Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

List of issues in relation to the sixth periodic report of the Russian Federation *

I.General information

1.Please provide information on court cases in which the Covenant rights were invoked before, or applied by, domestic courts. Please also provide data on remedies provided to victims whose rights protected under the Covenant were violated.

2.Please provide statistical data disaggregated by sex, ethnic origin, disability or disadvantaged background, covering the years 2013-2016, on complaints of alleged violations of Covenant rights submitted to the Human Rights Commissioner, and their results.

II.Issues relating to the general provisions of the Covenant (arts. 1-5)

Right to freely dispose of natural wealth and resources (art. 1 (2))

3.Please provide information on measures taken to ensure that all groups of indigenous peoples, regardless of whether they are numerically small or large, can enjoy legal and constitutional protection of their cultural, territorial and political rights.

4.Please provide information on the implementation of the existing federal laws and road maps related to the use by indigenous peoples of their traditional lands and resources. Please highlight the impact of those measures on improving the access of indigenous peoples to and use of their traditional lands, territories and resources.

5.Please indicate the extent to which the principle of free, prior and informed consent is reflected in the State party’s legislation. Please also provide information on how the principle is applied in practice, especially in the context of the activities of extractive companies, such as those carried out in the Kondopoga district in the Republic of Karelia and in the Kazas settlement in Kemerovo oblast.

Maximum available resources (art. 2 (1))

6.Please provide information on annual public spending in the areas of social protection, housing, water and sanitation, health and education, in terms of percentages of national budget and of the gross domestic product (GDP), during the reporting period.

7.Please provide information on the development of the taxation system throughout the reporting period, in particular with regard to indirect taxation and the use of income tax to address income and social inequalities.

Non-discrimination (art. 2 (2))

8.Please provide information on measures taken to adopt comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation.

9.Considering General Assembly resolutions 68/262 and 71/205, please provide statistical data on the implementation of specific measures taken to ensure that residents living in areas under the effective control of the Russian Federation can enjoy their rights under the Covenant, notably the rights to work, to social security, to health and to education.

10.Please provide detailed information on the measures taken to regulate the situation of unregistered persons living in the State party, including stateless persons, refugees and holders of temporary asylum status, and the measures taken to ensure that such persons are not denied access to their rights, in accordance with the provisions of the Covenant.

11.Please provide detailed information on the implementation of the State party’s plans to address discrimination and the social and economic marginalization of Roma.

12.Please provide information on discriminatory practices employed against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals in access to employment, health-care services and education, detailing any disciplinary or judicial measures undertaken in relation to such practices. Please also provide statistical data covering the years 2013-2016 on investigations launched into reported attacks against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, including rulings of relevant court cases.

Equal rights of men and women (art. 3)

13.Please provide information on measures taken to enhance the effective participation and representation of women in political and public life, and to address stereotypes regarding the roles and responsibilities of women and men in the family and society in general. Please also provide information on the status of the national women’s strategy (2017-2022) and its action plan.

III.Issues relating to the specific provisions of the Covenant (arts. 6-15)

Right to work (art. 6)

14.Please provide data, covering the years 2013-2016, on unemployment rates in the State party, disaggregated by sex, age, disability, ethnic origin and geographic location.

15.Please provide updated information on the State party’s plan to revise the list of professions banned for women. Please explain how, in the course of revising the list, the State party intends to take into account the Committee’s previous recommendation in this regard (see E/C.12/RUS/CO/5, para. 16).

Right to just and favourable conditions of work (art. 7)

16.Please update the Committee on the status, scope and coverage of the bill on raising the minimum wage. Please indicate whether the minimum wage envisaged will allow workers and their families a decent living.

17.Please provide detailed information on how the principle of equal pay for work of equal value is applied in the State party.

18.Please provide data on the actual magnitude of the informal economy in the State party, disaggregated by sex, age, ethnic origin and type of work, and explain how successful the State party’s efforts have been in regularizing the status of workers engaged in the informal economy.

19.Please provide detailed information on the frequency and coverage of labour inspections, especially in occupations overrepresented by migrant workers, who appear to be more vulnerable to rights violations. Please provide information on other measures taken to address the economic exploitation of migrant workers and in this regard, please provide data on the steps taken to hold exploitative employers accountable and to provide redress and compensation to victims.

Trade union rights (art. 8)

20.Please provide information on the number of legal strikes exercised by workers during the reporting period and on the number of court decisions declaring strikes illegal.

Right to social security (art. 9)

21.Please provide information on measures taken to extend social security coverage to all persons, including migrant workers, workers engaged in the informal economy and asylum seekers, regardless of their registration or legal status.

Protection of the family and children (art. 10)

22.Please provide updated statistical data on persons placed in institutions, disaggregated by sex, age, disability and ethnic origin. Please also update the Committee on the measures taken to prevent violence and abuse by the staff of institutions and to investigate allegations of such abuse.

23.Bearing in mind the legal framework governing child labour in the State party, please provide information on how in practice the State party is addressing the economic exploitation of children.

24.Please update the Committee on recent amendments to the legal framework governing domestic violence. Please also provide detailed information on the impact of measures adopted to address domestic violence and statistical data on the prevalence of domestic violence in the State party, and on remedies provided to victims of domestic violence.

Right to an adequate standard of living (art. 11)

25.Please provide statistical data on the situation of poverty in the State party, disaggregated by sex, age, ethnic origin, indigenous peoples and geographic location.

26.Please provide information on the human rights-based steps taken with a view to finding a comprehensive solution for Roma housing. In doing so, please specify the steps taken to address irregular settlements, lack of access to basic services in such settlements and house demolitions leading to homelessness.

27.Please comment on complaints of house-burnings by the authorities in Chechnya against alleged insurgents and on the measures taken to prevent, investigate and deter such acts.

28.Please provide information on the development of the consumer price index during the reporting period, especially concerning housing and food.

Right to physical and mental health (art. 12)

29.Please provide information on the measures taken to adopt a human rights-based approach to the treatment of drug-dependent persons. In this regard, please provide detailed information on the steps taken to ensure that persons who use drugs are not subjected to discriminatory searches, arrests and detention by law enforcement agents, are not arbitrarily stripped of their parental rights and are allowed access to opioid-dependence treatment, such as opioid substitution therapy.

30.Bearing in mind the awareness-raising and other measures undertaken by the State party to address the spread of HIV/AIDS, please explain the reasons behind the increase in HIV/AIDS diagnoses in recent years. Please also provide statistical data on the prevalence of the hepatitis C virus in the State party.

31.Please provide detailed information on measures taken to ensure access to sexual and reproductive health services, including in rural areas. Please also indicate the measures taken to ensure that modern contraceptives are affordable and accessible by all women without discrimination.

Right to education (arts. 13-14)

32.Please provide statistical data on dropouts from school at primary and secondary levels and on non-attendance, disaggregated by sex, age, disability, ethnic origin and geographic location.

33.Please provide information on the impact of Federal Law No. 273 (2012) on education in the Russian Federation and the amendments on improving access to inclusive education for children with disabilities introduced in 2016 to Federal Law No. 181 on the social protection of the disabled.

34.Please provide information on efforts to overcome de facto segregation of Roma children in schools, which is reportedly still widespread.

Cultural rights (art. 15)

35.Please provide information on the measures taken to address the risk of extinction of many indigenous languages and cultures. Please provide more information on efforts undertaken by the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs for preserving indigenous languages and the impact they have had.

36.Please provide information on the measures taken to ensure universal and affordable access to the Internet, especially by disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups, as well as in rural and remote areas, with a view to respecting the essential right to take part in cultural life and enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications.