Source : Women’ s Refuge ’ s Annual report for the years 2010 and 2011 .

*Interviews during stay are not included in this figure.

In 2009 the women spent an average of 11 days at the refuge, seven days less than the year before. The average number of days that children spent at the shelter was 10 days. On average, six individuals stayed at the shelter every day, four women and two children. The average length of time spent by individuals at the shelter in 2010 was 15 days. On average, women with children stayed for longer period than those without children did, and women of foreign origin stayed longer than Icelandic women did. The length of time that children spent at the shelter was 23 days. On average, there were four women and four children at the refuge every day during 2010. The number of interviews taken during that year was 746, which was a record. On average, each woman that registered at the centre attended two interviews during the year. In 2011 the women spent an average of 15 days at the refuge. The average time that children spent at the shelter was 23 days. On average there were eight individuals staying at the shelter each day, four women and four children.

On arrival at the Women’s Refuge, either to stay or to attend a counselling session, the women are asked the reason for their visit. Most give more than one reason; for example, mental cruelty is generally found together with physical violence. In most cases, they are also seeking support to get through a difficult phase in their lives. It is much more commonly the case that women apply to the Women’s Refuge because of mental cruelty than because of physical violence; mental cruelty can be no less serious a situation. It can take the form of threatening behaviour, financial dominance, isolation and degradation.

The number of women applying to the Women’s Refuge indicates not so much the extent of gender-based violence in Iceland but rather whether or not the victims know of the services provided by the refuge and whether they are prepared to use them. Studies indicate that the actual extent of violence is far greater than the statistics from the Women’s Refuge suggest, and it is therefore seen as a positive thing that the number seeking assistance there should be large rather than small. On arrival at the Women’s Refuge, either to stay or to attend a counselling session, the women are asked the reason for their visit. Most give more than one reason; for example, mental cruelty is generally found together with physical violence. In most cases, they are also seeking support to get through a difficult phase in their lives. It is much more commonly the case that women apply to the Women’s Refuge because of mental cruelty than because of physical violence; mental cruelty can be no less serious a situation. It can take the form of threatening behaviour, financial dominance, isolation and degradation. More women give mental cruelty, physical violence and sexual abuse as the reasons for their visits to the refuge than used to be the case; in the same way, more now come to the centre because of threats and persecution than before. This is worrying, as it seems that violence is assuming a harsher form, but the reason may also be increased awareness of gender-based violence and the forms that it can take.

The project Karlar til ábyrgðar (“Men’s Responsibility”)

The “Men’s Responsibility” project was re-launched in May 2006, offering specialised treatment for men who indulge in violence in the home in Iceland.

From the time when the project was revived in May 2006 until the end of 2010, 108 individuals attended one or more therapy sessions. From January to August 2010, 25 new men came for therapy sessions, in addition to which 13 continued with their therapy sessions that had begun the previous year. During this period, twelve women attended sessions in the capacity of spouses/partners. Group therapy sessions were fully booked throughout 2010. In 2011, 32 new men attended sessions and 19 continued with treatment that had begun the previous year. Twenty spouses attended therapy sessions in 2011. The group therapy sessions were fully booked all year (with 6 persons in each group).

The Centre for Sexual Abuse Victims (Stígamót)

In 2010, 526 individuals turned to the Educational and Counselling Centre for Victims of Sexual Violence (Stígamót). The corresponding number was 593 in 2011 and 664 in 2012. On average, 90% of these persons are women. More than half of those who made use of the centre’s services for the first time in 2010-2012 were aged 18-39.

Persons received by Stígamót for the first time: breakdown by sex.

Age division of individuals seeking help at the Centre for Sexual Abuse Victims, 2010-2012

	2010		2011		2012
	Number	Rate	Number	Rate	Number	Rate
<17 years	10	4.0%	17	6.1%	15	5.7%
18-29 years	137	54.6%	150	54.0%	128	48.5%
30-39 years	46	18.3%	46	16.5%	54	20.5%
40-49 years	28	11.2%	37	13.3%	37	14.0%
50-59 years	17	6.8%	19	6.8%	19	7.2%
>60 years	3	1.2%	7	2.5%	6	2.3%
No information	10	4.0%	2	0.7%	5	1.9%
Total	251	100%	278	100%	264	100%

Source: Stígamót.

There are many reasons why individuals turn to the Centre for Sexual Abuse Victims: rape, prostitution, incest and sexual harassment. In September 2011 the centre opened a reception centre, Kristínarhús, intended specifically for women leaving backgrounds in prostitution and/or human trafficking. They were able to stay there in private rooms for short or long stays, and various services were available to them. In 2012 twenty women and nine children lived in the centre for a total of 1,148 nights. At the end of 2013, Kristínarhús ceased operations. The Centre for Sexual Abuse Victims took the decision to focus instead on other projects, mainly violence against disabled women and male sufferers of violence. The Ministry of Welfare and the Women’s Refuge have discussed the possibility of granting victims of human trafficking a temporary refuge while the further investigation takes place.

2823488753372387530Age 10-15 16-1718-2526-3536-4546-5555 +Total number:2 185 Age and number of persons applying to the Emergency Reception Centre following rape, 1993-2012

Source: Emergency Reception Centre, 2013.

Emergency Reception Unit for Victims of Sexual Abuse

An Emergency Reception Unit for Victims of Sexual Abuse is in operation in the Casualty Department of the National Hospital (Landspítalinn) in Reykjavík and at the Akureyri Hospital. The services of nurses, doctors and psychologists are available at these units, and a team of lawyers also provides legal advice to victims and assists them in their dealings with the police and the courts. In 2010, 117 individuals sought the assistance of these emergency units; in 2011 the figure was 118 and in 2012 it was 139. From the time when the unit opened in 1993 up to the end of 2012, 2,187 people had applied to it following rape. The largest group consist of women aged 18-25, and women account for over 95% of the total. Over 70% of the cases handled by these units are classified as rapes, and in more than a third of cases, the victims say they were drunk or under the influence of drugs when the offence was committed.

Women constitute the great majority of the visitors to the Emergency Reception Centre, though the number of male visitors has increased in the last couple of years. Overall, over 70% of cases handled by the Emergency Reception Centre are defined as rape while more than a third of reported cases took place while the victim was in a state of drug- or alcohol-induced coma.

Gender ratio of visitors to the Emergency Reception Centre

42617374103969796133117118102126142130116129109117129453646612212436218110WomenMen

Source: Emergency Reception Centre, 2013.

Sex offences

Information from the police and the Director of Public Prosecutions

	Cases Registered	Indictments	Convictions	Acquittals
2007	71	19	16	3
2008	46	14	4	10
2009	42	14	6	7
2010	49	23	12	10
2011	64	27	10	13
Total	272	97	48	43

Number of alleged violations of Articles 194-199 of the General Penal Code.

In 2007-2011, 272 cases were received by the Director of Public Prosecutions as violations of Articles 194-199 of the General Penal Code, No. 19/1940, with subsequent amendments. Ninety-seven of these resulted in indictments. Of the 97 cases in which indictments were issued and court proceedings instituted, 48 led to convictions and 43 to acquittals. Cases in which charges are pressed are not recorded separately. The register also contains statistics on cases that remain open, e.g. because the perpetrator has not been found.

The Ministry of Interior has started co-operation with EDDA — Centre of Excellence concerning an investigation into the treatment of rape cases within the Icelandic judicial system. The investigation is modelled after similar projects in Denmark and Sweden.

Violence against children

Under the Legal Competence Act, No. 71/1997, a person becomes legally competent on attaining the age of 18 years. The Child Protection Act, No. 80/2002, and the Children Act, No. 76/2003, also identify “child” as an individual under the age of 18. Iceland has furthermore ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child under Act No. 19/2013, in which children are identified as persons under the age of 18.

A prerequisite for the ratification of the Lanzarote Convention was the passing of the amendments to the General Penal Code in June 2012 regarding child prostitution, pornography and trafficking in order for the statute of limitation only to begin to run when the child reaches the age of 18, irrespective of the child’s age when the violation takes place. The amendments also aimed to strengthen the penalization of sexual violence against children, and included heavier penalties when violence involves children under the age of 15.

The first part of the plan of action on violence in homes and sexual abuse, which was approved by the government in September 2006, covered measures that the government intended to take in order to prevent violence against children, and also to assist those who have suffered violence and abuse. The fundamental assumption is that it is always the adult who is responsible if a child suffers violent treatment, and that the perpetrator should suffer the consequences, since this type of conduct cannot be tolerated. The projects in the plan of action are based on this, and are therefore primarily concerned with adults. The action plan also embraces measures aimed at providing individually-tailored treatment for children who have suffered violence in the home or sexual abuse. These include an emphasis on supporting and developing the work of the Children’s House (Barnahús), publicizing its services and seeking ways to do more to meet the needs of children who have suffered violence or abuse of any type. Last but not least, emphasis is placed on enabling the perpetrators of violence against children to undergo treatment in order to break the pattern of repeated violence, and on treatment services for children with inappropriate sexual behaviour.

In April 2012, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture and the Ministry of Welfare signed a 3-year agreement on a collaborate project aimed at increasing awareness and developing competence in dealing with sexual offences against children. The main goals of this project, referred to as the Awareness Awakening (Vitundarvakningin), are to promote interdisciplinary cooperation and to promote social awareness by dissemination of information about sexual offences against children amongst children themselves as well as among people who have direct contact/communication with children in connection with their work. This is managed by a Task Force with representatives from the respective Ministries which has received separate budget for this purpose. It should be noted that this effort is directly inspired by the Council of Europe’s “One in five” campaign and the ratification of the Lanzarote Convention. The main components of this project include the following.

