Pre-session working group

Forty-sixth session

12-30 July 2010

List of issues and questions with regard to the consideration of periodic reports

Turkey

The pre-session working group examined the sixth periodic report of Turkey (CEDAW/C/TUR/6).

General

1.Please provide more information on the process of preparation of the report. This information should indicate which Government departments and institutions were involved and the nature and extent of their participation and whether the report was adopted by the Government and submitted to Parliament. Please also provide information on the extent of the involvement of non-governmental organizations in general, and women’s organizations in particular in the preparation of the report.

2.The report contains limited updated statistical data disaggregated by sex on the situation of women in many areas covered by the Convention. Please indicate how the Government intends to improve the collection of data disaggregated by sex pertaining to all the areas of the Convention, and how such data is used in policy and programme development and in monitoring progress towards de facto equality of women and men.

Constitutional, legislative and institutional framework

3.In its previous concluding observations (CEDAW/C/TUR/CC/4-5, paras. 23-24), the Committee recommended the State party to include in the Constitution a definition of discrimination against women in line with article 1 of the Convention or in appropriate laws. It also recommended the State party to raise awareness about the Convention and the meaning and scope of discrimination against women aimed at the general public and especially at parliamentarians, the judiciary and the legal profession. Please specify whether a definition of discrimination against women, encompassing both direct and indirect discrimination, and covering acts committed by both public and private actions, in line with article 1 of the Convention is included among these efforts. Please provide information on whether the provisions of the Convention have been invoked in national courts, and provide examples of any pertinent case law.

4.In its previous concluding observations (CEDAW/C/TUR/CC/4-5, paras. 25-26), the Committee recommended the State party to give priority to amending remaining discriminatory legal provisions without delay so as to bring its legislation into line with article 2 of the Convention. The State party’s report refers to laws and measures (see CEDAW/C/TUR/6) that have been adopted to reduce and eliminate discrimination against women. Please provide detailed information on the effective implementation of these laws and measures in the whole country during the period under review. Also please include detailed and updated information on the status of the draft law on the amendment of the Turkish Civil Code. The State party report also refers to remaining provisions of the Turkish Penal Code that could be unfavourable for women and that are currently being debated by public opinion and to which the Committee referred to in its previous concluding observations (CEDAW/C/TUR/CC/4-5, para. 25). Please provide detailed information on the efforts carried out to repeal those provisions.

5.In its previous concluding observations, the Committee recommended the State party to disseminate and publicize these in order to make the public at large, including governmental officials, politicians, parliamentarians and women’s and human rights organizations aware of the steps that have been taken to ensure de jure and de facto equality of women, as well as the further steps that were required in this regard. Please provide information on any campaign or any other initiative carried out by the Government in order to disseminate widely the principles of the Convention, as well as the concluding observations. Please outline steps taken by the Government to provide adequate information and training for legal professionals, including lawyers, judges and prosecutors, and other actors responsible for the implementation of the Convention, on the State party’s legal obligations under the Convention.

Programmes and action plans

6.The report refers to the Sexual and Reproductive Health for the Health Sector — National Strategic Action Plan, which specifies the relevant goals, priorities and tasks of the State party for the period 2005-2015. Please provide more information on the National Plan, including detailed information on material and human resources that are allocated to the Plan and whether indicators as well as time bound targets have been established to assess the implementation of this Plan in all regions of the country.

7.The report refers to the National Action Plan for Combating Domestic Violence against Women (2007-2010), which has been prepared with the participation of all parties related to the issue of violence, in order to constitute a base for public policies. Please provide additional detailed information on the National Plan, including detailed information on material and human resources that are allocated to the Plan and whether indicators as well as time bound targets have been established to assess the implementation of this Plan in all regions of the country.

8.In its previous concluding observations the Committee requested the State party to provide information on the integration of a gender perspective in the State party’s economic planning (CEDAW/C/TUR/CC/4-5, para. 40). Please provide detailed information on any actions taken by the Government in this regard.

Temporary special measures

9.Please provide information on any steps taken by the Government to adopt temporary special measures in line with article 4, paragraph 1 of the Convention and with the Committee’s general recommendation No. 25, to accelerate de facto equality between men and women.

Stereotypes and cultural practices

10.The State party report refers to numerous efforts in progress in Turkey towards the purpose of modifying negative sociocultural behaviour patterns pertaining to the roles of women and men in life and for the advancement of women. Taking into account the previous concluding observations of the Committee (CEDAW/C/TUR/CC/4-5, paras. 29-30) please provide detailed information on any measures that have been introduced, in collaboration with, among others, civil society organizations, women’s groups and community leaders to eliminate traditional and cultural practices that discriminate against women.

Violence against women

11.In its previous concluding observations (CEDAW/C/TUR/CC/4-5, paras. 27-28), the Committee called upon the State party to intensify its efforts to prevent and combat violence against women, including domestic violence. Bearing in mind the Committee’s general recommendation No. 19 on violence against women, please describe steps taken to develop a comprehensive strategy to combat all forms of violence against women, including prosecution of perpetrators, provision of assistance to victims and implementation of capacity-building and awareness-raising programmes for various groups (such as the police, lawyers, health and social workers and the judiciary) and the public at large. Also please provide more information on the Monitoring Committee for Violence against women.

12.Please provide information on how many cases of violence against women and girls have been reported during the period under review. Please also include detailed information on how many perpetrators of acts of violence against women have been prosecuted and punished during the same period.

13.The report refers to the amendments made to the Turkish Penal Code to combat violence against women. It also refers to a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry for purposes of Investigating the Reasons Behind Custom and Honour Killings and Violence Against Women and Children, and Identifying the Measures to Be Taken. Please provide detailed information on the number of honour killings that have occurred during the period under review, how many perpetrators of these crimes have been brought to justice and how many have been prosecuted.

Trafficking and sexual exploitation of women

14.The present report refers to the efforts carried out by the State party to combating human trafficking. The report also refers to different provisions that punish criminal practices associated with trafficking in persons and the exploitation of prostitution. Please provide statistical information on how many persons have been prosecuted and sentenced, during the period under review, for committing these crimes and how many women have alleged being victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation. Please also specify the efforts that are being made to make women and girls aware of the importance of reporting.

15.The report refers to training activities in progress for the police force, judges and prosecutors with the aim of improving legal awareness on human trafficking. It also refers to numerous campaigns that are being conducted to aim at raising awareness and delivery of information both for potential victims and for the general public opinion. Please provide more detailed information on these activities and campaigns. Also please provide information on what preventive and long-term measures, if any, are being taken to combat potential forms of discrimination faced by women and girls victims of trafficking. Are any efforts being taken to guarantee access to labour market for ex-trafficked women?

16.The report refers to different services that are provided to victims of trafficking, such as a cost free emergency assistance and complaint telephone hotline for victims of trafficking and shelters where victims are accommodated. How many women and girls victims of trafficking have benefited of these services during the period under review.

Participation in decision-making and representation at the international level

17.The State party report reflects the low representation of women in political and public life. In its previous concluding comments the Committee encouraged the State party to take sustained measures to increase the representation of women in elected and appointed bodies in all areas of public life and recommended the State party to introduce temporary special measures in accordance with article 4, paragraph 1, of the Convention and the Committee’s general recommendation No. 25 to increase the number of women in Parliament, in municipal bodies and at higher levels in the Foreign Service. Please provide detailed information on what efforts and actions have been carried out by the Government in this regard.

Education

18.The Committee, in its previous concluding observations, recommended the State party to implement further targeted policies and programmes to overcome educational disadvantages faced by girls and women belonging to diverse ethnic groups and those whose mother tongue is not Turkish, particularly in rural areas, as well as to address regional disparities (CEDAW/C/TUR/CC/4-5, para. 34). Please provide detailed information on all the efforts carried out by the Government in this regard. Please also include statistical information on how many women and girls whose mother tongue is not Turkish are benefiting from educational programmes.

