Twenty-fourth session

Summary record of the 507th meeting

Held at Headquarters, New York, on Tuesday, 30 January 2001, at 3 p.m.

Chairperson:Ms. Acar

Contents

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

Initial report of Uzbekistan (continued)

The meeting was called to order at 3.15 p.m.

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

Initial report of Uzbekistan (continued) (CEDAW/C/UZB/1)

1.At the invitation of the Chairperson, Mr. Saidov and Ms. Narbayeva (Uzbekistan) took places at the Committee table.

2.Mr. Saidov (Uzbekistan), in response to the question on the relationship between the Convention and domestic legislation, said that under the Constitution the provisions of the Convention prevailed over Uzbek domestic law. The ratification procedure had involved a careful review of existing legislation, and inconsistent provisions had been brought into line with those of the Convention. Substantial work had been undertaken to inform the population, including professionals in the legal field, about the primacy of the Convention over domestic legislation. The content of international conventions ratified by the Oliy Majlis (Supreme Assembly) had been translated into the national language and widely disseminated. Explanatory courses, seminars and fellowships aimed at members of the judiciary were offered through the support of various funds and international bodies.

3.With regard to the definition of “indirect discrimination”, he said that although neither the Constitution nor the Labour Code contained a definition of the term, protection against discrimination was nevertheless guaranteed under article 19 of the Constitution and article 6 of the Labour Code. Indeed, a definition of discrimination could be incorporated into a law on equal opportunities, although there was no immediate plan to draft such a law.

4.He clarified the point concerning the differentiation between the rights of women and their reproductive rights, stating that the laws of Uzbekistan made distinctions between the rights of women as persons versus their rights as biological entities. Apart from constitutional guarantees, women enjoyed additional benefits which were protected by law.

5.A number of legislative, educational, economic and judicial measures had been adopted to tackle the problems of domestic violence, trafficking in women and stereotyping. In recent years, the Government, the Women’s Committee of Uzbekistan and other women’s non-governmental organizations had collaborated in the effort to curb domestic violence. In addition, since 1996, the Women’s Committee and the American Bar Association had conducted systematic training of personnel from law enforcement agencies, the legal profession and civil society on violence prevention. Social adaptation centres provided psychological assistance, training, jobs and follow-up services to women victims.

6.With regard to the application of standards on the freedom of movement and the situation of refugees, as outlined in chapter 14 of the report, he said that article 28 of the Uzbek Constitution guaranteed its citizens freedom of movement, and that the rights of aliens and stateless persons were ensured in accordance with international law. He further informed the Committee that there were no refugee camps in Uzbekistan.

7.The Committee had posed various questions on the status and mandate of the Ombudsman and on the nature of complaints. When Uzbekistan established the post of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Oliy Majlis in 1995, it had been the first country in Central Asia to do so. Based on the Scandinavian model, the office of the Ombudsman examined complaints against organizations or officials and conducted inquiries into those complaints. Its decisions were recommendatory in nature, and the law on the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Oliy Majlis (Ombudsman), adopted in 1997, defined its powers and mandate. Since 1999, the Ombudsman had analysed the results of the implementation of Convention standards on the elimination of discrimination against women. Almost 60 per cent of complaints originated from women, and the nature of those complaints encompassed legal, social, economic and daily life issues.

8.Articles 108 and 109 of the Constitution and the law on the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan described the legal status and powers of the Constitutional Court. Apart from determining the constitutionality of acts of the legislative and executive authorities and interpreting constitutional norms, it also examined domestic decrees to assess whether they coincided with Uzbekistan’s treaty obligations. The submission of complaints from private individuals was being widely discussed among jurists. Complaints against the private sector were handled in much the same way as those against the public sector and were considered by the local judicial authorities, khokimiyats, on the basis of the civil, domestic and criminal codes. All khokimiyats had special departments for the consideration of citizens’ complaints, on the basis of the relevant legal provisions.

9.Elaborating on section D of the general introduction to the report, he said the tasks of the Institute for Monitoring Legislation in Force, a scientific research institute dealing with human rights protection, included the detailed analysis of national legislation in terms of their conformity with international instruments ratified by the Oliy Majlis and the preparation of practical recommendations to ensure that domestic norms were aligned with Uzbekistan’s international commitments. In addition, the Institute prepared proposals on the desirability of Uzbekistan’s becoming party to international conventions, studied international standards and examined foreign experience in the field of human rights.