An educational puppet theatre called “The Kids on the Block” has been produced for children in the early years of elementary school. This in an interactive programme that is designed to educate children about personal safety, sexual abuse, the importance of telling someone they trust about it, and services available. A school counsellor, a social worker, a nurse or a psychologist is present at every performance. Following the show, a letter is sent to parents or guardians of all the children in the audience with information on how further preventive material and information for grown-ups can be obtained. The letter has been translated into the six foreign languages that are most common in Iceland. The programme has been implemented in collaboration with Blátt Áfram (“Straight Forward”) an Icelandic grassroots child sexual abuse prevention organization and the plan is to present it for 7-year-old children in all elementary schools in the country. Already 320 performances have taken place; typically three shows are needed for each school.

A short film, “Get a Yes,” has been produced for children in secondary schools. This film addresses the line between healthy sex and sexual violence as well as the harmful effects of pornography. Get a Yes was premiered on the 30 January 2013 in all Icelandic schools for 15-18 years old pupils. The previous day it was featured on television at prime time and followed up in the media over the following days. A teacher’s guide was produced to accompany the film. It can also be used as instruction for adults on how to discuss these issues with young people. The film is available with subtitles in seven languages. The film is available for everyone on the website faduja.is which contains information and guidelines for teachers and guardians, to be used in discussion about the main themes in the film. The impact of the film has already been evaluated and the results are very positive.

A short film, “Stand-by-yourself,” has been produced for children in the middle classes of elementary school. (This is still in the making). The target-group and aims of the film are similar to those in the films mentioned above.

In April 2013 the Government approved a multi-dimensional Action Plan on the protection of children from sexual abuse and exploitation and on services to child victims of these offences. This Action Plan contains 27 defined actions of which 15 are defined as priority actions. These actions are aimed at further coordination and collaboration between the various agencies working in this field including the child protection services, the police, the prosecution and the medical services. Included in these actions are new facilities and increased number of staff in Barnahús, an increase in allocations to the police and the prosecution to deal with sexual abuse cases and the establishment of a national council, and also regional mechanisms, for coordination between the child protection services, the police and the prosecution to improve response and work procedure in child sexual abuse cases.

Part II

Article 7

Subparagraph a)

Women’s representation in Parliament and local government

In 2015, one hundred years will have passed since the acquisition of the right to vote and to stand for election by women in Iceland aged 40 and older; this right was extended to them by an amendment of the Constitution on 19 June 1915. It was not until 1920 that women in Iceland achieved full suffrage on a par with men. Thus, the years 1915 and 1920 are important milestones towards full gender equality in terms of democratic participation in Iceland.

Over the past three decades the number of women elected has been rising steadily: after the general election of 1979 women accounted for only 5% of parliamentarians; this number rose to 25% after the 1995 election and to 35% following the election of 1999.

It can be asserted with some confidence that the increased demands made after the economic crisis of 2008 to have women involved to a greater degree in government resulted in an increase in the numbers of women in politics and across the senior levels of public administration. Women now account for 40% of elected representatives both in local government and in parliament, where their numbers peaked at 43% of MPs after the general election of 2009. The outcome of the general election of 2009 was that 36 men (57.1% of the total) and 27 women (42.9%) were elected; this was an increase of 7 women compared with the election results of 2007. Never before had so many women been returned as full MPs; the previous record, after the 1999 elections, had been 35%. The results in the election of 2013 were 38 men (61.3%) and 25 women (39.7%). The gender proportions in the outcomes of recent parliamentary elections in Iceland can be attributed to the fact that it is now more common for women to be placed in the upper seats on political parties’ electoral lists than it used to be and more women are now standing for election in the rural constituencies. Thus, women now have far more chance of being elected than they had a few years ago.

Local Council Elections

Local council elections were held in all 76 municipalities in Iceland on 29 May 2010. According to Hagtíðindi, the statistical reports of Statistics Iceland, 112,233 men stood as candidates (49.7%) and 113,622 women (50.3%). In 58 municipalities the election was by proportional representation and in them 185 candidate lists were fielded. In four of these municipalities, candidates were elected without opposition as only one list was fielded. There were 2,846 candidates who stood for election in these 58 municipalities; 1,513 (53.2%) were men and 1,333 (46.8%) were women. On the whole, the balance between the genders was more equal in 2010 than it had been before, where the proportion of women fielded by the political parties ranged between 46% and 51%, with 46% on the lists of other entities.

The proportion of women among the candidates had never been greater: in the previous municipal council elections, in 2006, it had been 43.8%. There were both male and female candidates in all 59 of the municipalities where election was by proportional representation. In nine municipalities there were equal numbers of candidates of each gender; in 2006 this had been the case in eight. Of all candidate lists, irrespective of where they were fielded, 56 (30.3%) included as many women as men in 2010, against only 15 in 2006. Men were in a majority among the candidates in 41 municipalities, with women forming 40-49% in 37 of them and 30-39% in the remaining four. In eight municipalities women were in the majority of candidates. There were more women than men on 34 lists (18.4% of the total), and more men than women on 95 lists (51.6% of the total). The ranking of candidates on the lists in the local council elections of 2010 was such that men headed the lists in 139 cases (75%) and women in 46 cases (25%). On the other hand, women candidates occupied second place on 115 lists (62%) and men on 70 (38%). 512 principal representatives were elected to the municipal councils. Of these 308 (60.2%) were men and 204 (39.8%) were women. Never before have so many local councillors been women; the previous record, of 35.9%, was in the 2006 elections. When the statistics are analysed from the point of view of numbers of inhabitants in the various local government areas, it appears that the proportion of women is highest (45%) in areas with 300-999 inhabitants where elections went ahead on the basis of candidate lists. In areas with more than 1,000 inhabitants, the proportion of women is found to be 39%; in areas of 299 or fewer inhabitants, the proportion is 34%. Women were elected in larger numbers where elections in 2010 proceeded on the basis of candidate lists than where all inhabitants are, in effect, candidates unless they specifically decline election. In the 59 areas where such list elections were held, 59.1% of those returned were men and 40.9% were women. In 18 areas, home to just over 1% of the electorate, elections were not based on lists (i.e., all inhabitants were potential candidates). There, 94 councillors were elected: 61 men (64.9%) and 33 women (35.1%). The highest ratios of men were in municipalities with 299 inhabitants or fewer and where everyone was potentially a candidate: 67.1%.

Information from the local elections that took place in 2014 has not been gathered yet.

Presidential Elections

Iceland’s presidents are elected directly by the electorate. The first presidential election was held in 1952, and the most recent one in 2012. Twenty-two people have stood for election, including six women. Five individuals have served as President, including one woman, Ms Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, who was elected with 33% of the vote in 1980, becoming the first elected female president in the world. She served as President for 16 years, from 1980 to 1996. In the election in 2012 there were six candidates, three of whom were women. Mr Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson was elected with 52.8% of the vote. He is currently serving his fifth term as President. The runner-up, with 33.2% of vote, was Mrs Þóra Arnórsdóttir.

Constitutional Assembly Elections

A special Constitutional Assembly was held in Iceland in 2010. Under the Constitutional Assembly Act No. 90/2010, the President of Iceland was, in collaboration with the Constitutional Committee, to call a Constitutional Assembly to revise the Constitution of the Republic of Iceland. Elections to the Constitutional Assembly were held on 27 November 2010 and the assembly was to meet in February 2011. The assembly, consisting of 25 people standing as individuals and chosen by the electorate with the whole country as a single constituency for the purpose of the election, was to work for 2-4 months and prepare a draft revision of the Constitution, taking into account the outcome of a national consultative meeting on the Constitution that had been held on 6 November 2010. That meeting had been attended by 950 people from all over the country, aged between 18 and 91 with almost exactly equal gender balance in the group. Provision was made in the Constitutional Assembly Act for some flexibility in the number of members; if either gender were underrepresented in the election results, the number could be raised from 25 to as many as 31 to secure a better balance. In practice, it did not prove necessary to do so, however. Altogether, 522 people stood for election to the Constitutional Assembly, 364 (70%) men and 159 (30%) women. The average age of all candidates, 47, was the same for both women and men. The oldest man was 80 and the youngest 19; the oldest woman was 66 and the youngest 22. The outcome of the election was that 15 men (60%) and 10 women (40%) were elected.

Women in the Leading Role

Leading up to the local council elections in 2014, female members of all political parties unified in a trans-political action programme in the name of gender equality. The first act consisted of encouraging people to place the logo of the movement as their Facebook profile picture. The logo was introduced at a press conference. The political participants who spoke at the meeting stated the importance of allowing the voices of all women to be heard, regardless of political agenda.

Subparagraphs b) and c)

Women’s Representation in Public Decision Making

In 1970, the first woman took a seat in the Icelandic Government. Until 2006, women served only as ministers of Social Affairs, Education and Health; since then, women have served as Minister for Foreign Affairs, as Prime Minister, as Minister of Finance and Minister of the Interior; it is to be noted that they have not yet held the portfolios of Agriculture and Fisheries. In 2009, women became 50% of the cabinet for the first time and Ms Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir became the first female Prime Minister of Iceland. A new Government led by Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson took over on 23 May 2013. The cabinet consists of nine ministers, six (66.6%) men and three (33.3%) women. The out-going cabinet, the second led by Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, had consisted of 10 ministers, four (40%) women and six (60%) men.

