List of issues and questions in relation to the sixth periodic report of Uzbekistan *

Visibility of the Convention

1.With reference to the previous recommendations of the Committee (CEDAW/C/UZB/CO/5, para. 8), please provide information on the impact of the awareness-raising activities targeting government officials and the judiciary. Please indicate whether the Convention has been invoked in court proceedings and provide information on the number, nature and outcome of relevant cases.

2.Please describe the impact of the measures taken (CEDAW/C/UZB/6, paras. 28–33 and 68) on women’s awareness of the Convention, including in rural and remote areas, and on their ability to report cases of discrimination against women and access justice and legal aid. Please provide information on the implementation of the presidential decree of 9 January 2019 on radically improving the system to raise legal awareness in society (para. 36) insofar as women’s rights are concerned, and indicate how its impact is monitored.

Impact of the pandemic on women’s rights and gender equality

3.Please indicate measures implemented by the State party in the context of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic to redress long-standing inequalities between women and men by placing women at the centre of the recovery as an economic diversification strategy; to meet the needs and uphold the rights of women and girls, including those belonging to disadvantaged and marginalized groups and women in conflict or other humanitarian situations; and to ensure that lockdown measures, whether partial or total, and post-crisis recovery plans do not see women and girls relegated to stereotyped gender roles. Please indicate measures in place to ensure that all COVID-19 crisis response and recovery efforts: (a) address and are aimed effectively at preventing gender-based violence against women and girls; (b) guarantee that women and girl have equal participation in political and public life, decision-making, economic empowerment and service delivery; and (c) seek to ensure that women and girls benefit equally from stimulus packages, including financial support for unpaid care roles, that are aimed at mitigating the socioeconomic impact of the pandemic. Please explain how the State party is ensuring that measures taken to contain the pandemic, such as restrictions on freedom of movement or physical distancing, do not limit access by women and girls, including those from disadvantaged and marginalized groups, to justice, shelters, education, employment and health care, including sexual and reproductive health services.

Definition of non-discrimination

4.Please indicate how the State party plans to incorporate into national legislation, including the Act on the Guarantees of Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men (2019), a definition of discrimination against women that prohibits direct and indirect discrimination in the public and private spheres, including intersecting forms of discrimination, in accordance with articles 1 and 2 of the Convention, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

National machinery for the advancement of women

5.Please indicate how the mandates of the Gender Equality Commission (para. 37), the Committee on Women and Gender Equality (para. 30) and the Ministry of Mahalla and Family Support correlate; which body is responsible for coordinating the implementation of the Convention; and whether the human, technical and financial resources allocated to each of them are commensurate with their respective mandates. Please specify the number, nature and outcome of petitions and appeals considered by these bodies (paras. 30 and 37).

6.Please describe how the action plan on the implementation of the Committee’s previous concluding observations (CEDAW/C/UZB/CO/5) was monitored and evaluated. Please also report on the progress in adopting a gender equality strategy and action plan and in establishing dedicated monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and accountability systems. Please explain how the State party intends to mainstream gender equality through legislation, strategies, policies and programmes and indicate the laws and regulations that were reviewed or evaluated by gender and legal experts and the results of such review (para. 38).

Temporary special measures

7.While noting the findings of the study on the use of temporary special measures to improve the status of women (para. 63), please clarify the concrete and time-bound measures taken to achieve the substantive equality of women and men, including quota systems, targeted recruitment, hiring and promotion, outreach or support programmes, particularly in employment, education, political and public life and with particular attention to rural women, older women, women with disabilities and women in detention. Please describe research findings on advancing the role and place of women in society (para. 63) and the measures taken to raise awareness of the use and impact of temporary special measures in line with article 4 (1) of the Convention and the Committee’s general recommendation No. 25 (2004) on temporary special measures.

Stereotypes and harmful practices

8.With reference to the Committee’s previous recommendations (CEDAW/C/UZB/CO/5, para. 16), please describe the progress in establishing a comprehensive strategy to eliminate discriminatory gender stereotypes, patriarchal attitudes and harmful practices. Please specify how the awareness-raising activities conducted (para. 68) have contributed to changing such stereotypes and attitudes. Please describe how school and university curricula address discriminatory gender stereotypes, patriarchal attitudes and harmful practices, such as child marriage and polygamy, and how the media promote gender equality. While the Committee notes that innovative schools have been established to prepare young people for family life (para. 70), please inform the Committee about the measures taken to promote the participation of girls and women in public and political life.