10.With regard to poverty reduction among rural women, he said the Government’s efforts were centred on improving infrastructure in rural areas through a number of measures which, among other things, provided land, credit and services for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises run by women. In addition to government programmes, non-governmental organizations were involved in developing the entrepreneurial skills of rural women through courses and other forms of training.

11.The Committee had asked the delegation to elaborate on its understanding of the concept of women as equal citizens. In that regard, he said that after the ratification of the Convention, the Government had adopted such a concept, which had been translated into a programme document for securing legal and social guarantees for women. The concept and its programmes were being actively implemented in an effort to enhance the status of women as equal participants in the democratic transformation of Uzbek society.

12.With regard to the effect of globalization on women’s economic situation, he said that after gaining independence, Uzbekistan had carried out a policy of active integration into the international community, thereby incurring all the positive and negative effects of globalization. As the country went through its transitional period towards a market economy, and women became involved in entrepreneurial activities, the difficulties of transition also had an economic impact on women. The number of small- and medium-scale enterprises operated by women had risen to more than 20,000, representing 30 per cent of the total number of businesses in Uzbekistan. Those undertakings provided a valuable source of income and employment for women throughout the country, to the extent that women now accounted for more than 42 per cent of the active workforce.

13.Turning to the issue of quotas and the participation of women in political life, he said that political parties did not establish quotas for women. According to the information on registered political parties presented in chapter 6, section 2 of the report, 40 per cent of the membership of the National Democratic Party consisted of women, while the newer political parties had considerably fewer women members. Efforts were being made, however, to encourage more women to enter politics.

14.Speaking on the role of Parliament in the adoption of gender-sensitive legislation, he indicated that the Government’s commitment to such issues was evident from the work of the parliamentary commission on women and family matters, as well as the work of the committee dealing with social questions and employment. Through those entities, various aspects of legislative activity were addressed, including legal drafting and review, monitoring of compatibility of domestic laws with international instruments and the enactment of legislation on benefits for unemployed women.

15.In response to the query on sexual offences, he said that in 2000 there had been 520 recorded cases of rape, as defined under article 118 of the Criminal Code; 514 of those cases had either been considered or resolved. No official statistics were available on cases of domestic violence, but non-governmental organizations had been conducting independent research to gather the relevant data.

16.With regard to suicide and domestic violence, he said that an integrated programme of measures had been drawn up and implemented in 1998 with the aim of preventing crimes in the sphere of family and domestic relations. Each case of violence or suicide was formally investigated in accordance with detailed guidelines. The results were published in the press. Non-governmental organizations played an active role in preventive work.

17.The role of the makhallas was of great importance in Uzbek society. Each makhalla had a special women’s section, where any woman could bring a complaint about domestic violence. She would be given help and, if necessary, lodged in a nearby crisis centre or social adaptation centre, where she could receive not only psychological and medical help but also, if she wished, free occupational training, after which she would be found employment. While she was at the centre, the makhalla women’s committee would investigate the family situation and over the following year the woman would be monitored by centre staff and the women’s committee of the makhalla. The moral authority of the makhalla was such that, once a family had been under investigation, it was rare for trouble to reoccur.

18.In answer to another question, he said that marriage between relatives of direct lines of descent, between siblings and half-siblings, and between adopted children and adoptive parents was prohibited under the Family Law. No provision for incest or marriage within the family was made under the Criminal Code.

19.With regard to the makhallas’ mediation services, he said that strengthening the family was an important aspect of the makhallas’ work. The divorce rate was going down: between 1999 and 2000 the number of divorces had fallen by almost 3,000. The reasons for a divorce were carefully considered by the makhalla women’s committee and a communal decision was reached, with the aim of preventing families breaking up for trivial reasons. In such cases the woman’s interests were given the highest priority. In response to the concern expressed that the makhallas’ traditional values hindered the development of women’s rights, he said that the makhalla was a unique, national, democratic institution evolved by Uzbek society. There were currently about 10,000 makhallas, each of which had a women’s committee. The makhalla was the most widespread form of self-government and provided each individual’s link with society.

20.With regard to women’s representation in Parliament, he said that at the 1999 elections 9,061,266 electors had voted, 50 per cent of whom had been women. There had been 165 women candidates, of whom 21 had been elected.

21.With regard to polygamy, he said that in 2000 there had been 41 cases, of which 38 had been subjected to criminal investigation or judgement. Of those, 33 had been convicted. The cases had been reported in the press. As for the concern expressed about the penalties for operating a brothel or procuring, which were light in comparison with those for distributing pornographic items to minors, the former crime involved the deprivation of liberty for up to three years with confiscation of property. In response to another question, he added that persons at risk under the terms of article 131 of the Criminal Code included women and minors lacking economic protection.

22.On the question of non-governmental organizations and their freedom of action, he said that a law relating to them had been adopted in 1999. No such organization had been refused registration. They did not receive State funding, although they were able to benefit from State structures at every level.

23.In answer to another question, he said that in the diplomatic service there were 38 women diplomats, including three heads of department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

24.As for the quota system for disabled workers, 6,414 enterprises and institutions had set aside about 130,000 jobs, 90,000 of which had been filled by workers from the socially vulnerable sectors of the population. Of those, 3.2 per cent were disabled, 57 per cent young teachers, 2.8 per cent pensioners, 22.7 per cent parents of young children, 8.5 per cent demobilized soldiers and 6 per cent former convicts. Over 50 per cent were women.

25.As for whether fathers were entitled to family benefits, he said that fathers and other family members — grandparents or siblings — could receive such benefits. The rules on benefits applied equally to State enterprises and to those in private or shared ownership.

26.He confirmed that under article 77 of the Labour Code 16-year-olds could enter employment. Under article 241, however, those under 18 years of age were not permitted to undertake inappropriate employment, such as work underground, which could be harmful to their health, safety or morals. Restrictions were also placed on heavy labour. As for the percentage of women engaged in physical labour, the vast majority of women did not work in industry, although in industry, agriculture, trade, catering, education and communication taken together women made up 40 to 52 per cent of the total. Women working in industry mostly held jobs not requiring heavy work. In agriculture women mostly worked at cotton-picking.

27.On the question of stereotypes and preferential treatment for men, he said that under article 224 of the Labour Code women could not be refused work, offered lower wages or dismissed on the grounds that they were pregnant or had small children. As for women entrepreneurs, they were engaged in small and medium-sized enterprises, farms, farm shops and crafts. As for the allocation of land to women, no statistics existed, since land was allocated to peasants without distinction of gender. The total area of land used for agriculture had risen from 351,612 hectares in 1996 to 889,664 hectares in 2000, a rise of 253 per cent.

28.With regard to the division of property following divorce, he drew attention to the information given in chapter 15 of the report, which detailed the relative rights of the parties. The existing legislation was in full accord with the interests of the majority of married couples in Uzbekistan. Not many women were able to combine a professional career with running a household and bringing up children. In such cases the legislation protected their rights, since in the division of property the spouses had equal rights.

29.Ms. Narbayeva (Uzbekistan), replying to questions about the birth rate, unemployment and other social indicators, said that the main reasons for the high birth rate in Uzbekistan were tradition; the preponderance of agricultural communities, which had a considerably higher birth rate than urban communities; the high incidence of marriage and the low divorce rate; the fact that half the population was under 30 years of age; early marriage; and the tendency for women with large families not to work. The birth rate was, however, showing a falling trend. According to Ministry of Health statistics, 51 per cent of women did not wish to have more children. Of women aged 30 or more, 75 per cent did not want children. Many women thus preferred to stop having children at a relatively early age. Work was being done to encourage the use of modern, safe and effective contraceptive methods.

30.Demographic factors played a significant role in female employment and unemployment. The relatively high birth rate meant that a substantial proportion of women of working age left the labour market at various times — usually between the ages of 20 and 30 — to have children. Quotas were applied to such women. Most unemployed women had few qualifications and only 22.5 per cent had careers, working in the State administration or in the engineering and technical fields. However, 60 per cent had had a secondary education. Labour institutions ran annual training courses for women, who were then helped to find jobs. Between 1994 and 2000, 60,000 women had received such training, 92 per cent of whom had found jobs.

31.The Women’s Committee of Uzbekistan was the largest and most influential women’s organization in the country. Founded in 1991, it had legal status and was registered with the Ministry of Justice. It had branches in 14 regions and 200 districts or towns. It also had representatives in workplaces and educational institutions. The national Committee had seven members and was financially supported by the State. Both the national and the regional committees had units catering for specific groups of women, including scientists, economists, lawyers and those engaged in creative work. Such units gave free advice to any woman. The chairperson of the Committee was appointed a deputy prime minister, while the chairpersons of the regional and district women’s committees became deputy heads of the local administration. A table detailing the machinery for the protection of women’s rights and interests had been distributed to the Committee.

32.The Gender and Development Office had been in existence since October 1997. Its function was to increase women’s potential and to broaden their opportunities and abilities during the transitional period. It had a core staff of 11, assisted by State representatives and non-governmental organizations. The Office acted, first, to coordinate the activities of governmental, social and non-governmental organizations and to work with them to establish a strategy to develop gender sensitivity throughout society. Secondly, it was a resource centre, providing information to and about women’s non-governmental organizations nationally and internationally. Thirdly, it contained a library for the use of women’s non-governmental organizations, following the guidelines of the Fourth World Conference on Women. Fourthly, it was a training centre, preparing women to make fuller use of their potential and to apply their abilities. It organized seminars on gender issues and gender statistics for public servants and non-governmental organizations.

33.Pursuant to the presidential decree of 2 March 1995 on measures to enhance the role of women in State and social structures, a Secretariat for the Social Protection of the Family, Motherhood and Childhood had been established in the Cabinet of Ministers. That Secretariat, which dealt with gender issues, was under the authority of the Deputy Prime Minister. Similar secretariats had been established in regional administrations; each one included three or four officials. The Secretariat helped elaborate government decisions and State programmes concerning the interests of the family, women and children, and monitored their implementation. It also coordinated the work of ministries, departments and social organizations on gender equality issues such as enhancing women’s role in society, improving their health, promoting their employment and comprehensive development, developing female entrepreneurship and providing social protection to women from low-income families. The Secretariat cooperated closely with non-governmental organizations.

34.Since 1997, the Government had adopted programmes aimed at changing attitudes towards women as individuals, mothers and active participants in civil society. The 1998 programme had been devoted to the “Year of the Family”, and had resulted in the adoption of the Family Code; the establishment of a Family Centre to study the problems of the family and make practical recommendations to State structures and non-governmental organizations; and the implementation of concrete measures to increase women’s political involvement, improve women’s reproductive health and provide material support to women. About half of the funding for those programmes had come from the State budget.

35.The 1999 programme had been devoted to the “Women’s Year”, and had resulted in a government decision to establish quotas requiring enterprises, organizations and institutions to provide jobs for women with young children, women who had been released from prison, disabled women and single women; optional retirement for women at the age of 54 instead of 55; the shortening of the work week from 40 to 35 hours, without a cut in pay, for women with children under the age of three; the maintenance at full pension of retirees working in low-paying jobs in the health care and education sectors; the establishment of a State prize for young women up to the age of 25 who showed creative ability in the areas of literature, pedagogy, science, art and culture; the establishment of a Consultative and Analytical Council to monitor the implementation of international instruments, United Nations conventions and national laws concerning women’s rights; and the conduct of studies on healthy lifestyles and family planning. Over 70 per cent of the funding for those programmes had come from the State budget.

36.The 2000 programme had been devoted to the “Year of the Healthy Generation”, and had involved the introduction of a system of premarital medical certification; activities to assist young families; information campaigns against early marriage, consanguineous marriage and closely spaced births; and the establishment of reproductive health centres and screening centres in the regions to help reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. Over 60 per cent of the funding for those programmes had come from the State budget.

37.The year 2001 had been proclaimed the “Year of Mothers and Children”. A State programme had been prepared, which continued and intensified the measures taken in the preceding years to promote women’s rights and interests. Over 97 per cent of the funding for that programme came from the State budget.