Gender ratio on committees, boards and councils in 2012

Ministry	Women	Men	Total	Women %	Men %
Prime Minister ’ s Office	64	75	139	46%	54%
Ministry of Industries and Innovation	173	273	446	39%	61%
Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs	110	151	261	42%	58%
Ministry of the Interior	141	224	365	39%	61%
Ministry of Education, Science and Culture	373	504	877	43%	57%
Ministry for the Environment and Natural Resources	141	187	328	43%	57%
Ministry for Foreign Affairs	136	185	321	42%	58%
Ministry of Welfare	419	391	810	52%	48%
Total	1 557	1 990	3 547	44%	56%

Under Article 15 of the Gender Equality Act, No. 10/2008, care is to be taken when making appointments to state and municipal committees, councils and governing boards to ensure that the proportions between the genders are as even as is practicable, with not less than 40% of seats occupied by each gender when there are more than three members. This also applies to public limited companies and enterprises which are in majority state or municipal ownership.

In 2008 women accounted for 37% of the members of committees, councils and boards within the Government ministries. In 2009 and 2010 this figure was 40%; in 2011 it was 43% and in 2012 it reached 44%. In 2012, 148 new committees, councils and boards were appointed. The composition of each was in conformity with the law in 100 cases, i.e. 68% of the total of new committees, etc., beginning work within the ministries that year. The Centre for Gender Equality sought explanations of the appointments made to 48 committees (etc.), and examination is currently in progress as to whether these appointments were covered by the exemption provisions which state that deviations may be made from the main rule of nominating both a man and a woman when there are objective reasons. The examination has revealed that in about half the cases where appointments did not meet the requirements of Article 15, the exemption provisions applied.

Women and men working in the ministries and government bodies have equal opportunities as regards representing the government in the international arena and participating in the work of international organizations. According to statistics from 2013 the proportions between the sexes in the Government delegations are as follows:

Position	% Men	% Women	Total	Number
Permanent Secretaries	50%	50%	100%	8
General Directors	63%	37%	100%	65
Specialists	43%	57%	100%	327
Other employees	20%	80%	100%	139
Total	40%	60%	100%	539

Source: Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, 2013.

An interesting fact is that more women than men work in ministries which handle educational and cultural matters, health and social matters, the environment and natural resources and interior matters. Other ministries are more evenly divided between the sexes but women outnumber men in six ministries out of eight.

Ministry employees by sex in September 2011 and 2012

Year	2011		2012
Women	Men	Number	Women	Men	Number
Prime Minister ’ s Office	53%	47%	30	48%	52%	33
Ministry of Education, Science and Culture	66%	34%	87	67%	33%	85
Ministry for Foreign Affairs	52%	48%	110	55%	45%	105
Ministry of Industries and Innovation	58%	42%	81	58%	42%	88
Ministry of the Interior	67%	33%	78	70%	30%	73
Ministry of Welfare	66%	34%	105	68%	32%	104
Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs	49%	51%	68	49%	51%	79
Ministry for the Environment and Natural Resources	70%	30%	33	68%	32%	34
Total	60%	40%	592	61%	39%	601

Source: Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, 2013.

Government employees by ministries and gender in September 2011 and 2012

	2011		2012
	Women	Men	Number	Women	Men	Number
Supreme Administration	52%	48%	314	50%	50%	314
Prime Minister ’ s Office	54%	46%	79	53%	47%	80
Ministry of Education, Science and Culture	57%	43%	5 481	57%	43%	5 455
Ministry for Foreign Affairs	54%	46%	260	53%	47%	272
Ministry of Industries and Innovation	44%	56%	995	46%	54%	1 043
Ministry of the Interior	36%	64%	2 893	37%	63%	2 865
Ministry of Welfare	81%	19%	9 248	81%	19%	9 246
Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs	51%	49%	834	52%	48%	854
Ministry for the Environment and Natural Resources	43%	57%	760	43%	57%	732
Total	63%	37%	20 864	63%	37%	20 861

Source: Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, 2013.

Judges

The prescribed number of district court judges was 38 up until 2010, when the number was raised to 43. The increase came in the form of two men and three women, all of whom were appointed to the district court in Reykjavík. Women account for a little fewer than 42% of district court judges. This is an increase since 2008, when only 32% of district court judges were women. Most of the female judges work at the district courts of Reykjavík and the Reykjanes peninsula. Of the eleven assistants to district court judges, eight are women and three are men. Each of the eight district courts in Iceland is chaired by a court chairman. In June of 2013, seven men and one woman were employed as district court chairmen. There were 10 assistants to court chairmen, eight women and two men.

In 2011, the number of judges at the Supreme Court was increased from ten to twelve. Since then, there have been twelve active Supreme Court judges: two women and ten men. This ratio has not changed since 2011. In 2012, two male Supreme Court judges stepped down, to be replaced by other two men. In 2013 a male judge was absent on leave and was replaced temporarily by a female judge. There are five assistants to Supreme Court judges; four women and a single man. The position of Supreme Court office manager is occupied by a man.

Judges in 2009-2013

	2009		2010		2011		2012		2013
	Total	Men	Women		Total	Men	Women		Total	Men	Women		Total	Men	Women		Total	Men	Women
Supreme Court	9	7	2		9	8	1		12	10	2		12	10	2		12	10	2
District Courts
Total	38	26	12		43	28	15		43	28	15		43	28	15		43	25	18
Reykjavík	22	14	8		25	14	11		25	15	10		25	15	10		25	12	13
West Iceland	1	1	0		1	1	0		1	1	0		1	1	0		1	1	0
West Fjords	1	1	0		1	1	0		1	1	0		1	1	0		1	1	0
Northwest Iceland	1	1	0		1	1	0		1	1	0		1	1	0		1	1	0
Northeast Iceland	3	3	0		3	3	0		3	3	0		3	3	0		3	3	0
East Iceland	1	1	0		1	1	0		1	0	1		1	0	1		1	0	1
South Iceland	2	1	1		3	2	1		3	2	1		3	2	1		3	2	1
Reykjanes Peninsula	7	4	3		8	5	3		8	5	3		8	5	3		8	5	3

Source: National Court Committee and the Supreme Court, 2013.

The National Court Committee was founded in 1998. Its main responsibilities are the financing of the judiciary, the coordination of rules for the district courts, deciding the number of judges and other employees at each district court, etc. Under Article 13 of the Judiciary Act, No. 15/1998, the committee consists of five representatives. In 2013 it consisted of three men and two women.

District commissioners and police officers

There were 24 district commissioners in Iceland in 2013, including six women (25%). This is the same ratio as in 2009 and 2011, according to a report on the status of gender equality in 2009-2011. Women account for just fewer than 13% of the entire national police force. No woman served as Chief Superintendent until 2014. Amongst constables, men account for about 83% of the force while women account for about 17%. The rank in which the highest percentage of women (18.9%) within the police force is that of Detective Chief Inspector.

Article 8

Women in the diplomatic service

Since 1998, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has given special attention to engaging women staff in order to achieve a more even balance between the sexes in the diplomatic service. Traditionally, women have been in a minority within the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The first female ambassador was not appointed until 1991. Since then the percentage of female ambassadors has risen considerably. Women form a majority of employees in the ministry.

Female and male ambassadors 2011-2013

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has given prominence to projects in which young people who are embarking on their careers are given an opportunity of becoming acquainted with the work of the Icelandic Foreign Service and work in international organisations at first hand. Women have been in the majority of those who have been engaged under this scheme. Since 2002 the ministry has taken on student trainees; their training takes place entirely in Iceland’s ministries and standing committees overseas, and lasts six months. In 2008 two men and three women took part in the trainee programme; in 2009 two men and three women took part; in 2010 four men and two women were engaged in the positions; in 2011 six women took part; in 2012 six men and three women took part while finally in 2013 a single man and five women took part in the trainee program. All in all, 15 men and 22 women have taken part in the trainee program in the period 2008-2013.

Junior Professional Officers

Iceland finances various Junior Professional Officer Positions with the United Nations; these officers are engaged in positions in United Nations projects in various parts of the world. In 2008 six women and one man were engaged to these positions; in 2009 there were four women but no men while in 2010 there was just one woman but no men. Between 2011 and 2012 there were no Junior Professional Officers employed and in 2013 there was a single officer, a woman. Out of those officers, only one was hired in the period 2008-2013, the single woman hired in 2013. Others were hired in 2005-2007. The engagements are for terms of up to three years.

International Peacekeeping

Iceland has no armed forces and participates in international peacekeeping missions through contributions to multilateral organizations and the secondment of civilian experts, as part of international development cooperation. Peacebuilding is one of three focus areas in Iceland’s Strategy for International Development Cooperation 2013-2016, and gender equality and women’s empowerment are defined as cross-cutting issues. The Icelandic peacekeeping unit has worked hard on evening out the male/female ratio amongst specialists. A breakthrough was achieved in this aspect in 2011 when more women than men operated. In 2012 a majority of specialists on field were women, outnumbering their male colleges by 11 to 5.

“Women, Peace and Security” is one of four key areas of emphasis in the Gender Equality Policy for Iceland’s development cooperation 2013-2016. Iceland adopted its first National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security on 8 March 2008. The initial NAP was reviewed in 2011 and a new NAP has been adopted for the period 2013-2016. The NAP plays an important role in Iceland’s contribution to peace-building. Before deployment, all personnel seconded to peacekeeping missions receive training on gender equality and the implementation of UNSCR 1325, provided by the National Committee of UN Women in Iceland.

Article 9

The Icelandic Citizenship Act, No. 100/1952, was amended under the Act No. 65/2010 so that foreign women and Icelandic men, who become parents through assisted fertilisation, receive the same rights as those who become parents through more traditional measures. Act No. 81/2007 entailed that the child is granted an Icelandic citizenship if the parents get married before the child reaches the age of 18. Other changes, relevant to Article 9, have not been made to the Icelandic Citizenship Act since the last report.

