their departure and upon their return, rather than leaving that task in the hands of profit-making recruitment agencies. The presidential task force had called for a moratorium on sending Indonesian migrants as domestic workers to the Middle East until legal guarantees were in place to ensure their protection; she asked what guarantees had been stipulated. She expressed concern at a possible increase in illegal recruitment if the destination country or recruitment agency refused to comply and asked how the Government was monitoring the situation.

19.Ms. Rasekh said that although the national health budget had increased in recent years, the situation on the ground had not improved. It appeared that on average the State spent between US $30 and $40 per capita each year, which was extremely low. She asked if the apparent discrepancy was the result of corruption and what steps were being taken to improve the transparency and accountability of health authorities. The national health insurance programme covered pre- and postnatal and birthing costs; however, as private health care was increasingly replacing public provisions, she questioned whether that insurance was available to all women and accepted by all hospitals. Given that the maternal mortality rates had not changed in recent years according to data published by the Ministry of Health, she asked what steps the Government had taken to identify the root causes and to address the problem. As maternal deaths were largely attributable to a lack of or minimal family planning services she asked whether the Government intend to increase and improve such services. Statistics had also shown that five times more housewives than sex workers were infected with HIV/AIDS. Preventative measures to stop the spread of the disease should therefore be taken as a matter of urgency. There was also evidence of discrimination by health service providers in the province of Papua towards patients infected with HIV/AIDS.

20.She noted that abortion was legal in the first six weeks of gestation in cases of rape or where pregnancy posed a high risk to the health of the mother. What provisions were in place after that period, or were women expected to face the consequences of the pregnancy or take the risk of an unsafe abortion? There was also no reference in the legislation to victims of incest. She asked if those women could have an abortion or whether the Government adopted the same line as the Ulema Council and prohibited terminations in such cases on the understanding that any children could be cared for by the family. Lastly, she noted that since 2010, female genital mutilation could be legally performed by a medical doctor and while that may be an attempt to prevent unsafe circumcisions, it merely served to legitimize the practice in contradiction to the Convention. She asked what percentage of the Muslim population believed that female genital mutilation was a religious duty and what steps were being taken to change those attitudes.

21.Ms. Hayashi said that article 13 was of particular significance to a country such as Indonesia, which was proud of its rich multicultural, multi-ethnic and multi-faith society. She asked how the Government protected, promoted and ensured the rights of women from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. She was concerned by the findings of the National Commission for the Eradication of Violence against Women and various NGOs regarding the violence and harassment against minority religious groups, particularly the Ahmadiyya, and asked when the Indonesian Government intended to invite the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief to visit, a request that the Human Rights Council had made some time ago.

22.Research by the National Commission for the Eradication of Violence against Women had also shown that land traditionally owned by the indigenous population was rich in natural resources, which had sometimes resulted in conflict and corruption. Papuan women, many of whom were living in poverty, were particularly affected. She asked for details of concrete policies that had been adopted to integrate minority women into the local decision-making processes and to secure their rights, including land and property rights.

23.Ms. Zou Xiaoquio asked how the Government guaranteed the integration of a gender perspective into programmes to eradicate poverty, what steps had been taken to ensure that poor rural women benefited from those programmes and if a mechanism was in place to oversee their implementation. As the report did not provide any statistics to show if there had been any changes in poverty levels, she asked whether the delegation could supply that data.

24.Enquiring about the phased redistribution of land referred to in paragraph 178 of the report, she asked whether women and men had enjoyed the same access to ownership rights during that process and what was the percentage of women and men who owned land. In general, women’s right to own land was not widely recognized because of local cultural values. The Government helped to preserve such gender injustices by putting only the name of the husband on land titles and preventing women from participating in consultations concerning the disposal of public land. She asked whether training courses had been conducted on gender equality and gender perspectives among Government officials and community leaders.

25.A policy to ensure that at least 30 per cent of the participants in village development planning consultation forums were women had proven to be ineffective because women lacked the necessary skills and knowledge to be able to participate. She asked what measures encouraged women's participation and whether specific capacity-building training courses were offered to those women.

26.Ms. Sardjunani (Indonesia) said that equal access to quality education was provided to girls and boys from all segments of the population and there were affirmative action policies to ensure access by the poor. In 2010 the Ministry of Education had implemented a gender mainstreaming policy, which had led to increased participation of girls and boys at all levels of education, particularly in the 7-12 age group, where enrolment in schools was close to 100 per cent. The Government granted a significant number of scholarships, to approximately 15 per cent of the total number of students, and allocated a large budget to assist in the operation of primary and junior secondary schools, whether public, private or madrassas. There was also a conditional cash transfer programme that enabled low-income families to send their children to school.

27.Parity in education was measured by calculating the gross and net enrolment rates at all levels of education. With regard to dropout rates, almost 80 per cent of cases were motivated by economic reasons. To remedy that, the Government conducted a series of campaigns to raise awareness that basic education was compulsory for all children in Indonesia and had also implemented a retrieval programme to encourage dropouts to return to the system. Starting in 2013, a new policy on universal senior secondary education would be introduced which would also reduce dropouts from junior secondary education and because of early marriage.

28.Madrassas followed the same basic curriculum as general education institutions, with the added component of Islamic education. Vocational training was not widely offered in madrassas but only in a few operated by pesantren.

29.Though the gender mainstreaming policy had been in place for more than a decade, there remained a self-selection and gender bias in vocational education. Consequently, the Government had opened all areas of skills training to both girls and boys and was working closely with the Chamber of Commerce to improve the living standards of graduates of vocational institutes by enhancing the relevance of such training to respond to labour market needs. Access to education for domestic workers was not yet mandatory, but there had been cases in which employers had allowed them to receive formal education up to the senior secondary level. There were also equivalency programmes up to the senior education level.

30.Ms. Danti (Indonesia) said that the Government had undertaken training programmes and an improved system of protection mechanisms to reduce the illegal employment of migrant workers. It had also evaluated the existing migrant worker agencies, finding that 130 out of 570 agencies had violated recruitment and placement regulations. The Ministry of Labour and Transmigration was also in the process of prosecuting blacklisted agencies.

31.The Government had signed a memorandum of understanding with Malaysia under which migrant workers did not have to relinquish their passports and were entitled to one rest day per week and the minimum wage. A call centre had also been established under the special agency for the placement and protection of Indonesian Workers with a hotline for migrant workers available day and night.

32.The Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection had also signed a memorandum of understanding on gender mainstreaming with the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, which had put in place equal employment opportunity and gender mainstreaming policies.

33.Ms. Koemara Sakti (Indonesia) said that the Ministry of Health continued to try to increase the health budget and to eliminate corruption and was working with the State Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP) to provide social insurance. All services were covered by social health insurance, including pre- and postnatal care and family planning, which extended to all provinces. In efforts to reduce the maternal mortality rate, the Ministry had undertaken a number of measures to ensure access to childbirth services in health facilities by providing maternity insurance to 7 million pregnant women — not just poor women — which covered prenatal services, delivery, postnatal complications and post-partum family planning services. The service was a continuum of care, with the Government and private sector working together to provide and improve the quality of family planning services even in remote areas.

34.Indonesian legislation recognized that abortion could be performed only in emergency medical situations in which the life of the mother was threatened. The Ministry of Health would draft regulations on reproductive health, which would deal with the issues of abortion for rape victims and in medical emergencies.

35.Mr. Fakrulloh (Indonesia) said that, with regard to the Ahmadiyah followers, the fulfilment and protection of human rights, particularly religious freedom, were explicitly guaranteed under articles 28 (e) and 29 of the Constitution and under article 22 of Law No. 39 of 1999 on human rights. Each citizen was free to choose his or her own religion, and consequently, all sects and faiths were recognized. All religions were protected under Law No. 1 of 1965 on Prevention from Abuse and/or Defamation of Religions. While freedom of religion was guaranteed, its implementation must comply with what was enshrined in the Constitution and the laws of the land.

36.Mr. Anshor (Indonesia) said that while Indonesia attached great importance to the two ILO conventions concerning migrant workers, they were not on the list of instruments to be ratified because the norms and standards therein had already been integrated in the United Nations International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, to which Indonesia had acceded recently.

