Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

Eighty-third session

Summary record of the 1922nd meeting

Held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, on Tuesday, 18 October 2022, at 3 p.m.

Chair:Ms. Acosta Vargas

Contents

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

Ninth periodic report of Honduras

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)

Ninth periodic report of Honduras (CEDAW/C/HND/9; CEDAW/C/HND/Q/9; CEDAW/C/HND/RQ/9)

At the invitation of the Chair, the delegation of Honduras joined the meeting.

Ms. García Paredes (Honduras), introducing her country’s ninth periodic report (CEDAW/C/HND/9), said that the women and girls of Honduras had borne the brunt of the unimaginable consequences of a decade of dictatorship. Prior to the coup d’état in June 2009, women had been empowered by the country’s progress in poverty reduction, development, economic growth and human rights. The subsequent 13-year dictatorship had brought misery, triggering an increase in, among other things, poverty, enforced disappearance and femicide. The Constitution had been violated repeatedly, and the National Congress had been complicit in furthering the interests of the oligarchy and launching attacks on women’s rights, particularly in the area of sexual and reproductive health by repealing legislation that had allowed the use of emergency contraceptive pills and adopting a constitutional ban on abortion in all circumstances. The judicial system and the Public Prosecution Service continued to prosecute women as they had under the dictatorship.

The overwhelming electoral victory of the country’s first female President in 2021 demonstrated the will of the Honduran people to adopt a new model of alternative economic growth and inclusive social development that respected human rights, and those of women in particular. Women’s involvement in decisions relevant to them was a fundamental pillar of the Government’s planned reforms. The President had prioritized the establishment of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, which was responsible for public policies on women’s human rights, equality and gender justice. Its budget had been increased significantly in 2022, and it had assumed responsibility for the Women’s City (Ciudad Mujer) Programme, under which it led efforts to protect the rights of women affected by gender-based violence and to provide education in the community. The adoption of the Optional Protocol to the Convention by the National Congress enjoyed broad support.

The President had signed an agreement with the Office of the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Honduras on uniting efforts to prevent violence against women and girls through public policy. Gender-based violence had also been addressed through the consultations undertaken by a high-level commission that had subsequently drafted a bill on the issue. Work was also under way to establish a third national plan on violence against women and to devise a national survey on violence against women and adolescent girls, and resources had been allocated to refurbish a centre that provided comprehensive care for women victims of violence. The Government continued to support two of the country’s seven shelters. Solidarity programmes had been created in response to the country’s high levels of poverty and extreme poverty. A third national plan on equality and gender justice was being drawn up, and the Gender School had been established, with a focus on training for senior and mid-level public officials. A digital platform called Connect without Borders would soon be launched to assist migrant women.

The Criminal Code was being amended with a view to improving access to justice significantly, particularly for women. Since the adoption of legislation intended to restore constitutional rule of law and prevent another dictatorship, reparation had been made to nine Honduran women for the injury caused by the coup d’état. Under the gender policy of the National Police, 70 per cent of new leadership positions at the interdepartmental level were filled by women. A digital platform provided access to transparent, up-to-date data on gender-based violence, and 590 law enforcement officials had received training on gender. Similarly, training on human rights, international humanitarian law and gender equity was given to officials of the Ministry of Defence. Six units that provided a rapid response in the investigation of crimes against women and vulnerable groups had been established, and a hotline that received complaints of violence against women had been reinstated. Work was under way to develop the technical resources for the investigation of cybercrime and to draft a bill providing for immediate search efforts in cases of disappeared women.

The measures adopted in the area of human rights included training for public officials on preventing gender-based discrimination, the human rights of vulnerable groups and sexual harassment; an increase to the budget and restructuring of a national mechanism for protecting human rights defenders, social communicators and justice officials, which had so far addressed 53 cases involving women; and the public apology and acknowledgement of responsibility by the Government in the case of Vicky Hernández, the first victim of the 2009 coup d’état.