Reference is made to the previous reports.

Part III

Article 10

Subparagraphs a)-d)

Education

In Iceland, school attendance is compulsory from the age of 6 to 16. Girls and boys have equal access to education at all levels of education. Girls and boys have attended high school in almost equal proportions since 1975 and in 2011, girls accounted for 57% of matriculated school leavers and boys 43%. The proportion of women graduating at university level has increased over the last decades. In 1975 women accounted for 24% of graduates, in 1985 the figure was 50% and in 2011 it was 64%.

The concern regarding education and training is the gender-segregated choices that boys and girls make. This is not only a problem related to education, as the workforce is, as a consequence, also highly gender-segregated. In some fields of education there are signs that gender segregation is declining. In 2011 women represented higher ratios of students in all faculties of the University of Iceland, with the exception of the Engineering and Natural Sciences Faculty, where they accounted for 40%. Within the departments in the Engineering and Natural Sciences Faculty there were variations in the gender proportions in 2011. Women formed the lesser proportion (13%) in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department, but the greater (63%) in the Biology and Environmental Sciences department. Men were in the majority in Electrical and Computer Engineering. The most even balance was in the Geological Sciences department, where 47% of students were women. In the Faculty of Education, on the other hand, women are in the majority in all departments, forming 82% of the total. The lowest proportion of men (27%) is found in the Sports, Leisure Interests and Social Pedagogy department. Women are also in the majority in all departments in the Faculty of Health Sciences, though the proportion of men has risen there in recent years, from 21% in 2008 to 24% in 2011. There is a wide variation from one department to another. For example, 99% of students in the Nursing department in 2011 were female; in the same year, women accounted for 81% in Pharmacology and 69% in Psychology.

Two open seminars on gender divisions on the labour market which were held on 13 and 26 February 2013. The first of these examined the position of men in what are traditionally women’s lines of work (care-giving and teaching); the second examined the position of women in what have been traditionally men’s occupations (computer science and technical work). The task force maintains a page on Facebook where its activities may be examined: facebook.com/#!/launajafnretti. A new projecton gender equality in the labour market will build on the work done in previous projects. The project is to be funded by the project fund for gender equality.

No systematic measures have been taken at the University of Iceland to increase numbers of students of the gender that is in a significant minority in the individual departments. Nevertheless, some departments have, for example, considered designing publicity materials with pictures of both women and men in them. A report which the university commissioned stated that such measures were not sufficient as regards the Social Counselling, Nursing and Electrical and Computer Engineering departments. Other, more effective, means than those that have been used in recent years for increasing the numbers of students of the under-represented gender would be required, as the means used to date appear to have produced practically no results.

Article 23 of the Gender Equality Act, No. 10/2008, states that the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science is to monitor compliance with gender equality in schools and educational institutions, including sports and leisure activities. Furthermore, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science is to monitor developments in these areas of society as regards gender equality. A gender equality counsellor is to be employed at the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science to monitor the application of the provisions of the Article, and give relevant parties advice on gender equality issues, including affirmative actions to promote gender equality.

The Ministry issues the National Curricula for pre-schools, junior schools and senior schools under the statutes applying to the school level in question. These National Curricula are of equivalent status to government regulations, and lay down details on the application of statutes and regulations. They identify the aims and structure of work in the schools, how teaching is organised, what criteria and educational standards are set and the speed at which teaching is to proceed. New National Criteria were approved for all school levels in 2011, containing six fundamentals that are to underpin all teaching. These fundamentals address the ability to “read” society, culture, the environment and the natural world, and also future vision and the ability and will to influence and play an active role in maintaining one’s community, and also to change and develop it. One of the fundamentals is equality. A pamphlet, published in 2013, addresses educational equality at all levels of the school system and how opportunities can be created in school work to allow pupils to develop on their own premises in a spirit of tolerance and equality. The schools have already begun to implement these fundamentals, and it will be interesting to see how this work develops.

Major changes have taken place over the last few decades regarding the gender spread of students at university level. In 1975 only 48% of university students were women; this number had risen to 63% by 2009. In the autumn 2010, women accounted for 62.3% of all students at university level, and they have formed the majority of university graduates since 1996. In 2009, 524 women graduated with a master’s degree, 60% of the total number of graduates. In 2008, 15 women and 13 men finished their doctorate studies at Icelandic universities. Female students outnumbered their male counterparts in 61.4% of the 262 possible courses of study at Icelandic universities in 2009. In autumn 2011, women outnumbered men in 58.2% of the 282 courses of study.

The University of Iceland offered a special Diploma in practical gender equality studies, evaluated at 30 ECTS units.

According to information from 2012, women outnumber men at every upper school level except a special additional level intended for industry-related studies. All in all, 27,216 women attended school at secondary or university level, compared to 21,507 men. Women thus account for 52% of students at secondary level.

Qualifications from secondary school by course and sex in 2010-2011

	Total	Men (Quantity)	Women (Quantity)	Men %	Women %
General Basic Course	84	42	42	50	50
Work Related Basic Course	6	1	5	16.7	83.3
Industrial Basic Course	76	72	4	94.7	5.3
Qualifying Exam	941	287	654	30.5	69.5
Trade Rights	599	234	365	39.1	60.9
Industrial Final Exam	691	525	166	76	24
Journeyman ’ s Examination	560	447	113	79.8	20.2
Trade Secondary School Exam	634	299	335	47.2	52.8
General Secondary School Exam	2 627	1 094	1 533	416	58.4
Total	6 218	3 001	3 217	48.3	51.7

Women also outnumber men as graduates from university studies. In 2010-2011, 4,281 students graduated at university level or completed their doctorate degrees. Just fewer than 65% of the alumni were women. The number of graduates had risen by 4.8% since 2009-2010.

Number of university graduates by course and sex, 2010-2011

Source: Statistics Iceland, 2012.

In September 2012 a report on the status of gender equality issues within the University of Iceland 2008-2011 was released. The following graphics are based on information from the report.

Male/female ratios at the University of Iceland, 1989-2011

Source: University of Iceland, 2012.

Women also outnumber men at graduate study levels at the University of Iceland: 70% of students at the Master’s level and 64% of doctorate students.

Male/female ratios at Master’s degree level at the University of Iceland, 1989-2011

Source: University of Iceland, 2012.

Male/female ratios of doctorate students at the University of Iceland, 1989-2011

Source: University of Iceland, 2012.

Women are in a majority at every faculty of the University, except the faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences where they account for 40% of the students.

Male/female ratios of students at the University of Iceland, 1989-2011

Source: University of Iceland, 2012.

More than half of university graduates since 1980 have been women. They accounted for 80-90% of graduates in the teaching profession in the years 1995-1998. This has not yet been reflected in the proportion of women in leading positions in the school system. Nevertheless, it can be said that there has been some increase in the number of women as principals and/or vice-principals in compulsory and upper secondary schools.

Science

Funds operating under the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture and according to the laws on governmentally supported scientific research have systematically collected information on applicants and grant recipients, broken down by gender, in order to evaluate how the funds assist each gender and to prevent gender discrimination. Information has also been gathered on the viewpoints that come into play when committees issuing grants are appointed. The final objective of the project is to see whether equal capital is granted to male and female-driven projects.

EDDA — Centre of Excellence is a forum for contemporary critical studies in the fields of sociology, politics and culture with an emphasis on equality and variety. EDDA has made a priority of multi-disciplinary studies and has established a broad network of contacts with universities and research institutes both in Iceland and abroad. EDDA has also organised conferences and other events and sought to exert an influence on public policy-making. Over the past three years, EDDA has supported many research projects in the field of gender equality and has organised more than 40 events in the fields defined as its focus, including conferences, seminars and lectures.

MARK, a centre for research into variety and gender studies, is a forum for study and awareness-raising in the field of human rights, discrimination, equality, gender studies and variety in the University of Iceland’s Faculty of Social Sciences. MARK was established in 2011 for the purpose of carrying out, and encouraging, studies in these fields, establishing contact with academics and research centres both in Iceland and abroad, training students in research techniques, forging closer links between teaching and research, providing counselling and research-related services and improving awareness of the fields under study. MARK has a five-man committee which works together with a consultative council composed of interested persons and players in the centre’s fields of interest who provide advice and support to the board.

The Centre for Women’s and Gender Research at the University of Iceland (RIKK) is a multi-disciplinary institution that has been in operation since 1991 and is a leader in the field of women’s studies, gender studies and equality issues in Iceland. Its main aim is to promote research in the field of gender studies and to publicise and disseminate research findings. It does this by means of holding courses, lectures and conferences and by issuing publications. RIKK is intended to provide information and advice on women’s and gender studies, cultivate contact with research bodies both in Iceland and abroad and support and encourage the pursuit of women’s studies in the various departments and faculties of the University of Iceland.

Further reference is made to previous reports.

Subparagraph d)

Reference is made to the previous reports by the Government of Iceland.

Subparagraph e)

Education, continuing education and retraining programmes of various types are on offer for people on the labour market, and the range and quality of these courses has increased greatly in recent years.

A special research fund, the Gender Equality Fund, was established in 2005. The fund has the goal of encouraging gender-based research and enhancing gender equality. Special emphasis is put on projects carried out by young scientists and doctorate projects. The first grant from the fund was awarded in 2006. Two more grants were awarded before the economic collapse put the project on hold in 2008. In 2012, grants were awarded again. Out of 13 applicants, grants were offered to five projects. The researches and projects which receive grants from the fund are to be made accessible online in order to be of even more use the fight for gender equality.