Gender-based violence against women

9.Please specify the agency responsible for the implementation of the Act on Protection of Women from Harassment and Violence (2019) and the measures taken to ensure the effective implementation of the Act. Please indicate the plans to explicitly criminalize all forms of gender-based violence against women, including domestic violence and marital rape, to introduce ex officio investigation and prosecution and to provide a consent-based definition of rape and other forms of sexual violence in the Criminal Code. With reference to the Committee’s previous recommendations (CEDAW/C/UZB/CO/5, para. 18 (b) and (c)), please provide information on training for judges, prosecutors, law enforcement and mahalla officials to ensure the strict application of legislation criminalizing gender-based violence against women and gender-sensitive investigation procedures and to ensure that cases of gender-based violence are not settled through mediation. Please indicate the progress made in implementing the standard operating procedures for the multisectoral response to gender-based violence and establishing effective referral mechanisms for victims to appropriate services. Please describe the progress made in developing a programme to prevent gender-based violence (para. 67) and the measures taken to prevent and address gender-based violence in the context of COVID-19.

10.Please provide data, disaggregated by sex, age, ethnicity, region and the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator, on: (a) the number of investigations, prosecutions and convictions in cases of gender-based violence against women, including domestic and sexual violence, and the sentences imposed on perpetrators; and (b) official warnings, placements on the “list of domestic trouble-makers” and restraining orders issued against perpetrators. Please further elaborate on measures taken to combat impunity for perpetrators of gender-based violence.

11.Please explain how the State party ensures a supportive environment free from stigmatization to encourage women to report cases of gender-based violence and the impact of awareness-raising measures (para. 68) on reporting. Please provide information on the measures taken to ensure survivors’ access to justice, including redress and compensation (CEDAW/C/UZB/CO/5, para. 18 (a)). Please also provide data on the number of victims who have received health care, psychosocial assistance and free legal aid. Please describe the steps taken to strengthen the funding, staffing and capacity of shelters, especially in rural areas. Please provide information on toll‑free hotlines available 24 hours a day, every day, for victims of gender-based violence (para. 67).

Trafficking and exploitation of prostitution

12.Please inform the Committee about the outcome of the counter-trafficking action plan for the period 2015–2016 and the measures taken to strengthen investigations, prosecutions and convictions in trafficking cases and to address complicity by State officials in, and the root causes of, trafficking. Please describe the efforts undertaken to: (a) align the definition of trafficking with international standards; (b) establish a mechanism (para. 72) and build the capacity of the authorities on victim identification and referral to services, including with regard to foreign victims; and (c) delink the provision of protection and rehabilitation from the requirement that victims assist in the criminal proceedings. Please also provide information on the number of women and girls identified as victims of trafficking and on the rehabilitation and reintegration services provided to them, including in rural areas. Please explain how the State party addresses labour trafficking in women and girls in the agricultural sector and in public works projects, including hashar (volunteer work days), and indicate the sanctions imposed on traffickers, also in the light of the decision of 10 May 2018 of the Cabinet of Ministers (para. 116).

13.Please indicate whether the State party plans to decriminalize prostitution (article 190 of the Code of Administrative Offences) and describe the measures taken to reduce the demand for prostitution and to provide women in prostitution with exit programmes and support services, including shelter (CEDAW/C/UZB/CO/5, para. 20 (b)), including in rural areas.

Participation in public and political life

14.Please indicate the measures taken, such as temporary special measures, to advance women’s participation in political and public life, including in decision-making bodies, and in peacebuilding and regional development matters, with particular attention to rural women and women with disabilities. Please indicate whether the establishment of the “talent pool” (para. 88) and training (para. 85) have improved the representation of women in parliament, in political parties and in the civil service and provide relevant statistics. Please inform the Committee about the progress made in adopting the State Civil Service Act and the civil service development strategy until 2030 (para. 88) and explain how that would contribute to gender equality. Please provide information on the percentage of women in the diplomatic service (para. 92) and among students in international studies (para. 93). Please specify the measures to enhance access to campaign financing for women candidates and to ensure the registration of divorced and single women as voters (CEDAW/C/UZB/CO/5, para. 22).

Nationality

15.Please provide information on the implementation of the presidential decree on the Approval of the Regulation on the Procedure for Granting Political Asylum (2017), including on the number of applications received, recognized and rejected, disaggregated by sex. Please specify progress in enforcing the Law on Citizenship (2020) and aligning it with international standards to prevent statelessness. Please also provide updated information on the State party’s plans to develop and enforce an asylum procedure and ratify the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

Education

16.Please describe the measures taken to ensure that girls have access to and stay in secondary and higher education, particularly in non-traditional fields of study, with particular attention to rural girls and girls with disabilities. Please indicate the impact of such measures and provide relevant statistics on: (a) the enrolment rate of girls in technical and scientific studies in vocational institutions and universities; and (b) women’s access to employment in these areas. Please elaborate on the results of the review of school textbooks and curricula (para. 103) and the availability of gender equality education and age-appropriate sexuality education (CEDAW/C/UZB/CO/5, para. 24 (b)), including education to promote tolerance and non-discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Employment

17.Please elaborate on the measures taken, such as temporary special measures, including quotas and incentives for employers, to promote women’s employment in technical and scientific professions traditionally dominated by men and in management positions and provide relevant statistics. Please indicate to what extent the “business incubators” and the programme for the employment of women in disadvantaged situations (paras. 118–121) have contributed towards this goal. Please explain how the principle of equal pay for work of equal value (para. 114) is enforced and monitored in practice, as well as the measures taken to close the gender wage gap. Please also provide information on the frequency and results of reviews of wages in sectors in which women are concentrated (CEDAW/C/UZB/CO/5, para. 26 (b)).