In terms of social development, a solidarity fund provided support to persons with disabilities, including women, and a gender management system monitored gender equality and equity in social development programmes and projects. The relaunched Our Roots Programme analysed and addressed issues affecting indigenous peoples and people of African descent.

It was hoped that an updated protocol on survivors of sexual violence would be adopted in the coming months. The National Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy was being evaluated and updated. Scholarships had been granted to 120 girls from disadvantaged backgrounds, and a guide and guidelines on incorporating the gender perspective into educational materials, particularly concerning sex education, had been created. Civil society had helped review and propose reforms to legislation on loans for women, and the demands of networks of indigenous women on the Lenca Route had been addressed. The investment plans of 245 women’s organizations had received significant financial backing, women’s participation in areas such as infrastructure and food security was promoted, and women-run enterprises were assisted in becoming suppliers to State bodies. A virtual job centre had been set up to help persons with disabilities find employment.

Regulations on parity and alternation in electoral processes had been enforced during the most recent elections, and preparations were being made to establish a congressional academy with a gender focus. A working group on gender-sensitive budgeting, made up of representatives of the executive and legislative powers, civil society and international partners, had been put in place. Faced with an historic opportunity to address centuries of patriarchy, exclusion, inequality and violence, the Government was working to guarantee women’s full enjoyment of their rights.

Articles 1–6

Ms. Bonifaz Alfonzo, noting the change of government in the State party the previous year, said that she wished to know whether consideration had been given to reversing the constitutional prohibition of abortion and the bans on emergency contraceptive pills and same-sex marriage. She would also like to know the justification for the amendments to the Criminal Code that had reduced sentences for femicide to align them with homicide, and whether those amendments, as well as the significant reduction in sentences for other crimes against women and girls, would be repealed. It would be useful to know whether the State party would review amendments to the Criminal Code that had removed aggravating factors in rape cases and created legal gaps that allowed perpetrators to opt for lesser sentences than those provided for in the Code and whether prison sentences for public protests would be abolished. Given the rates of violence against women in Honduras, the Committee would welcome information on whether the new legislation on weapons would be amended to broaden requirements for possessing and importing them. Lastly, she would welcome information on the general measures adopted to improve the administration of justice.

A representative of Honduras said that the previous administration had amended the Constitution and the Criminal Code in ways that were harmful to women. In order to reverse those changes, the Government would have to obtain the consent of the National Congress, which included representatives of a broad range of political parties. Although Honduran society was highly conservative and resistant to change, the President had repeatedly expressed her firm commitment to promoting and protecting women’s rights, including the lifting of the prohibition against the morning-after pill and abortion.

The Government was currently working with the Gender Commission of the National Congress to determine how best to reverse the other harmful legal reforms introduced during the dictatorship. However, ultra-conservative groups within the National Congress were strongly opposed to the Government’s aims and took every opportunity to attack it whenever it discussed the human rights of women and other vulnerable social groups. The judiciary and the Public Prosecution Service continued to be led by persons appointed by the dictatorship but it was hoped that that situation would change when the new members of the Supreme Court were elected in 2023.

A representative of Honduras said that the current Government had no intention of hiding the fact that Honduras had been plagued by an epidemic of femicide for many years. A total of 4.3 out of every 100,000 women in the country died a violent death and murder accounted for more women’s deaths than many diseases. A total of 70 per cent of victims of femicide were killed by firearms while others were stabbed to death or strangled. One such victim was the renowned human rights activist Berta Cáceres, who had been shot dead in her home. The data on femicide would be used to establish the groundwork for measures to eradicate it, which included the legal measures that must urgently be taken to protect women’s lives. The current Criminal Code, which was often referred to as a code of impunity, must of course be comprehensively reformed, as must laws regulating the use of firearms. The Government would carry out that work in conjunction with the Security Commission, the Inter-Agency Commission and all other relevant stakeholders.

Ms. Bonifaz Alfonzosaid that, as she understood the situation, it would be more complicated to carry out constitutional reform, owing to the obstacles put in place by the dictatorship, than to amend the Criminal Code, and that the review of the legal prohibitions on abortion and same-sex marriage would have to be delayed until the new members of the Supreme Court had been appointed. It would be interesting to know whether, as a first step, the Government would consider amending the ministerial decree prohibiting the use of the morning-after pill.