The project fund for gender equality has been mentioned earlier in this report in connection with the government action plan. The fund has granted ISK 20 million to various projects, including ISK 4 million to the Ministry of Welfare to finance the post of project manager on the action plan gender wage equality, ISK 2 million to the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture to help with education on gender equality in primary schools, ISK 1.5 million for the establishment of the European Centre for Women and Technology at the University of Reykjavík, etc.

Reference is made to the previous reports by the Government of Iceland.

Subparagraph f)

Girl dropout has not been seen as a major problem in the Icelandic society since considerably fewer girls drop out of school than their male counterparts. However, male dropout has been a growing concern. In 2014, the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture introduced two main goals regarding educational reform, that 90% of primary school students reach adequate reading levels and that the percentage of students finishing secondary school education rise to 60%. In order to fight dropout, the plan is to rearrange and shorten the secondary school cycle. Further reference is made to the previous reports.

Subparagraph g)

In 2005 the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture gave support to the Centre for Gender Equality for a study of stereotypes in sports and the media (Sports, Media and Stereotypes). This study was part of a European project and was directed by the Centre. Other countries involved were Austria, Italy, Lithuania and Norway. One finding of the study was that women are grossly underrepresented in sport coverage in the media: 87.14% of sport-related news stories focused on men while women were in the limelight in only 9.7% of cases. Media coverage on women in sports implies that their participation is less serious than male participation in sports. Very few women work as sports reporters.

At the same time, an effort was made to establish gender equality within the sports movement, e.g. with emphasis on subsidies for projects regarding the participation of girls in sports. A subsidy was granted from the Ministry’s Sports Fund to give support girls’ basketball. Many associations within the sports movement have started working on action plans to eradicate gender discrimination. A special fund has been established under the National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland to assist advanced female athletes. Members of the national association can apply for the title of “role model association” if they pass certain standards, i.e. regarding gender equality. Eighteen associations received this designation in 2008.

Subparagraph h)

In 2010, the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture released an informative handbook (Kynungabók) concerning sex-related issues and gender-equality matters. The manual was an initial part of a new educational policy in which equality, democracy, literacy, sustainability, creativity and health should be guiding principles in all school-oriented projects. The aim of the release is to give a realistic image of the gender status in society and encourage young citizens to consider the different aspects of gender moulding and the influence it has on the lives of young people. The handbook was aimed at people aged 15-25, reaching students at three school levels. The aspiration is that the release will be useful to all concerned with upbringing and instruction. The handbook was printed in a large print-run and copies were sent to schools, libraries and other government institutions. A web page connected to the project has been updated from time to time. Printed copies available but users are mainly advised to access the web page. Further reference is made to the previous reports.

Article 11

Paragraph 1, subparagraphs a)-c)

Women’s participation in the employment market

Employment rates in Iceland have been high both for women and men. Women have been almost as economically active as men since the 1970s. The number of people in employment in the fourth quarter of 2013 stood at 176,200 and the proportion in terms of the working-age population was 77%. Overall, the number of people in employment rose by 7,800 between the fourth quarter of 2012 and the fourth quarter of 2013, an increase of about 2 percentage points. The proportion of women in employment stood at 78.2%, their numbers having risen by 4,000, and that of men at 79.3%. At the same time in 2012 the proportion of working women was 76.1% and that of men was 81.3%.

Figures on the Icelandic employment market, 2012

	Women	Men
Employees, total	86 100	94 000
Ratio	48	52
Participation — ages 16-74, %	78	83
Ratio of employees — ages 16-74, %	73	78
Full employment (>35 hours/week), %	65	86
Partial employment (<35 hours/week), %	35	14
Average number of working hours/week	35	44
Average number of working hours/week for full employment	41	47
Unemployment, %	5.7	6.4

Of those in employment in Q4 2013, 144,000 (73.4%) were in full-time jobs and 46,900 (26.6%) were employed part-time. The full-time figure had grown by 2,500 since Q4 2012 and the part-time figure by 5,300. Of women in employment, 61.7% were in full-time employment in Q4 2013; the corresponding figure for men was 84.3%. An average of 8,400 people were unemployed in Q4 2013, representing 4.5% of the workforce. While the number of jobless people was more or less the same as in Q4 2012, the proportion was 0.2 percentage points higher. The unemployment rate in Q4 2013 was 4.4% among women and 4.6% among men; the corresponding figures for Q4 2012 were 4% and 5.4%.

Unemployment rates 1990-2012

Source: Statistics Iceland, 2013.

Among those who were employed in a particular week chosen for study in Q4 2013, the average working week was 38.9 hours: 34.2 hours for women and 43.1 hours for men. The average length of time worked by those in full-time employment was 44.9 hours per week: 41.4 for women and 47.2 for men. The average for part-time workers was 21.8 hours per week: 22.5 for women and 21.8 for men. In Q4 2012, the average working week was found to consist of 38.7 hours: 34.3 for women and 46.7 for men. The average for full-time employment was 44.2 hours and for part-time work it was 21.7 hours.

Working hours

The working week grew a little shorter in the period 2006-2009 for both sexes. In 2005, the average working week for people aged 16-74 years was 42.2 hours. This number had fallen to 41.9 hours in 2007. According to Statistics Iceland, the average working week has grown even shorter since, amounting to 46.1 hours a week in 2008, 39.6 hours in 2009 and 39.5 hours in 2010.

Men averaged 46.2 hours a week in 2008, 43.8 hours a week in 2009 and 43.6 hours a week in 2010. Women averaged 35.8 working hours a week in 2008, 34.9 hours a week in 2009 and 34.8 hours in 2010. In this period, the working week has become 2.5 hours shorter for men while women have only lost one hour of their weekly average in the same period.

Taking the working hours of those in full employment, 46.3 hours a week was the 2008 average. Out of those numbers, men averaged 48.9 hours a week, while women averaged 42 hours a week. The total average in 2009 was 44.8 hours, 47.0 hours a week for men against 41.3 hours a week for women. The foregoing numbers suggest that the working hours have fallen each week and this applies to both sexes. Women in full employment also seem to work fewer hours a week than men, even if the difference is declining from year to year.

In 2012, the Minister of Welfare at the time appointed a working group on the coordination of family and employment life. Representatives from Confederation of Icelandic Employers, Icelandic Confederation of Labour, Federation of State and Municipal Employees, the Association of University Graduates, The Icelandic Women’s Rights Association, Federation of Icelandic Women’s Societies and the Feminist Association of Iceland. The tasks of the group consisted of working along the general action plan, provide employers and active participants in the employment market with ways to integrate family and work life, follow up on the work of previous committees on the subject and finally to investigate the feasibility of shortening the working week to 36 hours.

At a meeting of the Nordic ministers involved in gender equality issues in 2011, a recommendation was made to the committee of officials to reinforce collaboration on gender equality matters. A work group on equal pay has been established with the aim of forming a Nordic network of specialists within the ministries responsible for gender equality where information on legislation, research, measures and collaboration can be shared. The work group has collected information on the state of affairs in the Nordic countries, as well as helping to establishing a research project on the economic implications of having more women than men in part-time jobs. The working title of the research is Part-time Jobs, Gender and Income Distribution and the aim is to release it in two parts, covering the chair terms of Sweden and Iceland.

Equal Pay

Equal pay has been one of the main topics in the struggle for gender equality on the Icelandic labour market. Studies indicate that gender-based wage differentials have not been eliminated, even though some important progress has been made over the past year or two. Many studies of the gender pay gap have been carried out in Iceland, employing various methods. The differential remaining after all other factors have been allowed for and only gender remains is known as the “non‑adjusted gender wage differential”. Studies in the past few years have established this figure at 7-18%, depending on the methods used and, not least, on the groups or geographical regions of the country on which the surveys are based.

Wages of women as ratio of wages of men 1981-2011

Source: Statistics Iceland, 2011.

A study made by Statistics Iceland in 2010 at the request of the social partners and covering the wages of 185,000 people in the private sector during the period 2000-2007 showed a gender pay gap of 9%. While there is still a significant difference between aggregate earnings of men and women, it has become smaller over the past decade because women are now, on average, working longer and men are working shorter hours. In the 1980s, women’s aggregate earnings were only just over half of men’s; in the latest surveys, the proportion lies in the range 68-82%. Part of the explanation for this is that women’s participation in the employment market has risen steadily. Even though women are still in a minority in managerial and influential positions, they account for more than half the experts among the specially-qualified workers in Iceland. The ratio of women in specialist positions will probably rise still higher, since over 60% of the graduates emerging from Iceland’s universities each year are now women.

Projects are currently under way to eradicate the persistent problem of the gender pay gap. Chief among these are the Equal Pay Standard and the Plan of Action on Gender Equality Regarding Wages, which have been discussed earlier in this report.

As a part of Iceland’s year chairing Nordic collaboration on gender equality in 2014, a pair of conferences will be held in November. The first conference focuses on part time jobs and their influence on gender equality on the labour market. The other conference will be co-hosted by the Nordic workgroup on wage equality and equality in the labour market and the Icelandic work group on wage equality. The focus will be the theme of wage equality. At the Women in Parliament Global Forum, held in Brussels on November 27th 2013, Iceland was named the Global Winner in Closing the Gender Gap for outstanding achievement in the field.