37.He confirmed the request by the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief to conduct a field visit; it was under consideration by the relevant authorities as the logistical support required to receive Special Procedures mandate holders had to be taken into account. Three mandate holders had already been invited during 2012: the Special Rapporteurs on freedom of expression, on adequate housing and on the right to health.

38.Ms. Kolibonso (Indonesia), regarding gender mechanisms for poor rural women, said that there was a programme to increase the economic productivity of women, with coordination at the central Government level through a forum for officials working in women’s empowerment, family planning services and other relevant sectors. Similar schemes were in place at local government levels, allowing for an exchange of information between the centrally- and locally run programmes as to the needs of poor communities. A number of the programmes cited in the report, such as the independent village model or the community empowerment programme, specifically geared towards low-income areas, were implemented by all relevant ministries, but coordinated at the local level by the Ministry of Home Affairs to ensure their adaptation at village level.

39.The Ministry of Women’s Empowerment collaborated with the national land agency to address land ownership for women. Following the tsunami, cooperation with the local land agency had enabled women in Aceh and Sumatra to be given ownership of the land that had belonged to their husbands. The same applied in other areas affected by natural disasters or conflict. Land agencies collected data and could deliver title deeds to rightful owners. Staff members at national land agencies were given training in gender mainstreaming and therefore took the interests of both men and women into account.

40.Participation of rural women in development consultative forums was indeed low because they did not understand how to get involved. Consequently the coordinating ministry, the Ministry of Social Welfare, had adopted a policy to give special treatment to women by allocating specific discussion time for women’s issues in the forum. Twenty per cent of the development plans approved by the Government were gender-related.

Articles 15 and 16

41.Ms. Halperin-Kaddari said that no reservations had been issued on ratification of the Convention, yet the normative framework governing family relations — such as the inability for Muslims to choose civil and marriage or divorce — was far from being in line with article 16 or with general recommendation No. 21 on equality in marriage. She asked whether any progress had been made in the revision of the law governing marriage and whether there was any prospect of allowing civil marriages and divorces. Sharia courts had exclusive jurisdiction over personal status laws and she wondered which of the laws used to hand down rulings were written and which were unwritten. She asked whether it was possible for those courts to have female judges and requested information with regard to the number of female lawyers, the provision legal aid for women in divorce proceedings, and gender sensitization for judges in those courts. The report and answers to the list of issues had focused mainly on domestic violence, but that was not the only measure of equality in family relations and marriage. Were second wives, women in unregistered marriages, or women in interfaith marriages protected or their rights guaranteed? She asked what plans there were to address issues previously raised in the Committee and other treaty bodies such as ongoing discriminatory norms relating to underage marriages, polygamy and the maintenance of gender-specific roles, and what the time frame was for amending the law on marriage. The issue of distribution of property upon divorce had not been addressed and more specific information on that issue and on inheritance rights for wives and for girls would be welcome.

42.Ms. Harkrisnowo (Indonesia) said that the Government was trying to revise the current legislation on marriage as it was still perceived to give unequal rights to husbands and wives. It had taken a number of significant measures to provide justice for women, especially Muslim women. In 2009, the Government had legalized the right of women to file for divorce in religious courts free of charge. In addition, the religious courts had recently been mandated to legalize common-law marriages. The new mechanism allowed the religious courts to confer legal status to the 90 per cent of women who did not possess marriage certificates. The law on marriage was currently under discussion in Parliament both in formal and informal meetings, which was indicative of its importance.

43.Individuals were free to bring divorce proceedings either before regular courts or religious courts and to decide on the division of property acquired during marriage. The Supreme Court had ruled that property must be distributed equally after a divorce, but some parties opted to follow sharia law. That also held true with regard to inheritance, which, under Islamic law, was twice as high for boys. Again, parties could choose to settle inheritance matters among themselves or before the religious court.

44.Ms. Danti (Indonesia) said that the marriage law was already listed under the Parliament’s national legislative programme, and it was hoped that it would be discussed before 2014. In the interim, the Ministry of Religious Affairs had taken several measures to increase understanding of gender equality in marriage, including workshops and socialization modules on harmonious families with equality perspectives. The values of gender equality were not inculcated formally, through laws and legislative reform, but rather through the family, to bring about social and cultural transformation towards the understanding of a more gender-responsive community.