Ms. García Paredes (Honduras) said that the issue of the morning-after pill had been discussed with civil society as soon as the present Government had been elected. With regard to legal reform, a great deal depended on the election of the new members of the Supreme Court in 2023. The administration of justice in Honduras was currently in the hands of the criminal organization that had backed the narco-dictatorship.

Ms. Peláez Narváez, noting that the National Institute for Women had been replaced by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, said that she would welcome information on the mandate of the new Ministry, the human resources allocated to it and the ways in which it would coordinate with other ministries. She wished to know whether the staff of the National Institute for Women had been transferred to the Ministry and whether the budget allocated to the Ministry would be increased.

The Committee would be grateful to learn whether a unit responsible for gender affairs had been established within each ministry and whether the Ministry of Women’s Affairs would coordinate with other ministries to ensure the incorporation of the gender perspective into all areas of policy. It would also be interested to know whether the Ministry would collaborate with other relevant institutions, such as the National Gender Observatory and the Inter-Agency Commission for the Monitoring of Investigations into Violent Deaths among Women and Femicides. The State party might consider establishing comprehensive national strategies for empowering women and ensuring access to justice and redress for all victims of gender-based violence.

She wondered whether the State party intended to conduct an evaluation of the second Plan for Gender Equality and Equity 2010–2022. The delegation might explain how the Ministry of Women’s Affairs would coordinate with the National Directorate of the Women’s City Programme, how the Ministry and the Programme would complement each other and whether the policy governing the programme would be reviewed. She was curious to learn whether the Government would establish a consultative body through which women’s organizations could participate in policymaking. The Committee would be interested to hear whether the State party had taken note of the recommendations issued by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions following its evaluation of the Office of the National Commissioner for Human Rights and whether any action would be taken in response to those recommendations.

Ms. Bonifaz Alfonzo said that she wished to know whether temporary special measures would be taken to promote access to employment for indigenous women, women with disabilities and women of African descent.

Ms. García Paredes (Honduras) said that the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, unlike the National Institute for Women, was a government department that formed part of the Council of Ministers and was empowered, through the Office of the President, to initiate legislation and make proposals to amend or revoke laws. The Institute had been completely dissolved but some of its technical and administrative staff had been transferred to the Ministry. She trusted that the budget allocated to the Ministry would be increased significantly over the coming years.

Plans were in place to establish gender units within each ministry to ensure that the gender perspective was mainstreamed in all areas of policy. To date, the Government had established 25 of the 107 gender units that it had proposed to create. The gender units had been established in accordance with the guidelines on budgetary policy, which also provided that each unit must be properly funded.

The Women’s City Programme had been inherited from the previous administration and was being reviewed to identify areas for improvement. Under the Programme, the Women’s City Centres provided various forms of support to women on low incomes and those living in extreme poverty. The Ministry had begun the process of evaluating the second Plan for Gender Equality and Equity. Pending the evaluation of the current plan, a third plan would be drawn up for the period 2023–2033.

A representative of Honduras said that the Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs had worked together to establish the Solidarity Network Programme, under which a multisectoral strategy for providing financial support to families on low incomes would be developed. The Government had also established the Solidarity Action Programme in order to provide assistance to persons with disabilities, indigenous persons and persons of African descent and to promote entrepreneurship among vulnerable persons, including single mothers. It had also established a virtual job centre to help persons with disabilities find employment, including with government agencies and other public institutions.

Steps were being taken to reform the Act on Equity and Comprehensive Development for Persons with Disabilities and to develop a new policy on combating racial discrimination. An intersectional approach was incorporated into all new policies and programmes to ensure that they took full account of the diversity of the Honduran population. In that connection, policies and programmes were generally developed by several ministries working together rather than by a single ministry.