Maternity/paternity leave

It is regarded as a priority in Iceland to ensure that both parents have the same scope for attending to their families and pursuing work outside the home, and experience has shown that one of the key factors in being able to combine professional and family life is that both parents should be entitled to maternity/paternity leave. The parliament passed ground-breaking legislation on maternity/paternity and parental leave in 2000, which included one of the most generous paternity leave entitlements in the world. The joint leave entitlement was extended from six months to nine; parents who are active in the labour market are paid 80% of their average salaries during leave and the payments come from a specific fund, financed through an insurance levy. Furthermore, parents have equal rights, as the leave is distributed evenly between both parents. Fathers have three months’ non-transferable leave, mothers have three months and the parents then have three months to share as they wish. The law of 2000 has been a success, as 90% of fathers use their right to paternity leave. Recent studies indicate that the positive effects of the Icelandic paternity leave include a more equal distribution of domestic responsibilities as well as a more equal standing in the labour market in the first years following the leave. After the financial crisis in autumn 2008 it was clear that disbursements from the Maternity, Paternity and Parental Leave fund would have to be reduced, and maximum disbursements were cut three times, but were raised again in 2012 and now amount to ISK 370,000 per month. Another consequence of the economic recession was that a planned extension of the total leave period from 9 months to 12 was shelved, but it is hoped to put this into effect as soon as state finances permit.

Another key factor in enabling parents to integrate family life and careers outside the home is access to day care for children following the end of parental leave. In December 2012 there were 265 pre-schools (kindergartens) in operation in Iceland and there were 472 registered “day parents” in the country in 2011.

Gender-based career choice

Reference is made to the discussion in Article 5 of this report, as well as to the previous reports by the Government of Iceland.

Occupations by gender 2006-2012 (%)

	2006	2007	2009	2010	2011	2012
Senior officials and managers	8.6	9.3	10.1	8.7	9.0	10.2
Men	11.1	12.0	12.7	11.0	10.6	12.0
Women	5.5	6.1	7.2	6.2	7.2	8.1
Professionals	17.5	17.6	20.7	17.7	21.4	21.6
Men	15.5	15.8	17.8	14.4	16.7	16.4
Women	19.9	19.7	24.1	21.3	26.5	27.2
Associate professionals	15.4	15.8	17.6	17.7	15.7	15.5
Men	11.1	11.4	12.9	14.4	13.2	13.5
Women	20.4	21.2	22.8	21.3	18.4	17.6
Clerks	7.4	6.9	5.5	5.2	4.7	4.5
Men	2.6	1.9	1.9	1.8	1.8	1.8
Women	13.1	12.8	9.6	8.8	7.8	7.4
Commercial workers, service providers	19.8	20.7	19.4	20.5	21.0	21.3
Men	13.4	14.5	14.8	15.3	15.2	15.2
Women	27.4	28.1	24.6	26.2	29.4	27.8
Farmers and fishermen	4.8	4.1	3.9	4.5	4.7	4.4
Men	7.1	6.1	6.1	7.0	7.9	7.2
Women	2.1	1.6	1.5	1.7	1.2	1.5
Skilled artisans	13.2	12.1	11.3	11.9	12.2	11.3
Men	21.6	20.0	19.5	20.9	21.0	19.1
Women	3.2	2.7	2.3	2.2	2.7	3.0
Machine minders	5.7	5.6	5.1	4.5	4.7	4.7
Men	9.8	9.8	8.6	7.7	7.9	8.1
Women	0.9	0.7	1.1	1.0	1.2	1.0
Unskilled workers	7.6	7.9	6.3	5.9	5.6	6.6
Men	7.6	8.7	5.7	5.9	5.7	6.7
Women	7.5	7.0	6.9	6.0	5.5	6.4

Source: Statistics Iceland.

As the table shows, women do not feature largely in the ranks of farmers, fishermen, artisans and machine minders. On the other hand, they are present in larger numbers in office work and services. The balance is more even among specially qualified workers and specialists, but women still form a small group among managers and government officials in Iceland. A survey on the root causes of low participation of women in the fishery industry has not been completed.

A Plan of Action on Gender Equality Regarding Wages to reduce gender-based differences in career choice, the aim being to break down gender barriers on the labour market, has been prepared. The collaborative declaration made by the government which took power in 2009 stated that Gender Responsive Budgeting was to be used as a guideline in budgeting and economic management. Accordingly, a steering committee on Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) was established in April 2009. Further reference is made to Article 4 in this report.

Women in business management

In its concluding observations on the last periodic report by Iceland (CEDAW/C/ICE/CO/6), the Committee urged the State party to strengthen its efforts to increase the number of women in high-ranking posts. The Committee also encouraged the State party to enforce without delay the legal provision requiring institutions or companies employing more than 25 persons to prepare gender equality programmes or to make special provisions regarding gender equality in their employment policies.

The increased demand following the economic crisis to have women more involved in the governance of the country did not transcend into the business sector. The aim of having women take more part in managerial and influential positions in the Icelandic labour market has long been part of Government policy on gender equality, but progress in this area in the period 1990-2012 was far slower than was hoped. Women accounted for 15% of managers in 1999; this proportion rose by 7 percentage points to reach 22% in 2012. Women are more common in managerial positions in small and medium-size enterprises than in large ones: only 13% of managers in Iceland’s 100 largest companies in 2011 were women. The proportion of women on company boards amounted to 22% in 1999 and 24% in 2011; in other words, little change occurred over these 12 years.

The “Gender Equality Marks” (Jafnréttiskennitala) project was continued in 2008, where the boards of the 100 largest companies in Iceland were examined in order to find the proportion of female board members. Other government run projects have aspired to encourage women to carry out their business ideas and support women running small or medium-sized enterprises.

In order to increase the numbers of women in managerial positions in the business world, the Government took the step of introducing a provision on gender ratios on the boards of limited companies in the Public Limited Companies Act, No. 2/1995, with subsequent amendments, in March 2010; this applies to limited companies with more than 50 employees on an annualised basis. Article 63 of the Public Limited Companies Act addresses the question of gender ratios and an almost identical provision is to be found in Article 39 of the Private Limited Companies Act, No. 138/1994, with subsequent amendments, the only difference being the general rule that in limited companies there are to be at least three directors on the board while private limited companies may have as few as one or two. This means that all companies with 50 employees or more, on average, must comply with the law regarding gender ratios on their boards. Companies with fewer than 50 employees, on average, do not need to worry about gender ratios on their boards. Public limited companies with more than 25 employees are also obliged to consider gender ratios when engaging managers and to send the Company Register information on the gender ratios among their managers, staff and board members.

The companies to which these provisions apply were given a three-year adaptation period, i.e. until 1 September 2013. The explanatory notes to the bill which became law in Iceland explained that the aim was to promote more equal ratios of women and men in influential positions in both public and private limited companies; it was assumed that it was important for variety to be represented in the business sector and that certain dangers were implicit in the traditional arrangement by which managers were predominantly of one gender, of similar ages and background in terms of education and experience. The Ministry of Industries and Innovation is monitoring the situation in corporate boardrooms and the changes resulting from the new legislation. The latest figures indicate that the trend is in the right direction, particularly in larger enterprises, though the aim of the law, to ensure at least that at each gender accounts for at least 40% of the board of directors in companies with 50 or more employees has yet to be fulfilled. However, many companies have yet to hold their annual general meetings for the current year (2014), and it will therefore be of greater importance to examine the situation at the end of this year.

The ratio of women in managerial position in enterprises, 2013

Number of employees	Number of enterprises	Ratio of women	Change since 2012
Executive directors
1-49	9 946	21.3%	-4.5%
50-99	156	13.5%	0.0%
100+	175	9.7%	4.2%
Chairmen/board members
1-49	30 113	24.5%	-5.0%
50-99	594	23.2%	0.8%
100+	734	26.8%	4.3%

Source: Ministry of Industry and Innovation, 2013.

The table shows the state of affairs in the autumn of 2013. As can be seen, the ratio of women in managerial positions in enterprises affected by the law has gone up, already indicating the effect of the change.

Ratio of women in managerial positions in enterprises by size in 2011

Source: Ministry of Industry and Innovation, 2013.

In 2011 the ratio of women amongst executive directors in Icelandic enterprises was 20%, while women made up for 24% of all chairmen and board members. As portrayed in the table above the ratio of women in managerial positions is usually higher in smaller companies.

Women and the Media

The media have been a male-dominated field for a long time. The number of female members of the Association of Icelandic Journalists has been growing in the last decades. Women accounted for 18% of its membership in 1980 and 30% in 1995; in 2007 the figure was 36% and in 2011 it was 37%. Despite this increase, few women have held the positions of News Editors and Chief Editors of daily newspapers. No woman has been the manager of a TV station and only a few women have been TV News Editors.

The Icelandic media market has undergone great changes since the economic crisis struck in 2008. The number of days on which newspapers were published was reduced, many journalists lost their jobs, changes occurred in the ownership of the media and their operations were restructured. A study made in 2012 showed that seven of every ten journalists and news broadcasters were male, and that the typical Icelandic journalist/news journalist was 42 years old, male, with just less than 14 years’ working experience in the profession. Female journalists, on the other hand, were typically seven years younger, with just over eight years’ experience on average. Male journalists had slightly higher wages, though the difference was not significant, but female journalists were twice as likely to hold a master’s degree and far more likely to have pursued specialised studies in Journalism in the course of their education.

Another study, carried out in 2013, showed that female journalists wrote far fewer news items than did their male counterparts. Only 23% of the news items examined were written by women, and news reports by women were less likely to appear on the front page. It was also found that there was a substantial difference regarding what men and women wrote about. Reports on sport, business and politics were written almost exclusively by men: 97% of sports news reports, 95% of business and economic news and nearly 92% of coverage about politics. Women, on the other hand, wrote just over half of the reports examined that dealt with cultural issues and health during the period under study and 66% of the items that were classified as “entertainment” and “gossip”.

