against Women
Thirty-ninth session
Summary record of the 802nd meeting (Chamber B)
Held at Headquarters, New York, on Tuesday, 31 July 2007, at 3 p.m.
Chairperson:Ms. Šimonović
Contents
Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (continued)
Fifth and sixth periodic reports of the Republic of Korea (continued)
The meeting was called to order at 3.05 p.m.
Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention (continued)
Fifth and sixth periodic reports of the Republic of Korea (continued) (CEDAW/C/KOR/5 and CEDAW/C/KOR/6; CEDAW/C/KOR/Q/6 and Add.1)
1.At the invitation of the Chairperson, the members of the delegation of the Republic of Korea took places at the Committee table.
Articles 10 to 14
2.Ms. Belmihoub Zerdani noted that despite the constitutional principles that every citizen had the right and duty to work and that the labour of women and youth was subject to special protection, and, despite the fact that the Republic of Korea had ratified the ILO Convention concerning Discrimination in Respect of Employment and Occupation, the report indicated that the reality was very different. Two thirds of working women worked part-time, with no employment security or benefits, and at much lower wages than regular workers. The principle of equal pay for equal work was being ignored. Segregation in recruitment resulted in women being recruited on a temporary basis, while men received permanent positions, with corresponding differences in pay levels. The contracts of Korean women working on a non-regular basis were often terminated just months before they attained the seniority that enabled them to obtain a permanent position.
3.She expressed her concern at the news of the demonstration that had resulted in many women workers being imprisoned. The Government of Korea did not seem to approve of street demonstrations, and she urged the members of the delegation to inform it of the Committee’s disgust when they returned home.
4.The economic participation rate was very low for women, especially in relation to full-time work, with women frequently in short-term positions with very low pay. A whole group of workers was being excluded from the advantages of labour and social security legislation in one of the richest countries in the world. It was also difficult for women to reconcile their work and family life. She suggested that the delegation hold a press conference on their return home to explain the policy of equality in work that should be applied immediately in all sectors of employment. The feminization of poverty was another very important issue that had to be tackled.
5.Ms. Jang Ha-jin (Republic of Korea) said that the Korean Government was committed to resolving the issues concerning non-regular female workers. The low wages of women in non-regular work was a cause of concern, together with their low level of participation in the national pension and health insurance systems. Legal requirements concerning insurance were being ignored in practice.
6.One factor contributing to the wage gap was that women tended to be concentrated in low-income jobs. Many female heads of household were living below the poverty line. One option available to them was the vocational training courses offered by the Women’s Human Resources Development Centres. About 60 per cent of those completing the courses found jobs afterwards. Financial support was also provided for unemployed female heads of household to set up their own businesses.
7.According to a law that had come into effect on 1 July 2007, any worker employed for two consecutive years had to be made a permanent employee. Positive responses to that law included the action of Uri Bank, which had given regular status to all of its 3,000 non‑regular workers. The cause of the ongoing labour dispute at the E.Land site was the company’s decision to arrange a new contract with an outsourcer and lay off its non-regular workers before 1 July in order to avoid having to change their status. It was up to the Government to lead the way in changing the status of its non-regular workers and it was currently in the process of drawing up a comprehensive plan for that purpose.
8.The lower economic activity rate of women was partly due to the M-curve of their work cycle. They tended to take a job on leaving school and then withdraw from the labour force to have a child, returning to work when the child started school. Employers received substantial subsidies for the continued employment of mothers before and after childbirth.
9.It was becoming more common for both spouses to work, especially among young people, but the woman was usually responsible for the bulk of household work in addition to her paid job. The National Assembly was expected to pass a new law in September on creating a family-friendly working environment which would enlist the support of employers in enabling couples to share their roles.
10.In the case of regular workers, explicit discrimination such as advertisements specifically recruiting men no longer existed. There were now more subtle means of discrimination, such as men and women performing the same tasks within the same company, but at different work sites with different wage structures.
11.Korean companies with offices abroad were observing the guidelines established for them.
12.Gender-equality targets were not set in an arbitrary manner but only after discussions with a number of ministries. Agencies and institutions offered implementation plans, there was monitoring by non-governmental organizations and a ministerial review took place at the end of the year. There were strict criteria for the public sector; in the private sector, however, tax or other incentives were usually offered.