38.Uzbekistan had prepared a National Platform and Plan of Action, based on the Beijing Platform for Action, which set out the actions to be taken in the 12 priority areas identified in the Beijing document. Its aim was to achieve gender equality in all those areas. It set out the role of the national machinery in coordinating gender mainstreaming within the Government with a view to supporting the latter’s efforts to ensure gender equality in all spheres of life. The national machinery played an important role in introducing the gender-based approach as a necessary means of ensuring that both women and men benefited from the results of programmes. Gender strategies were promoted through cooperation with civil society in all areas of activity. The national machinery also monitored the implementation of the Beijing Platform and the Convention; each year, its findings were discussed by the Secretariat for the Social Protection of the Family, Motherhood and Childhood, the Ombudsman, the National Centre for Human Rights and other interested ministries, departments and international organizations.

39.Non-governmental organizations in Uzbekistan actively participated in the preparation of State programmes. The heads of such organizations were included in commissions, helped to elaborate and implement programmes, carried out monitoring functions and participated in the preparation of reports on various areas of government activity.

40.Under the presidential decree of 2 March 1995, the Chairperson of the Women’s Committee had the rank of Deputy Prime Minister; likewise, the chairpersons of women’s committees at other levels acted as deputy directors of administration for issues relating to the family, women and children. In addition, one Deputy Chairperson of the Parliament, two chairpersons of parliamentary committees, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) and two Deputy Prime Ministers were women. Women occupied Director of Administration posts in two regions, and there were three women Deputy Ministers and one woman Minister. Most directors of health care, educational and cultural establishments and of local light industries were women. In all bodies of the executive branch, ministries and departments, a pool of women executives had been created to fill leadership posts. Currently, those women were being trained at the Academy of State and Social Construction and in other similar courses. Active efforts must continue in that area and the number of women in decision-making positions must be increased.

41.Some 36,000 seminars had been held on gender equality issues, the 12 priority areas of the Beijing Platform and the provisions of the Convention. More than 1.5 million women had taken part, along with a number of men. In future, greater efforts would be made to attract more men to such seminars.

42.Recently, the media had been paying more attention to the implementation of the Beijing Platform’s provisions on projecting an image of women as leaders, citizens, managers and mothers. Programmes on that issue had been broadcast on television and radio and articles had been published in newspapers and magazines. Artistic performances, videos and the like had also been produced.

43.The Council of the Federation of Trade Unions was one of Uzbekistan’s largest organizations and was headed by a woman. Trade unions actively lobbied the Government with respect to issues concerning women’s advancement to decision-making positions. They provided effective assistance to women’s political leadership schools and clubs and provided financing for programmes targeting women voters.

44.To increase women’s political participation, one of the priorities of the National Plan was to promote women’s advancement to decision-making positions. Accordingly, women’s clubs and women’s political leadership schools had been established, with the help of non-governmental organizations, in secondary and higher education institutions, professional associations, enterprises, organizations and makhallas. In those schools and clubs, girls and women prepared to become competent leaders on issues such as politics, entrepreneurship and healthy lifestyles. That involved activities such as dialogue and exchanges of views on the civil and individual rights of women; programmes on women and democracy; cooperation with the media to spread awareness of the principle of gender equality; organization of conferences, round tables and seminars with the participation of researchers, political leaders, labour leaders and women’s groups to exchange views and establish contacts; publication of newspapers and information bulletins; activities targeting businesswomen to enhance their prestige, disseminate experiences and establish foreign commercial ties; development of women’s capacity to participate actively in elections at all levels and improvement of women’s representation in elected bodies; and establishment of grass-roots clubs of women voters.

45.The number of institutions of higher education in Uzbekistan had increased from 54 in 1992 to 59 in 1999. In the 1990s, the proportion of female students had been about 39 per cent. After peaking at 40.2 per cent in 1994, that proportion had fallen to 37 per cent in 1997. The reason was that many women in that age group had married and started a family. In the past two years, with the introduction of mandatory 12-year education and the increase in the minimum age for marriage, young women had become more motivated to continue their education. Currently, women accounted for 60 per cent of all university students.

46.The methodology used to identify talented pupils was the same for both boys and girls.

47.Because the law prohibited wage discrimination on the basis of sex, no gender-disaggregated statistics were maintained for individual job categories. The average monthly salary was 12,469 som; a table showing the average wage by sector of employment had been circulated.

48.The Government had instituted wage increases across the board, including in the health and education sectors. It had also implemented a long-term programme of prizes and other benefits which were awarded to workers, 50 per cent of them women, in celebration of Independence Day, and to young women in celebration of International Women’s Day. Five women had been awarded the title “Hero of Uzbekistan”.