A committee on the review of the Women’s Loan Guarantee Fund and related matters proposed in July 2006 that loan guarantees for women, and also establishment grants, be secured in the public support system, and at the same time that the position, and later the policies, of the public funds in operation be reviewed. In March 2011, an agreement was signed on the resurrection of the Women’s Loan Guarantee Fund, under the name of Svanni. The fund is run by the Ministry of Welfare, the Ministry of Industries and Innovation and the municipality of Reykjavík. The initial project had a lifespan until the end of 2014, but the project will continue under the new action plan on gender equality for the period 2015-2018.

Svanni provides women with loan guarantees in collaboration with the bank Landsbanki. The fund grants half of the loan guarantee; the bank grants the other half. The prerequisite for a grant is that at least 50% of the project must be owned by a woman and the idea must be innovative and job-creating in the long run. Grants have been awarded four times. In autumn 2011, 21 applications were examined by the board of the fund and five loan guarantees were granted. In 2012, 20 applications were made. The administration granted two loan guarantees. In autumn 2013, 20 applications were received and two loan guarantees were granted. More information on the project can be found on the website svanni.is.

•Since 1991 the Ministry of Welfare has awarded grants once a year to women entrepreneurs in Iceland amounting to ISK 35,000,000 per year, with the aim of encouraging women to start up their own companies and to increase their access to finance. Grants are awarded by the ministry but the fund is hosted by the Directorate of Labour.

The prerequisite for a grant is that at least 50% of the project has to be owned by a woman, the idea has to be innovative and job-creating in the long run. Grants are awarded for making business plans, marketing, product development and a wage grant to start up a company. The project cannot be in direct competition with other services on the market.

Applications are made available on the site atvinnumalkvenna.is. The applications are evaluated by an advisory board. The application procedure starts in January each year and the grants are usually awarded in April-May. The grantees have one year to finish their projects before they have to turn in a report where they evaluate the project and turn in an overview of the costs involved.

Paragraph 1, subparagraph e)

Reference is made to previous reports.

Paragraph 1, subparagraph f)

In June 2010, the Government agreed on a plan of action to combat harassment and violence at the workplace, in schools and elsewhere in society. A project management committee on actions against bullying was formed and consisted of representatives from three ministries, focusing on following through the suggested actions against harassment. These were the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, the Ministry of Welfare and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs. The focus was put on extensive cooperation, not only to ensure a good result but also to encourage discussion and interest in the subject on a vast scale.

Consistent with the plan, the Ministry of Welfare reviewed the existing Regulation, No. 1000/2004, on actions against harassment (bullying) at the workplace. A committee was established on the subject, led by the Ministry but consisting of representatives of the social partners. On 16 April 2013, the Ministry of Welfare presented on its website for review a Draft Regulation on Actions Against Bullying, Sexual Harassment and Violence at the workplace. Several comments were received. Work is currently taking place to ensure that the necessary legal changes are made before the regulation can be issued.

Further reference is made to the discussion on the definition of sexual harassment discrimination in Article 1 of this report.

A seminar on the subject was held in April 2013, with the theme “Harassment in the Workplace — Visibility, Results and Directive Responsibility”. The focus was shifted to a survey of the subject based on extant studies, which shows that in 2008 and 2010, harassment was recorded in 10% of instances, both among men and women. The seminar was a part of an attempt to increase direct knowledge and capability to prevent bullying and respond appropriately in instances of harassment in the workplace.

Paragraph 2

Reference is made to the discussion on maternal/paternal leave as well as the integration of family and professional life presented earlier in this Article, as well as to previous reports by the Government of Iceland.

Article 12

Paragraph 1

Access to health care services

Reference is made to previous reports.

Women’s health

Smoking

Smoking frequency has been measured four times a year. The first statistics for 2012 supported earlier indications that smoking frequency had dropped considerably. Among people over 18 years, 14.2% admitted smoking daily while 2.3% smoked less often than daily. There was some difference between men and women, while 16.1% of men were daily smokers, only 12.4% of women stated the same. The highest frequency of smoking was found among 18-34 year olds. Among 18-24 year old men, 22% were smokers while 25% smoked among the 25-34 year olds. Among women, 21% of all women in the ages 18-24 smoke while 11% of women in the age group of 25-34 smoke.

Smoking habits of 15-79 year olds, 1990-2011

		Have never smoked	Stopped for Over a year	Stopped for less than a year	Occasional s mokers	Daily s mokers
Total	1990	41.1	20.7	4	3.9	30.3
	1995	41.8	22.2	3.6	5.6	26.8
	2000	47	20.5	5.8	3.8	22.9
	2005	46.7	26.5	3.7	3.6	19.5
	2006	45.5	27.2	4.7	3.3	19.3
	2007	46.6	26.4	4	3.6	19.4
	2008	46.4	27.3	4.8	3.7	17.8
	2009	48.4	28.7	3.9	3.2	15.8
	2010	49.1	29.2	3.4	3.9	14.3
	2011	48	29	4	4.6	14.4
Men	1990	36.3	24.6	3.9	4.4	30.8
	1995	39.2	24.8	3.8	5.5	26.7
	2000	44.1	22.9	5.4	4.4	23.3
	2005	46.6	27.2	3.9	2.8	19.5
	2006	43.3	28.4	4.3	2.7	21.3
	2007	45.1	26.9	3.9	3.4	20.7
	2008	44.3	27	5.5	2.9	20.3
	2009	48	29.2	3.7	3.2	15.9
	2010	48.7	29.3	3.9	3.6	14.5
	2011	47.3	30.1	3.3	4.8	14.6
Women	1990	45.6	17.1	4.1	3.3	29.9
	1995	44.5	19.6	3.3	5.7	26.9
	2000	49.8	18.2	6.2	3.2	22.5
	2005	46.7	25.8	3.6	4.3	19.5
	2006	47.6	26.1	5	3.8	17.4
	2007	48.1	25.9	4	3.8	18.2
	2008	48.5	27.6	4.1	4.5	15.3
	2009	48.7	28.3	4.2	3.2	15.7
	2010	49.5	29.1	3	4.3	14.1
	2011	48.7	27.9	4.8	4.4	14.2

Source: Statistics Iceland, 2012.

There are many indications that snuff consumption has increased among Icelanders and that snuff is being used as chewing tobacco. In light of this information, a thorough study was made of the use of smokeless tobacco among Icelanders, in addition to the usual survey of the ratio of smokers. Over 3,000 persons over 18 years of age from all over the country were included in the sample, of which 48% responded. There is limited information on the snuff or chewing tobacco usage of women in Iceland but evidence shows it to be uncommon.

Studies on the frequency of smoking confirm that the number of smokers, both men and women, are falling.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

By the end of 2012, the Epidemiological Medical Officer had been notified of 300 cases of HIV infection in Iceland. Of these, 66 patients were diagnosed with AIDS and 39 had died as a result of the disease. Ninety women were among the 300 cases of HIV and 10 women had been diagnosed with AIDS. Six of the 39 fatalities following AIDS infection were women.

Life expectancy

For many years, Icelandic women scored highest in the world in terms of life expectancy, but they have now been overtaken by other European countries. In 2010, mean life expectancy for women was 83.7 years, which placed Iceland in ninth place in Europe in this respect. Mean life expectancy for women at birth was 83.9 years in 2012. Over the five-year period 2006-2010, the average length of women’s lives was 83.3 years. During 2011, 1,985 people resident in Iceland died (998 men and 987 women). The mortality rate was 6.2 per 1,000 inhabitants, and had fallen slightly since 2010.

Cancer

Since 1964 there has been a programme of screening for cervical cancer and since 1973 a programme of screening for breast cancer. Women aged 20-69 are advised to have a check for cervical cancer every other year; women aged 40-69 are advised to have breast screening/mammography every other year.

The mean number of women diagnosed with cancer each year in 2006-2010 was 660, an increase from the corresponding figure of 609 for the period 2001-2005. There has been a considerable increase in the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer. In the period 2001-2005 the mean annual figure was 159, while in 2006-2010 the corresponding number was 194. The mean number of cases of vaginal cancer diagnosed each year in 2001-2005 was 17; for the period 2006-2010 it was 15. Active screening programmes for breast cancer and vaginal cancer are in operation in Iceland and participation levels in them are good.

The health authorities began vaccination against HPV (human papilloma virus) in autumn 2011 in accordance with a resolution passed by the parliament in 2010. Such vaccination is now included in the general vaccination programme for children and covers all girls in Grade 7 in junior schools. 17 instances of HPV infections were diagnosed each year in 2001-2005 but in 2006-2010 the number of diagnoses dropped to 15.

In 2011, 1,283 patients were diagnosed with chlamydia in Iceland, 784 of them women. A breakdown of the last few years’ cases by age indicates that women are infected earlier in life than men; this reflects the pattern of sexual activity among the young, as it is known that girls become sexually active at a younger age than boys.

In the first nine months of 2011, 23 new cases of gonorrhoea were diagnosed, of which 7 were women. The average age of infected individuals is 30 years.

Disability

More women than men in Iceland are disabled. Figures for persons with 75% disability or rehabilitation assessments show that for 2011, 2012 and 2013, women accounted for 60% of the total.

Surrogacy

In 2008 the Minister of Welfare was given the task of forming a committee to prepare legislation allowing surrogacy for benevolent purposes. The subject was discussed by parliament in 2014 where the Minister of Health reported that the committee was still at work, but a bill is expected to be proposed in future.

Further reference should be made to previous reports by the Government of Iceland.

Abortions

The first law that permitted abortions in Iceland dates from 1935, being replaced in 1975 with a more liberal law. Now women have the right to have an induced abortion before the end of the 12th week of pregnancy. In 2011, 969 abortions were performed in Iceland, which was similar to the figures for the preceding years. This represents 216 abortions per 1,000 live births in 2011.