A representative of Honduras said that the Government had established the Ministry of Strategic Planning, which was responsible for developing a new national plan setting out the Government’s vision for the country. The plan would incorporate the gender and intersectional perspectives and would be focused on human rights. The President had also established a human rights committee within the Government that would address all areas of human rights and involve a number of relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Women’s Affairs. The committee would strive to implement all the recommendations made to Honduras by international organizations and all the judgments handed down to the country by regional and international courts. It would also ensure that human rights were mainstreamed across all government agencies.

The Inter-Agency Commission for the Monitoring of Investigations into Violent Deaths among Women and Femicides had never received the funding earmarked for it during the dictatorship. As a result, the strategy for eliminating femicide that was supposed to have been developed by the Public Prosecution Service had never come into existence. The Government had revived the Commission and efforts were now being made to expedite and streamline investigations into acts of femicide.

A representative of Honduras said that the Inter-Agency Commission for the Monitoring of Investigations into Violent Deaths among Women and Femicides took steps to investigate femicide and reduce the level of impunity surrounding that offence. In conducting its work, the Commission collaborated with the municipal authorities of cities where rates of femicide and levels of impunity were particularly high. Rapid response units would be established in six such cities.

Ms. Peláez Narváez said that it was still not clear whether a mechanism was in place to facilitate coordination between the gender units established within government agencies. Given that the National Institute for Women had been established in 1998, it would be interesting to know whether the significant level of knowledge and experience accumulated by its staff would be transferred to the staff of the gender units. She wondered whether the municipal offices for women and the former gender units established within the ministries would continue to operate or whether they would be taken over or replaced by the newly formed units.

Ms. García Paredes (Honduras) said that the law providing for the establishment of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs also set out the ways in which the Ministry would coordinate with the National Directorate of the Women’s City Programme. The Women’s City Centres were decentralized offices that were attached to the Ministry. All the ministries were currently working to identify priority measures for inclusion in what would be the national plan for the renewal of Honduras. All State agencies and institutions were required to invest in the promotion of gender equality in Honduras and submit reports on the measures that they took in that regard.

As far as taking advantage of prior knowledge and experience was concerned, most of the approximately 100 staff members of the National Institute for Women had been political activists, many of whom had not performed their duties, yet in order to promote women’s interests it was essential for institutions to have competent, professional staff. In the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, the 38 staff members assigned to the Women’s City Programme had therefore all received proper training. The Second National Gender Equity and Equality Plan had been silent on the matter of public-private partnerships at the local government level. Currently there were 198 municipal offices of women’s affairs. Through them, the Ministry coordinated training and was helping to formulate municipal policies for women that would be consistent with the forthcoming national plan.

Ms. Tisheva said that she wished to know what the State party was doing to counter gender stereotyping in families and ensure that women were no longer mainly assigned to the role of caring for children and older persons and doing domestic chores. What steps would be taken to coordinate measures to prevent gender-based violence and other harmful practices? It would be interesting to know whether the State party was also tackling those issues through formal and informal education. She would be grateful for information about measures to protect women from minorities, indigenous women, women of African descent, women with disabilities and lesbian, bisexual and transgender women and intersex persons from hate crimes and violence. What was done to ensure the punishment of perpetrators and reparation for victims? She wondered whether the case of Vicky Hernández had led to changes in the country’s legislation and policy on hate crimes and femicide. In the light of the alarming number of cases of domestic violence and abuse in the family, she would welcome details of measures to improve women’s access to justice and of steps to save women’s lives. In view of the lack of results achieved by the setting up of the Inter-Agency Commission to Monitor Investigations of Violent Deaths of Women and Cases of Femicide and special protection units, she would appreciate a description of the main shortcomings in the procedure for investigating and prosecuting femicide and of any measures to combat that crime. When did the State party intend to amend its Criminal Code to make punishment for femicide more severe? She wished to know how many convictions for femicide there had been over the previous two years. She was curious to find out what measures had been adopted to prevent the disappearance and forced displacement of women over the two previous years; it would be useful to have some figures on the subject. The Committee was anxious to learn whether any more general measures were being planned at the institutional and judicial level to counter organized crime and corruption and to eliminate impunity. It would be interesting to hear whether any persons in positions of power had been convicted of complicity in the death or disappearance of women and children.