18.Please provide detailed information on the revised list of recommended industries or professions that may have a negative impact on women’s health (para. 117) and explain how these restrictions are necessary for the protection of motherhood and proportionate to the legitimate aim pursued. Please elaborate on the measures taken to improve working conditions and occupational health and safety to promote women’s access to all professions of their choice (CEDAW/C/UZB/CO/5, para. 26 (c)). Please indicate any plans to abolish article 225 of the Labour Code prohibiting women’s employment in certain industries and professions.

Health

19.In view of the significant national maternal mortality rates (20.7 per 100,000 live births in 2019, para. 133) and infant mortality rates (19 deaths per 1,000 live births, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund) and the increase in stillbirths, please provide information about the underlying causes of the high maternal and infant mortality rates in the State party. Please indicate the number of obstetricians and gynaecologists per woman of childbearing age, especially in rural and remote areas. Please provide data, disaggregated by sex, age and region, on the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, including among pregnant women and girls, and on access to treatment. Please specify the main causes of mortality among women and girls (CEDAW/C/UZB/CO/5, para. 28 (d)), and provide information on the suicide rates among women and the measures taken to prevent and address this phenomenon. Please describe mental health services and support systems available for women and girls and provide information about health services available for women and girls with disabilities. Please also indicate the measures taken to reduce iron deficiency in women and girls.

20.Please report on the progress made in introducing youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services (para. 132), including through women’s clinics (para. 168), and provide updated data on the prevalence of early pregnancies, disaggregated by age and region, and the availability of modern methods of contraception to girls and boys. Please outline the efforts made by the State party to legalize abortion, at least in cases of rape, incest, threats to the life and health of the pregnant woman or severe fetal impairment, and to decriminalize it in all other cases. Please indicate the measures taken to ensure that sterilizations are performed only with the free, prior and informed consent of the woman or girl concerned (CEDAW/C/UZB/CO/5, para. 28).

Economic empowerment and social benefits

21.Please provide information on any plans to improve women’s access to family and social benefits and economic opportunities. Please indicate the percentage of self‑employed women engaged in unpaid care work, housekeeping or agricultural work, who received benefits under the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of 9 July 2019 (para. 118), and any concrete plans to ensure their access to a pension scheme.

Rural women

22.Please indicate the measures taken to ensure rural women’s access to potable water, affordable housing, education, training opportunities, formal employment and justice (CEDAW/C/UZB/CO/5, para. 30 (a)). Please provide information on the impact of the measures taken to support women entrepreneurs and farmers (paras. 146 and 147) on the development of women entrepreneurship, as well as on their access to loans and land ownership and use. Please also provide information on the participation of rural women in decision-making bodies and in agricultural and infrastructural policy development. Please specify whether any study has been conducted to assess the impact of the economic and social strategy of rural development on women’s rights (CEDAW/C/UZB/CO/5, para. 30 (c)) and indicate how its results were used to inform the strategy for the development of agriculture for the period 2020–2030 (para. 144).

Disadvantaged groups of women

23.Please specify the measures taken to: (a) ensure access to inclusive education and employment and phase out institutionalization for girls and women with disabilities; (b) eliminate stigmatization and discrimination against women living with HIV/AIDS and ensure their access to health care and employment; (c) investigate reports of lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women being subjected to gender-based violence, correctional rape, forced marriage, arrest and discrimination and take remedial action, ensure their access to health care, including reproductive technologies and gender reassignment, repeal article 120 of the Criminal Code criminalizing homosexual intercourse and criminalize hate crime; (d) improve the situation of Mugat (Luli) women and girls and protect them from discrimination and harmful practices; and (e) reintegrate women and girls returning from conflict areas in Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic.

Marriage and family relations

24.The Committee notes the introduction of the minimum age of marriage for girls and boys at 18 years (para. 172) and requests information on the measures taken to ensure its effective enforcement. In particular, please indicate the measures taken to: (a) detect cases of child marriage and polygamy, including unregistered religious marriages; (b) address their root causes; and (c) ensure that offenders are brought to justice. Please specify the outcome of the study on the readiness of girls and boys for family life (para. 171). With reference to the Committee’s previous recommendations (CEDAW/C/UZB/CO/5, para. 34), please provide information on the measures taken to ensure that women make their own decisions regarding marriage and divorce and are able to enjoy their right to an equal share in marital property and that their economic rights are protected upon dissolution of de facto unions.