45.Ms. Hayashi, raising the issue of women in detention, said that alternative sources had reported that violence was directed against women in detention facilities, who were sexually harassed by guards and other inmates. Noting that there were no specific provisions in domestic law to provide separate facilities for women detainees, she asked what action the Government had taken on that matter.

46.Ms. Rasekh reiterated her question on the legality of abortion after six weeks of gestation, noting that three months were required for congenital abnormalities to be identified in foetuses. Furthermore there were discriminatory provisions in the health legislation, which required a woman to have her husband’s permission to have an abortion. She asked what happened in the case of women in high-risk pregnancies whose husbands were not present. She also reiterated her earlier questions with regard to incest and female genital mutilation, particularly Government action to change attitudes to the latter.

47.Ms. Murillo de la Vega said that alternative sources had reported that domestic workers worked 16-18 hours a day without rest days; she asked whether there were any mechanisms for inspection in homes of employers. Act No. 92 on social security provided for coverage for heads of household, but she would like to know whether working women were automatically entitled to coverage. The delegation should clarify reports by alternative sources which indicated that widows had difficulty entering the workforce since they were required to produce several certificates and attestations, including testimonies from neighbours. Lastly, she asked if the Government had any plans to remedy the inequality which saw only 10 per cent of women in decision-making positions across all sectors of activity, whether public or private.

48.Ms. Jahan asked whether sexual harassment, including in the workplace, was prohibited by law and sanctioned accordingly. If not, did the State party envisage criminalizing it?

49.Ms. Harkrisnowo (Indonesia) said that while the law clearly stipulated that male and female detainees must be separated, the limited number of detention facilities and lack of funding meant that separate facilities could not be established. Women were detained in separate cells or blocks, however. Indonesia tried to follow the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and was revising Act No. 12 of 1995. Training was also being conducted for prison wardens to provide human-rights-oriented services for women detainees.

50.Ms. Koemara Sakti (Indonesia) said that in accordance with article 76 of Act No. 36 of 1999, abortion could be carried out from the first day to the sixth week of pregnancy, except in the case of a medical emergency which threatened the life of mother. In chapter 4 of article 75, the stipulation of what constituted a medical emergency would be regulated by the Government decree that was being discussed in the Ministry of Health.

51.Ms. Sari (Indonesia), on the subject of female genital mutilation, said that the Government had planned to facilitate consultation with stakeholders, including religious leaders and members of civil society, in an attempt to find common ground; it was hoped that the issue could be addressed to be in line with the principles of the Convention.

52.Ms. Danti (Indonesia) said that both the Parliament and Government were currently discussing a bill to regulate domestic work, which was important for protecting the rights of workers at the national level. In addition to parliamentary hearings with civil society, the Government supported the recently adopted ILO Convention No. 189 concerning decent work for domestic workers, which had become a useful reference for the strengthening of the bill. That bill was also scheduled on the 2010-2014 national legislation programme. The Ministry of Labour and Transmigration had produced guidelines for the elimination of sexual harassment in the workplace, which were currently being distributed to stakeholders. She confirmed that female-headed households had equal access to a range of Government programmes in Indonesia.

53.Ms. Sari (Indonesia) said that the constructive dialogue with the Committee had been a unique opportunity for Indonesia to take stock of all efforts undertaken thus far to advance the implementation of the Convention and to identify areas where efforts must be concentrated and strengthened. Indonesia welcomed the recognition of the progress made in the areas covered by the Convention and valued highly the interest and the concerns expressed by members of the Committee regarding the situation of women's rights, and also welcomed the encouragement to make further progress and to address any gaps and shortcomings in the implementation of the Convention.

54.As a multicultural, multi-religious and multi-ethnic nation which took pride in its deep-rooted culture and history, Indonesia was strongly committed to continuing its efforts to create a favourable environment in which women's rights were fully respected. Consequently, gender mainstreaming and gender equality would always be at the top of the national development agenda.

The meeting rose at 5.15 p.m.