Ms. Leinarte said that she wished to know whether the Government of Honduras was considering the adoption of a new anti-trafficking plan. Amendments to the Criminal Code had introduced a definition of trafficking that was inconsistent with international instruments. She would be grateful for clarification as to why, in 2021, labour inspectors had failed to identify any of the 40 per cent of trafficking victims who had been subjected to forced labour. She wondered whether the Government was addressing the problem of trafficking of women for sexual exploitation. She would like to hear the delegation’s comments on the fact that, between 2016 and 2022, there had been hundreds of cases of trafficking for forced labour, unlawful adoption and, in some instances, the commercial sexual exploitation of minors, but only 92 perpetrators had been convicted. The Committee would like to know what penalties existed for trafficking. She wished to draw attention to the fact that the State party had supplied very little information on the trafficking of minors, women of African descent, indigenous women or lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women and intersex persons.

A representative of Honduras said that a comprehensive bill on combating violence against women would make provision for full reparation for victims, a network of shelters, the care of orphans whose parents had died a violent death and measures to address aggressive behaviour. A woman’s group had also introduced another bill on shelters, which was under discussion. The aim of both bills was to protect the life and rights of victims and of their children.

A representative of Honduras said that some of the measures in the Strong Families Programme would help tackle domestic violence. Honduras had been one of the first Central American countries to devise a programme that set out to prevent domestic violence by organizing training for communities, professionals, parents and schools. It had been necessary to look beyond the definition of trafficking to analyse the reasons why women were victims of transnational organized crime and to obtain realistic data in order to formulate a strategy for combatting trafficking and transnational organized crime.

A representative of Honduras said that, as part of a gender-responsive education policy, 120 girls from deprived families had received education grants. There were guidelines on the inclusion of gender issues in education, especially sex education. The protocol for the comprehensive care of survivors of domestic violence was being updated.

A representative of Honduras said that the Inter-Agency Commission to Combat Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking in Persons had registered 25 cases in 2022. The Vicky Hernández case had led to some changes in anti-trafficking law and her family had received significant financial compensation. A protocol was being drawn up by the judiciary on the administration of justice in cases where persons from the LGBTIQ community had been victims of violence.

A representative of Honduras said that the eradication of gender stereotyping was one aim of a new policy that was being formulated to prevent unwanted teenage parenthood. As far as the economic empowerment of women was concerned, one objective of the Our Roots Programme was to draft a law that would recognize the ancestral land of indigenous peoples, defend their assets and their native languages and allow them to sell their traditional products. A fund for persons with disabilities had been established. It incorporated a gender-sensitive approach in an effort to reduce violence against women with disabilities and promote their social and economic independence. Gender mainstreaming was a government priority.

A representative of Honduras said that in 20 per cent of cases of femicide the perpetrators went unpunished. It was therefore vital to find alternative, more effective ways of investigating such crimes. To address that situation, part of the national budget was being devoted to the investigation and prevention of femicide and six rapid response teams had been set up. The new administration was endeavouring to combat violence against women more effectively.

Ms. García Paredes (Honduras) said that, over the previous 12 years, no progress had been made on eliminating the gender stereotyping, harmful practices or gender-based violence that had affected women’s lives. The establishment of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs was a historic opportunity to deal with all those problems. It was working hard to coordinate and guide work to that end. Women’s institutions must cooperate with the proactive sections of civil society to speak out loudly in defence of women’s interests. Tackling trafficking in women and the exploitation of prostitution of women, as well as eliminating discrimination against women in political and public life, were of the utmost priority for the new administration. Harmful practices, early marriage and teenage pregnancy were unacceptable. The new plan must therefore be fully implemented in practice.

Ms. Leinarte said that she wished to stress that the definition of trafficking should be in conformity with that set forth in international instruments. In the first six months of 2022, 57,000 undocumented migrants, many of them women and girls, had arrived in Honduras, a country where prostitution was legal. She could well imagine what their fate might be.