13.The period of maternity leave was currently 90 days, and since 2006 the Government had provided a full subsidy for wages during that period. There was also a one-year period of childcare leave, but as of 2006, only about one fifth of women and very few men were making use of it. The Ministry of Labour had not yet agreed to a new proposal that would require men to take a certain amount of childcare leave. Significant financial payments would be needed from the private sector. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family was fully committed to introducing such provisions.
14.The Republic of Korea had the eleventh largest economy in the world, yet women’s economic participation remained at a low level. One contributing factor had been the Asian financial crisis, which had led to a standstill in women’s employment rates in 1998.
15.Equal pay for equal work was an important principle, yet different roles still tended to be assigned to women and men. Even in the case of a single assembly line within a factory, there would be only women working at some stages of the assembly line and only men at others, with different wage levels for the different stages. There was an ongoing debate between employers, experts and employees on the subject of what constituted equal work.
16.Street demonstrations were permitted in the Republic of Korea as long as permission had been requested from the authorities in advance. In the case of E.Land, it was not a street demonstration and the workers had illegally occupied the work site.
17.With regard to the suggestion to hold a press conference, she noted that the Korean media were already following developments in the E.Land situation very closely. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family was fully aware that high priority should be given to resolving the problems of female non-regular workers.
18.Although the official working week consisted of forty hours over a five-day period, in practice working hours were much longer and were an obstacle to achieving a balance between work and family life as well as a factor contributing to the very low birth rate. The passing of a law on a family-friendly environment in September should contribute to a better balance.
19.Ms. Kim Young-me (Republic of Korea) said that there was currently a lot of debate on non-regular workers. The Republic of Korea was doing its best to comply with the provisions of the relevant ILO Conventions to which it was a signatory.
20.There was no paternity leave for men, but both men and women could take childcare leave. Although the number of men taking advantage of such leave was increasing, the total number was still very small because of the lower wages received during that period. Efforts were being made to revise the Equal Employment Act, and the proposed changes included a new policy of spousal leave during the child’s critical years, with subsidies to encourage participation. The new law also took into account the role of employers in creating an environment that allowed a healthy balance between work and family life.
21.The affirmative action policy was being applied to 617 companies in the current year, and the measure would be extended to smaller companies in the future.
22.The Government was making every effort to resolve situations such as the disputes at KTX and E.Land. In the case of the KTX incident, many of the train attendants, who were mostly women, had been recruited by a subsidiary of KTX. The cause of the disagreement was that about 50 employees were demanding that KTX should hire them directly.
23.In the case of E.Land, the company had outsourced the recruitment of its cashiers to a third party in the interests of business rationalization. Employees who had worked for over 18 months were to become regular workers, while others who had worked for over three months would also be considered. There had been progress in the labour negotiation but workers whose three-month contracts were about to expire were also demanding regular status.
24.A comparison of the wages of non-regular and regular workers could not be very accurate if it was conducted on a one-dimensional basis that only considered the average monthly income. Additional information would be needed in order to understand the picture fully. Significant efforts were being made to address the wage gaps between regular and non-regular workers and between men and women workers.
Articles 12 to 14
25.Ms. Dairiam noted that the basic health indicators for men and women were commendable. She asked for more information on the subject of women’s health insurance coverage, which was often incomplete when they had coverage only as dependants of insured persons. She also wondered whether any studies had been conducted on the subject and how the situation could be improved. The fifth report referred to the need for policies to help elderly people to maintain their health, and she asked for information on any action taken in that respect.
26.The abortion rate, although decreasing, was still high, despite the high rate of contraceptive prevalence. She asked whether that phenomenon had been studied and whether any sex-selective abortion was taking place. She wondered whether any ethical guidelines were available to regulate medical biotechnology research in areas where abuses could occur. She was interested to know whether there was a woman’s health policy to regulate all aspects of women’s health and all institutions involved in health interventions, whether the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family had a role in monitoring abusive health practices and whether there were any health experts within the Ministry to assist in that process. She enquired whether the Ministry of Health and Welfare had made use of General Recommendation 24 to establish and regulate health policy and services.
27.Her final question related to sexual violence as a health issue. She wondered why the police could not initiate a prosecution on behalf of the victim and whether measures were being taken to address that issue. It would also be interesting to know why the indictment rate was so low in sexual violence cases.