49.There were no specific programmes for rural women, but all State programmes included measures on their behalf. Further efforts to promote social activities, entrepreneurship and women’s organizations were needed.

50.Statistics on the percentages of urban and rural women in higher education were not recorded. Currently, women accounted for 53,888 of the 174,456 candidates for a bachelor’s degree and for 1,166 of the 6,184 candidates for a master’s degree. Women made up 60 per cent of the student body in traditional universities and 25 per cent in technical universities.

51.The past two years had seen a decline in cardiovascular disease among women, thanks in part to the opening of women’s health clinics in remote areas. Figures for the year 2000 showed that there were 7,513 women alcoholics, largely as a result of changes in women’s lives during the transition to a market economy.

52.A mother and child screening programme had been established in order to prevent birth defects, identify inherited problems and, where possible, correct them. The decision whether to abort in such cases was taken by the parents and, in particular, the mother. Health authorities and non-governmental organizations were working to increase public awareness of the importance of such screening.

53.Marriage contracts had been introduced in 1998 but were little used: eight had been signed in 1999 and only one in 2000. Courses were offered to provide young people with instruction in family life.

54.Mr. Saidov (Uzbekistan) said that his Government had ratified the Convention and other international instruments concerning women without reservations and was committed to implementing them. Much remained to be done to guarantee the exercise of women’s rights in both law and practice; additional legislation, including an equal opportunity act, should be adopted. It was also important to use the potential of the media and non-governmental organizations and to involve society as a whole in combating gender stereotypes and indirect discrimination based on religious beliefs and national traditions.

55.He appreciated the Committee’s understanding of attempts to use religion as a means of destabilizing Uzbek society; of the need to maintain national peace and security as a condition for de jure and de facto equality; of the transition’s impact on all aspects of national life; and of Uzbekistan’s special geopolitical situation as the only developing country that must transit through two other States in order to gain access to the sea.

56.The Government would continue its efforts to implement the Convention and to disseminate information on the provisions thereof; the next periodic report would be submitted on time and would better reflect the Committee’s guidelines.

57.Ms. Schöpp-Schilling said that the delegation appeared to have misunderstood the Committee’s questions regarding wages in the health and education sectors. In Uzbekistan, as in other countries, the labour market tended to be gender-segregated; women’s work was undervalued in sectors where they predominated whereas jobs in industries such as construction, where most employees were male, were well paid. That situation had its origins in patriarchal traditions and in the fact that many jobs commonly held by women had once been done at home and were still considered “women’s work”.

58.Thus, it was not sufficient to mandate across-the-board increases; special measures must be taken to place wages in the health and education fields on a par with those of jobs held by men. Numerous theoretical studies of the question had been carried out in the United States of America and the Scandinavian countries. A time of transition, however difficult, could provide an opportunity for change; in view of the delegation’s statement that the Convention took precedence over domestic law, she urged the Government to implement its provisions in the case at hand.

59.Ms. Corti said she hoped that the Government’s political will to implement the provisions of the Convention would be translated into fact. The nation’s highly educated women needed jobs and other opportunities to participate in the national development process. It was possible to join the global trend towards modernization without sacrificing tradition; greater efforts to combat forces resistant to change were required.

60.Ms. Achmad said that despite the delegation’s explanations, it was still not clear how the national machinery functioned. She suggested that the Committee’s general recommendation 6 should be consulted when the next periodic report was prepared.

61.Mr. Saidov (Uzbekistan) said that he agreed with the points raised by the previous speakers and that the Committee’s comments and recommendations would provide a basis for the next report. A journey began with a single step; he was confident that greater understanding between his Government and the Committee was an achievable goal.

62.The Chairperson said she was pleased that the Government was considering the adoption of an equal opportunity act which would include the concept of direct and indirect discrimination. She stressed the need to enact legislation on domestic violence and to provide members of the judiciary, the makhallas and law enforcement personnel with training along the lines suggested in the Committee’s general recommendation 19. Local and community sanctions were generally effective, but they could perpetuate traditional patriarchal values unless preventive measures were taken.

63.She thanked the delegation for the additional information it had provided and said that she looked forward to receiving the next periodic report of Uzbekistan.

The meeting rose at 5.25 p.m.