Articles 7–9

Ms. Manalo said that she would welcome information on any plans to introduce legislation to counter violence against women politicians. She wished to know what was being done to give women in politics better access to procedures for reporting violence. She would be grateful for a description of any measures that were being planned to achieve women’s equal representation in politics. Lastly, she wished to know whether there were any plans to improve the political representation of rural women and their participation in decision-making at the community level.

Ms. García Paredes (Honduras) said that the Government was working together with the Gender Commission of the National Congress on violence against women in politics and women’s representation in government. Women representatives had been working closely with civil society and other actors in an interparliamentary forum to promote women’s political participation. Thus far, only one party had implemented the regulations governing the principle of parity and alternation in electoral processes in its electoral lists. Other parties must implement those regulations, as reducing gender inequality in politics was key to ensuring women’s access to power and decision-making. Under the Electoral Act, the National Electoral Council must have an active gender unit to coordinate its activities with the various political party mechanisms that received complaints of political violence. She trusted that the comprehensive bill on access to a life free of violence would be pushed through Congress to ensure women’s full political participation.

Rural women, too, had been excluded from entering politics owing to a lack of financial resources and logistical support. The political participation of women was a strategic objective under the new Gender Equality and Equity Plan for the period 2023–2032, and the Ministry of Gender Affairs would endeavour to work towards achieving that objective, in collaboration with the Gender Commission and the Academy of Women Parliamentarians and within the framework of the forum of women parliamentarians.

A representative of Honduras said that progress had been made with the historic victory of the first woman President. Likewise, 27 women civil servants held high-level decision-making positions, and there were 35 women elected as full and 43 as alternate members of Congress. Although there were 18 women mayors, progress had been slower in local politics. On 5 November 2021, the National Electoral Council had brought a bill on combating gender-based political violence before the National Congress, and the Protocol against Gender-based Political Violence had been approved. A government working group had been set up to promote gender-responsive budgeting.

A representative of Honduras said that the new Government would focus on community and grass-roots organizations to rebuild the country following 13 years of deterioration of the human rights situation. Advisory councils had been relaunched, enabling women and vulnerable groups to have discussions with State representatives on policies and legislative proposals.

Rural women had played an important role in bringing about the repeal of the Organic Act on Employment and Economic Development Areas, which would have a positive impact on the lives of women who were ensuring food security in the country by protecting the land and rights of rural women.

Ms. Bethel said that progress had been made in terms of issuing birth certificates and identification cards despite ongoing migration and instability in the State party; however, without further information, it was hard to tell whether that response was effective. She would be grateful if the State party could clarify how it was addressing the needs of stateless and migrant women and children and how it determined the number of such persons it was dealing with.

She would appreciate information on the progress in facilitating the registration of children born in Guatemala and El Salvador to Honduran parents in the light of the establishment of the 90-day grace period with those Governments. She would be grateful if the State party could elaborate on the steps taken to ensure that girls were registered within the legal time frame and that replacement birth certificates were issued for women and girls lacking them.

She wondered how the State party measured the success of the “Identify Yourself” project in terms of addressing the needs of stateless and migrant women and children and what more needed to be done to improve that situation.

There had been several cases of asylum-seeking Nicaraguan children who were not registered in their country of origin and could not obtain documentation in Honduras because of the lack of a clear legal framework. Moreover, alternative sources indicated that the greatest impediment to registering births was extortion by local authorities, which intimidated non-national families. She wondered what measures could be taken by the State party to address both of those extreme situations in order to meet the needs of migrant women and children and stateless women.

Ms. García Paredes (Honduras) said that Honduras had historically lacked a national migration policy, and efforts made in that regard by the previous Government had not come to fruition. She trusted that a national migration policy would be approved to ensure the full protection of the lives of Honduran citizens and foreign nationals crossing the national borders. As there were many children in the country who were not legally registered, tackling that issue would be a key focus of her Government. The rights of stateless people must also be included in migration legislation.