28.The Chairperson, speaking as a member of the Committee, said that, although the report indicated that the rate of induced abortions had fallen over the past six years, their number remained high. Noting that, in 2001, the Medical Doctors Association had openly called for the decriminalization of induced abortion, she asked whether the Government had heeded that call and enacted appropriate legislation.
29.In respect of the question on medically assisted procreation, a shadow report stated that women who underwent such procedures were not afforded sufficient protection. In view of the rapid technological progress in reproductive science, she said that it was important for States parties to enact laws that required a person’s informed written consent prior to the donation of ova, embryos or sperm for reproductive or research purposes, and she asked whether Korea had enacted any legislation in that regard.
30.Ms. Tan, recalling that implementation of the second phase of the Five-Year Plan for Fostering Women Farmers had begun in 2006, asked for more information about the first phase and about whether it had been widely implemented. She wanted to know how many women had benefited and how they had benefited. Had the Government conducted a follow-up evaluation and, if that was the case, had women farmers been solicited for their opinions? She also asked how the second phase differed from the first.
31.She noted from the report that, despite affirmative action measures, few women had benefited from the Government’s rural support programmes because they were aimed primarily at family-owned farms, in which women were generally marginalized. She asked whether the Government intended to revise those programmes in order to assist women who lived on family-owned farms.
32.Noting that women’s comparative deficiency in agricultural education worked to their disadvantage when benefits were distributed, she wished to know precisely how educational achievement affected the distribution of benefits, whether there were any plans to increase the number of women enrolled in agricultural schools and whether the benefits system would be revised in order to ensure that women were not neglected. In respect of the Women Farmers’ Centres, she wished to know more about the services those centres provided and the number of women they served.
33.Turning to the Special Act on Improving the Quality of Life in Rural Areas and Promoting Rural Development, she asked what support was offered to rural mothers under that Act and how many had benefited from it. She also asked for information about the extent of domestic violence in rural areas and about the support that was offered to victims of such violence.
34.Ms. Jang Ha-jin (Republic of Korea), responding to the question on women’s health, said that the health insurance system was family-based, meaning that coverage was extended to spouses and children as dependants of the beneficiary, and was available either through employment or from the State. Although many women were dependent on their spouses for coverage, they faced no difficulties in receiving the necessary benefits. Women who could not afford health insurance were eligible for assistance.
35.The indictment rate for sexual offences was low because, under the law, offenders could not be prosecuted unless the victim filed a complaint. The Government intended to develop educational programmes aimed at encouraging women to report sexual offences.
36.Turning to the quality of life in rural areas, she said that the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry had a women’s policy officer who was responsible for promoting the quality of rural women’s lives. As part of its strategy to increase the rural population, which had fallen to 7.5 per cent of the entire population, the Government currently offered maternity subsidies and childcare assistance to rural women. What was more, the Government paid for 80 per cent of childbirth-related expenses.
37.Women wishing to receive agricultural education were not given preferential treatment. However, there were 27 Women Farmers’ Centres that provided farming and family-related assistance. A number of women farmers — 158 in 2005 and 144 in 2006 — had also been selected to receive specialized training through the Young Farmer Nurturing Programme. In addition, the Government had allocated 220 million Korean won in 2006 for the training of rural women.
38.Ms. Kim Young-me (Republic of Korea) said that, although the abortion rate was slowly falling, it remained relatively high among women in their twenties. However, that high rate could not be attributed to selective abortion based on foetal sex. Most women in that age group who terminated their pregnancies were single and unmarried, and Korean society was still not ready to accept unmarried mothers. Low levels of sex education and limited use of birth control were other reasons why the abortion rate was so high for that age group.
39.Abortion was prohibited under the Penal Code, and the Single Parent Family Welfare Act provided for abortion only in a limited number of circumstances. Regardless of the circumstances, it was the physician who performed the abortion, not the woman undergoing the procedure, who was sanctioned by law.
40.Under the bioethics laws, only officially licensed medical institutions had the authority to extract human ova for the purpose of treating intractable diseases or for therapeutic and research purposes. A draft law on the protection of reproductive organs and cells was under consideration and included clauses that would establish legal limits on donor age and the number of times a woman could donate ova, as well as other measures to protect women’s reproductive rights. Once the draft became law, a new body would be established to monitor the safe use of ova and embryos.