19.Please provide detailed information on the incidence of early marriages and teenage pregnancy in Turkey and its impact on girls’ education achievement. Please also provide information about support programmes for pregnant adolescents or young mothers to continue their education. The report refers to the Project for Developing a Strategy to Meet Reproductive Health Information and Service Needs of Adolescents, with the cooperation between the Ministry of Health and UNFPA. Please provide detailed information on the content of this project.

20.The State party report shows the low representation of women in technical and vocational schools. In its previous concluding observations, the Committee recommended the State party to undertake further awareness-raising on the importance of education for women’s equality and economic opportunities, and to overcome stereotypical attitudes. Please provide detailed information on any measures taken by the Government to strengthen women and girls’ access to all levels of education.

21.Among the causes of school dropout, the report refers to priority given by families to male children with regard to education (CEDAW/C/TUR/CC/4-5, paras. 33-34), due to conventional and economic reasons. Please include detailed information on all the actions taken by the Government to overcome stereotypical attitudes that discriminate against girls with regard to access to education, for example, through further revision of textbooks and school curricula. Please provide detailed information on any actions taken by the Government to raise awareness on the importance of girls’ education. Please indicate whether any study has been carried out on the impact on girls’ right to education following the Government’s decision to ban the wearing of head scarves in school settings.

Employment

22.The report shows the significant differences between women and men in labour force participation and refers to education as a very important factor to access to the labour force. Please provide detailed information on all measures and efforts carried out by the Government to eliminate occupational segregation, in particular, information with regard to education and training of women. Please specify whether the State party has put in place a policy aimed at accelerating de facto equality of women in the area of employment. If so, please indicate what steps have been taken to implement this policy.

23.The report states that although there is no difference between men and women in terms of salaries, the family allowance allocation is given only to the husband in those cases where both the wife and the husband are public employees. Please provide detailed information on all efforts carried out by the Government to eliminate provisions that discriminate against women in the field of employment. The report also refers to the draft law regulating parental leave. Please provide detailed information on the content of this draft law and on its present status.

24.Please provide detailed statistical information on what types of childcare are available for working women, how many children have access to educational programmes, such as kindergartens, in order to guarantee women an easier access to labour market due to the support of social services.

Health

25.The report states that although there are no elements in the legislation preventing women from benefiting from the existing health system, women in rural or squatter areas require the assistance of their spouses or relatives to refer to health-care institutions, since women have a lower social status and an insufficient level of economic independence. Please provide detailed information on all measures taken by the Government to eliminate any de facto discrimination faced by women with regard to access to the health system, particularly in rural or squatter areas.

26.The report refers to various programmes that are being implemented to deliver health services to women. In this regard, the report states that maternal and infant health and family planning services are given a priority position among national programmes. Please provide detailed information on the programmes that are being implemented at present, particularly those taking place in the south-eastern region. Please include information on how many women are benefiting from these programmes.

27.The report does not provide any information on current rates of infected women and girls with HIV/AIDS. Please provide statistical and updated information of women and girls infected with HIV/AIDS, as well as detailed information on the activities and initiatives carried out by the Government to combat this problem. In this regard, please provide additional information on any provisions or measures that exist to eliminate discrimination against women and girls infected with HIV/AIDS.

28.The report refers to groups neglected in reproductive health services, including unmarried women, adolescents/young people and menopausal women. Please provide detailed information on any efforts carried out by the Government in order to guarantee these groups reproductive health services.

29.The report refers to measures taking place in the State party to prevent suicide cases. Please provide statistical information on the percentage of suicides of women and girls during the period under review and on their main causes. Also, please provide detailed information on what are the major causes of female mortality at present.

Vulnerable groups of women, including refugee women and minority women

30.Please provide information and sex-disaggregated data on the situation of refugee, displaced and asylum-seeker women and girls in Turkey. Please provide data on the economic, employment, health and educational situation of minority women and girls, including trafficked women and girls as well as Kurdish women and other groups of women subject to multiple forms of discrimination, such as women with disabilities, and on their participation in decision-making at all levels. Please include information on the effectiveness of measures taken to improve the situation of these vulnerable groups of women.