A representative of Honduras said that the Government was restructuring its consulates to give them an equality focus. The National Registry Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had signed a cooperation agreement to identify the Honduran population abroad. The Human Rights and Migration Services Unit of the National Migration Institute had provided training on the rights of migrant women to all border officials. The National Registry Office had provided training to Honduran consular officials on registering children on the same day and free of charge at consulates in the United States of America and Spain and the countries of Central America. An electronic passport service was available in the 14 consulates in the United States of America and those in Spain, Central America and the Caribbean, and it would gradually become available in South America.

A representative of Honduras said that, reflecting the Government’s inclusive and non-discriminatory approach to human rights and social development, the Ministry of Social Development had implemented the Solidarity Action Programme, which included a project to promote economic recovery and entrepreneurship that directly targeted women who had migrated from and been returned to Honduras. There was also a National Council for the Protection of Honduran Migrants, which had a differentiated approach for vulnerable groups, especially women.

A representative of Honduras said that Honduras had become a country of transit for migrants in search of better conditions. The amnesty granted to migrants who travelled through Honduran territory, which had been unanimously supported by the National Congress on 3 August 2022, would ensure that the human rights of all migrants were respected. Moreover, the National Institute of Migration had established a commission for the care of migrants arriving in or passing through Honduras, and the President had made the presidential aeroplane available for the repatriation of those who had died in the United States of America.

Ms. Bethel asked whether there was a timeline for the adoption of the national migration policy.

Ms. García Paredes (Honduras) said that the approval of the law on the national migration policy depended on the legislative branch. She trusted that the policy would soon be approved and implemented.

Articles 10–14

Ms. Gbedemah said she would like to know what the learning outcomes various educational initiatives launched for indigenous children and children of African descent were. She would welcome information on the number of children who were not enrolled in school. She would also be interested to know how the State party intended to tackle the education gap, which had been exacerbated by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the dropout rate among girls, who, on average, only studied for 7.5 years. Would temporary special measures be considered?

She said that education was crucial in order to reduce fertility rates, improve health and nutrition, protect against child marriage, create opportunities for further education, break intergenerational poverty cycles and ensure protection against violence. She therefore wondered how the State party could implement mandatory, comprehensive, rights-based guidelines on sexual and reproductive health that addressed power issues and responsible sexual behaviour, in line with the Convention, in order to prevent teenage pregnancy. She would be interested to know what measures had been implemented to ensure that pregnant students remained in school, whether there was any data on those measures and their outcomes and how the State party was engaging with the various persons concerned, including religious leaders.

She would appreciate information on the impact of the “We Want You Studying at Home” programme, which had been implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic and could be extended to enable pregnant adolescents to continue their studies. Likewise, she would like to know whether the State party planned to expand Internet access to underserved areas to enable people to study at home.

In terms of violence and bullying in schools, she would be interested to know what data was available, what mechanisms were in place, how those mechanisms fit into the national strategy for prevention and school safety and how programmes in that area were implemented.

As regards COVID-19, noting that the State party had provided data, disaggregated by level of education and disability, on the dropout rate among girls, she wondered what strategies it had developed in the areas of reintegration, adult skills and vocational education, disability, horizontal and vertical segregation and higher education.

Ms. García Paredes (Honduras) said that a core focus of the new Gender Equality and Equity Plan would be transformative education to ensure the full development of women and girls. Her Government was working on a mechanism to provide technical assistance for mainstreaming a gender perspective in the institutions governing the national education system. A gender road map had been launched in February 2022 to develop strategies to guarantee the education of rural and urban women and girls, with a focus on indigenous women, women of African descent, women with disabilities, migrant women and refugee women. In May 2022, 52 per cent of girls had been enrolled in the third cycle (7–9 grades) of basic education and some 56 per cent had been enrolled in upper secondary education. There was an early warning and response system to prevent dropouts. The Solidarity Network Programme and the Solidarity Action Programme would be implemented in some 2,000 towns in which poverty, extreme poverty and illiteracy were the most prevalent.

The meeting rose at 6 p.m.