41.Responding to the question on the requirement of written consent prior to the donation of ova, embryos or sperm, she said that, under the Act on Life Ethics and Safety, a woman was required to give her informed consent before she could become a donor.
42.Ms. Dairiam, reverting to the question of recruitment of women strictly as non-regular workers, said that the Government should use the Equal Employment Act and the Basic Plan on Gender Equality in Employment as legal instruments to stop employers from exploiting women in that manner.
43.Turning to the E.Land strike, she was perplexed that, while the striking women had been arrested for their actions, their employer could not be punished for having dismissed them simply in order to avoid converting them into full-time employees. In view of that situation, she wanted to know whether there was a gap in Korean law or whether the actions that E.Land had taken were, in fact, discriminatory under the law. In addition, she asked whether the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family was assisting the women who had been arrested.
44.Ms. Saiga asked the delegation to provide information on the Government’s policies in respect of women who had fled the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and settled in the Republic of Korea.
45.Ms. Tan said it would be useful to have information on domestic violence in rural areas as well as the legal protection and services that were available to victims of such violence.
46.Ms. Belmihoub-Zerdani said that, in view of the many labour problems besetting the reporting State, she was interested to know more about the strength of the labour movement. She wanted to know whether labour unions had the power to protect their members and whether they were affiliated with any international labour federations.
47.As far as the media were concerned, she re‑emphasized how important it was for the delegation to hold a press conference immediately upon its return to the Republic of Korea in order to publicize its meeting with the Committee. Recalling the Broadcasting Act of January 2000 noted in the State party’s fifth periodic report, she wondered whether that Act was still in force and, if that was the case, whether its provisions had been fully implemented.
48.Ms. Tavares da Silva said that information provided by non-governmental organizations showed that the proportion of female-headed households living in poverty was three times higher than the proportion of male-headed households living in poverty and that the poverty gap between men and women was growing. Therefore, she wished to know whether the Government’s economic plans took into account the notion of the feminization of poverty or whether they were gender-neutral.
49.Ms. Jang Ha-jin (Republic of Korea) said that the number of non-regular workers was increasing worldwide as societies changed. In the current, knowledge-based environment, it would be very difficult to give all non-regular workers permanent status. Moreover, it was not non-regular or temporary work in itself that caused problems, but rather unequal treatment. A Protection and Other Measures for Periodical and Part-Time Workers Act, in force since 1 July 2007, was likely to improve the situation of non‑regular workers, although it must be acknowledged that some employers had laid off staff before 1 July in order to escape the new legislation.
50.In the case of E.Land, the Ministry of Labour believed that, as management and employees were currently in negotiations, it should not intervene and the two sides should be encouraged to compromise. It hoped that there would be no violations of the law while negotiations were still under way. Although combating discrimination in the private sector was difficult, the Ministry of Labour enforced the Act on Healthy Families and other relevant legislation, providing not just supervision and guidance, but also incentives to ensure that companies provided childcare facilities, for example. The situation of trade unions was changing. Union membership stood at 10 per cent of the workforce, and many believed that the unions were too hard-line. However, the unions were showing greater interest in engaging with non-regular workers and in dialogue with employers.
51.Having held a press briefing before departing for New York, she had scheduled a similar briefing on her return, in order to explain the results of the Committee’s examination of the fifth and sixth periodic reports. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family would inform other ministries of the Committee’s concluding comments. Article 29 of the Broadcasting Act, which was still in force, sought to ensure that genders were portrayed equally. The Ministry of Gender Equality gave annual awards for programming, and non-governmental organizations and the broadcast censorship committee remained alert to violations of the Act.
52.Subsidized housing and education and employment support were provided for the 10,000 refugees from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The economic situation of women heads of household must be improved through a comprehensive approach. While the Government had focused mostly on economic development in the past, it was now pursuing a more balanced development of society through the Vision 2030 plan, in which the Ministry of Gender Equality and the Ministry of Labour played an important role. A central part of the plan was addressing poverty caused by a growing wealth gap in society.
53.Successive five-year Basic Plans for Women’s Policies had been evaluated at every stage of implementation. The same was true of the First Basic Plan on Improving Quality of Life in Rural Areas and Promoting Rural Development (2005-2009). Recognizing that patriarchal traditions made improving rural women’s lives difficult, and that wide differences between urban and rural life persisted, the Government had established Women Farmers’ Centres.
54.Ms. Byun Wha-soon (Republic of Korea) said that the first stage of the First Basic Plan on Improving Quality of Life in Rural Areas and Promoting Rural Development had not substantially improved the situation of women farmers or their involvement in decision-making. The second stage therefore was aimed at increasing women’s ownership of land and supporting the Rural Household Management Agreement, which clarified roles, responsibilities and payments for family farm owners and family members working on the family farm. Rates of domestic violence were not substantially different between urban and rural areas. The Government recognized the need to tackle the issue and continued to promote measures such as the “1366” Women’s Crisis Hotline.
55.Ms. Kim Young-me (Republic of Korea), reverting to the question of non-regular employment and the E.Land labour dispute, said that it was impractical to ban non-regular work. Instead, the goal should be to provide job flexibility and job security simultaneously. Existing legislation protected workers against layoffs, but the E.Land dispute was outside its scope. While E.Land did have plans to outsource the employment of cashiers, the existing workers had fallen victim not to layoffs, but to the expiry of their contracts. The police had intervened in the E.Land employees’ occupation of their workplace because of property damage and the interruption of the operation of the site.
56.The two umbrella organizations for trade unions in the Republic of Korea were affiliated to the International Trade Union Confederation. Unions had an influential voice, particularly on the issue of non‑regular workers. Consensus-building was needed to encourage a tripartite dialogue of Government, management and workers.
Articles 15 and 16
57.Ms. Halperin-Kaddari said that the name of the Framework Act on Healthy Family seemed inherently judgemental, as it suggested a focus on the traditional nuclear family and a marginalization of families formed by cohabiting or same-sex couples or divorced or single parents, for example. She asked about the position of the Government on that issue, and whether non-traditional families had the same legal rights, duties and protection as other families.
58.It appeared that marital rape was neither recognized nor punished by law, although there appeared to be case law pointing in that direction. She urged the Government to take the lead in establishing marital rape as a serious offence, rather than relying on the judiciary. While the December 2002 amendment to the Special Act on Punishment of Domestic Violence justifiably paid attention to the human rights of victims, it did not focus enough on the perpetrators. She would like more details of progress in addressing domestic violence, investigating complaints and carrying out arrests. She wished to know if suspects were immediately detained when a complaint was made so that women and children were not forced to flee their homes, what protection was afforded to victims and what funds were allocated to shelters. As some groups of women, including foreign brides, were particularly vulnerable, she asked if there were shelters which accommodated their needs, including their linguistic needs.
59.The provisions of the revised Civil Code which enabled children to be given their mother’s family name discriminated against women, as the parents must agree at the time of marriage to use the mother’s rather than the father’s name. She also recalled that the Committee, in its concluding comments on the third and fourth periodic reports, had expressed concern about the prohibition of marriage between individuals with a common surname, and she wondered whether the prohibition remained.
60.Marital property was currently governed by a system of separation of assets, so that property acquired during marriage but registered under the name of only one of the spouses would be owned by that individual alone if the marriage was dissolved. She wondered whether planned amendments to civil law would change that situation, or whether changes in the division of assets following a divorce would be confined to the marital residence and therefore exclude work-related benefits such as pensions, severance pay and life insurance.
61.Ms. Tan, noting that, in 2005, the amendment to the Family Litigation Act, the Civil Act Execution Act and the Special Act on Security for Payment of Child Support had been awaiting the approval of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly, asked whether the legislation in question had since been approved and had entered into force. As the delegation’s earlier oral statement (CEDAW/C/SR.802 (A)) had referred to an increase in family break-up, she wondered whether the underlying reasons had been investigated. She asked whether divorced women received maintenance for themselves and their children and how the questions of custody of children and division of assets acquired during marriage were decided.
62.She wished to know the status of de facto unions, particularly whether they were protected by the same laws as legally sanctioned marriages, and the number of such unions. She also wondered what rights couples dissolving a de facto union acquired in respect of custody of children, maintenance payments and division of assets. She asked if pre-nuptial agreements were recognized, and, if not, whether there were plans to amend the marriage laws to cater for such agreements.
63.Recalling that the Framework Act on Healthy Family aimed to establish comprehensive welfare provisions, she asked how many families had benefited, whether single-parent families were eligible, and how many households were headed by women. She also wished to know what benefits were payable under the 2002 Single Parent Family Welfare Act.
64.Recalling that the Government was pursuing an amendment of the National Pension Act which would provide the right to a divided pension and bring an end to the termination of pensions to divorcees who remarried, she wondered whether the National Assembly had approved the legislation in question or whether there were obstacles in the way of approval, and the number and age of the women who were expected to benefit from the amended legislation.
65.Ms. Jang Ha-jin (Republic of Korea) said that the Framework Act on Healthy Family, the first of its kind in the Republic of Korea, had a practical focus. Under the terms of the Act, all regional governments must open a family centre by 2010 to provide the facilities stipulated in the Act, including counselling. Responsibility for carrying out the provision of the Act, first proposed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, had been transferred to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Having listened to the concerns of NGOs regarding its title, the latter ministry had decided to rename it the Basic Act on Family Policy. A single piece of legislation would provide legal protection for all types of family.
66.In 1988, the Government had introduced legislation on care of infants and children. The subsequent implementing provisions had exempted families with low incomes from childcare centre enrolment fees. Currently, there were plans to extend support to middle-income families and to older children as well.
67.Decisions on child custody after divorce were made by agreement between the parents or by the courts, which would generally award custody to the parent best placed to take care of the children. Currently, marital property was divided equally. Couples in de facto marriages which were being dissolved had the same rights as divorcing couples, with the exception of pension rights. While the Act on co-ownership of property, which was currently moving through the legislative process, would also affect de facto marriages, it would not resolve the pension issue.
68.Mr. Kwon Yong-hyun (Republic of Korea) said that, while the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family had been recommending for some five years that marital rape should be recognized and punished, cultural acceptance of such a measure was difficult to obtain. Prosecutions could be based on the threat or use of violence. Around 15,000 individuals were charged with domestic violence every year. In 2006, 14.6 per cent were sentenced, 25 per cent were given suspended sentences conditional on counselling, and 31.3 per cent were ordered to undergo other counselling.
69.Women victims of domestic violence tended to leave their spouses, as there were no arrangements to enable women to remain in their homes without taking the necessary court action. While shelter accommodation was available, women fleeing domestic violence would be supplied with accommodation at a low rent from 2008. The “1366” Women’s Crisis Hotline catered to migrant women who suffered domestic violence. Public opinion considered the punishment of perpetrators of domestic violence to be too lenient, and awareness of domestic violence as a serious social issue was increasing.
70.Ms. Jang Ha-jin (Republic of Korea) said that, while married women tended to keep their own family names on marriage, parents must specifically agree to pass on the mother’s family name to children. Alternatively, the child could subsequently decide to take the mother’s family name.
71.Although the prohibition on marriage between individuals sharing a common surname and clan origin had been lifted, marriage was still impossible between individuals related up to the level of third cousin.
72.The Chairperson, concluding the Committee’s constructive dialogue with the delegation of the Republic of Korea, invited it to make final remarks.
73.Ms. Jang Ha-jin (Republic of Korea) said that the Republic of Korea had incorporated gender equality into its institutions and legislation and had actively pursued gender mainstreaming to resolve discrepancies between policies and reality. However, social and cultural prejudices against women persisted, and the recent surge in the arrival of migrant women was posing new and immediate legal and welfare challenges. Recognizing that progress could not be achieved without cooperation between women and men, the Government was pursuing gender-sensitive education to build a sound society that respected gender equality.
74.The Chairperson said that the Republic of Korea was well advanced in its reporting cycle and had made much progress in implementing the Convention, including the direct applicability of the Convention in domestic law and the withdrawal of all reservations except that relating to article 16 (g). While the political participation of women had improved, progress was slow and might benefit from the measures set out in article 4, paragraph 1, of the Convention and General Recommendation 25 on temporary special measures.
75.Commending the Government’s plans to brief the press on the outcome of the dialogue with the Committee, she expressed the hope that the NGOs which had communicated informally with the Committee would also be invited to attend.