Number of abortions in 1998-2011

Source: Statistics Iceland, 2012.

Abortions per 1,000 women by age

Source: Directorate of Health, 2013.

As the table shows, the number of abortions has declined significantly among women under the age of 20 over the last decade and a half. Fewer hospitals and health care centres have offered the operation in recent years. Ninety per cent of all abortions in 2012 took place at the National Hospital in Reykjavík, while 8.1% of abortions were performed at the Akureyri Hospital. The total number of abortions has risen since 2008, from under 900 a year to 980 in 2012. The number of sterilization operations carried out on women has fallen in recent years, and they now account for about 27% of all operations performed.

Paragraph 2

Childbirth

In 2010, 4,907 children were born in Iceland, of which 2,384 were girls. In 2011, 4,492 children were born, of which 2,166 were girls; 4,533 children were born alive in Iceland in 2012, of which 2,216 were girls. The average age of the mothers has changed little in recent years; in 2008-2012 it lay in the range 29.6 years (2008) to 29.9 years (2011 and 2011). Mothers’ average age at the birth of their first child was 26.9 years in 2012. One woman died during pregnancy in 2011; no women died in childbirth in 2010.

Number of childbirths in 2007-2012

	1959	1960	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Childbirths:	4 837	4 916	4 560	4 835	5 026	4 907	4 492	4 533

Source: Statistics Iceland 2013.

The infant mortality rate in 2011 was 0.9 per 1,000 live births and 1.1 per 1,000 live births in 2012. This is the lowest recorded rate in Europe.

Due to economic reasons, the options parents have when choosing the place of birth of their children has been narrowed. Downsizing at local healthcare centres has forced parents-to-be to travel to larger centres in order to receive necessary birth care. There has been an increase in the number of home births since the previous decade. While only 26 children were brought into the world at home in 2003 and 25 in 2004, the number in 2011 was 94.

Births in Iceland in 2011 by location

Place of birth	Number of births	Twins or triplets	Total	Ratio
The National Hospital, Reykjavík	3 241	52	3 293	73.3%
Akureyri Hospital	393	4	397	8.9%
Akranes Health Care Centre	300	3	303	6.8%
Suðurnes Health Care Centre	138	0	138	3.1%
Selfoss Health Care Centre	91	0	91	2.1%
Ísafjörður Hospital	59	0	59	1.3%
Neskaupstaður Hospital	63	0	63	1.4%
Vestmannaeyjar Hospital	36	0	36	0.8%
Sauðárkrókur Hospital	2	0	2	0.0%
Höfn Health Care Centre	3	0	3	0.1%
Births en route to hospital	1	0	1	0.0%
Home births	94	0	94	2.1%
Total	4 421	59	4 480

Source: Register of childbirths, the National Hospital, 2012.

According to information from the National Hospital’s register of childbirths, 192 children were born to 175 mothers in 2011 after assisted fertilization. In 2010, 182 children were born to 170 mothers after assisted fertilization. The ratio of children conceived by assisted fertilization rose from 3.8% in 2010 to 4.3% in 2011. In the years 2007-2009 the ratio was between 3.3% and 3.4%. In 2008, a new law took effect, allowing single women to undergo assisted fertilization. Up until that time, only married women or those in registered relationships were allowed to undergo such treatment.

Article 13

Subparagraphs a) and b)

Reference is made to the previous reports.

Subparagraph c)

Work and travel grants are awarded to artists each year under Act No. 57/2009 and Regulation No. 834/2009. They are awarded from six funds: one for designers, one for painters, one for writers, one for artists, one for musicians and one for composers. The parliament is officially in charge of allocating the grants but recipients are chosen by a board of directors and individual committees for each fund.

In 2014, 773 applications were received from individuals and groups, out of which 245 applicants received grants.

2014 artist grants

Fund	Total number of applications	Individual grant recipients	Male grant recipients	Female grant recipients	Group grant recipients
designers ’ fund	49	9	3	6	5
painters ’ fund	220	61	32	29	4
writers ’ fund	183	70	40	30	0
performing artists ’ fund	155	4	1	3	16
musicians ’ fund	94	20	9	11	4
composers ’ fund	73	23	20	3	11
Total	774	187	105	82	40

Source: Work and travel grants for artists; press release, 2014.

2013 artist grants

Fund	Total number of applications	Individual grant recipients	Male grant recipients	Female grant recipients	Group grant recipients
designers ’ fund	46	10	0	10	4
painters ’ fund	222	59	29	30	2
writers ’ fund	185	73	43	30	0
performing artists ’ fund	116	5	0	5	2
musicians ’ fund	111	23	12	11	2
composers ’ fund	92	24	21	3	0
Total	772	194	105	89	10

Source: Work and travel grants for artists; press release, 2013.

Women are in the majority among designers and performing artists who receive grants. However, men constitute a great majority of composers who receive grants. Among writers, slightly more men than women receive grants. Among musicians and painters there is no significant difference between grant recipients by gender.

Reference is also made to the discussion in Article 10, subparagraph (g) of this report. Further reference is made to the previous reports.

Article 14

Women in the rural areas

The population of Iceland at the beginning of 2014 was 325,671, consisting of 162,353 women and 163,318 men; 116,970 people (35.9%) live outside the capital region; of this number 59,770 (51.1%) are male and 57,200 (48.9%) female. Areas outside the capital region are designated as “the rural areas”.

Unemployment rates were the same for men in the capital region as in the rural areas in 2008 (1.5%) but in 2009 the number had risen to 10.0% in the capital region compared to 6.7% in the rural area. Women’s rates were 1.5% within the capital region in 2008 compared to 2.4% in the rural areas. In 2009 more women were without employment within the capital region (7.3%) than in the countryside (6.6%).

In the Strategic Regional Plan for Iceland for the years 2010-2013, equality and participation by both sexes in the economic scene are defined as special factors to be taken into account. The Icelandic Regional Development Institute has begun work to analyse the reasons behind the gender-based wage differential in order to prepare a proposition for an action plan aiming to eliminate the pay gap in rural Iceland. The project is a result of the integration of gender- and equality viewpoints in connection with the revision of the Strategic Regional Plan for Iceland for the years 2010-2013. Sufficient funding is yet to be secured for the research project on the alleged pay gap in the various areas of the country but the plan is to follow up on the research biannually.

A research project on the wages men and women receive for work in agriculture and at sea was to be launched in 2014. The two fields of work are prominent in most rural areas in Iceland. The project is also aimed at the selection of related school subjects at secondary school and university level offered to men and women.

Reference is made to the discussion in Article 3 on the 56th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, where the prime theme was the empowerment of rural women, and in which Iceland participated.

Further reference is made to the previous reports.

Article 15

Reference is made to the previous reports.

Article 16

Paragraph 1, subparagraphs a)-b)

Reference is made to the previous reports.

Subparagraph c)

•There were considerable fewer marriages in 2009 than in the years before. Church weddings have declined in number, while civil wedding services have not. The divorce rate has changed little in the last 25 years, and about 35% of all marriages end in divorce. According to Statistics Iceland, 1,546 couples got married in 2009, which is a considerably smaller number than in the previous years. In 2007, a record 1,979 couples got married in Iceland. In 2011, even fewer couples got married, 1,458 couples. The vast majority of marriages follow common-law marriages: around 83% of all couples got married after living for a time in common-law marriages.

Marriages and divorces in Iceland, 1995-2011

Source: Statistics Iceland, 2012.

•Individuals are considerably younger when establishing common-law marriages than when getting married. In 2011, 516 divorces took place in Iceland. The divorce ratio has been consistent over the last 25 years.

•According to Statistics Iceland’s information, joint custody has been the norm for divorced parents since 2002; the procedure became legally available in 1992. Joint custody was decided on in 90.7% of cases in 2008, involving 517 children. At the same time, 47 children were raised by their mother and 6 children raised by their father. More and more parents opt for joint custody. In 2009, 596 parents had joint custody, in 92% of instances. Mothers were made sole custodians of 41 children and fathers were granted custody of four children. In 2010, joint custody was agreed on in 94.5% of instances. In 2011, mothers were made sole custodians of 58 out of the 615 children while only one child was given into the sole custody of the father. Joint custody was decided on in all other cases.

Custodians 1994-2011

Source: Statistics Iceland, 2012.

Joint custody is more common following a split after common-law marriage, compared to when a marriage ends in a divorce. This has led to greater gender equality, since parents share the responsibility of the upbringing instead of leaving the task entirely to the mother, as was the norm for many decades.

Custody following divorces 1994-2011

Source: Statistics Iceland, 2012.

Subparagraphs d)-h)

Reference is made to the previous reports by Iceland.

Paragraph 2

Reference is made to the previous reports by Iceland.

Response to the concluding observations of the Committee

On 8 July 2008, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women considered Iceland fifth and sixth periodic reports (CEDAW/C/ICE/5 and CEDAW/C/ICE/6). In its concluding observations (CEDAW/C/ICE/CO/6), the Committee requested Iceland to provide, within two years, written information on the steps undertaken to implement the recommendations contained in paragraph 24 of the concluding observations. A response by the Icelandic Government to the recommendations was sent in May 2011 and was reviewed on the forty-ninth session of the Committee in July 2011.

The implementation of Act No. 61/2007 on Prostitution

The Icelandic Penal Code has been amended since the sixth report on the implementation of the Convention was submitted by the Government of Iceland and the subsequent examination at the forty-first session of the Committee.

Under Act No. 54/2009, which was passed on 30 April 2010, Article 206 of the Penal Code (law No. 19/1940) was, in accordance with the Swedish precedent, amended in such a manner as to penalize the purchase of prostitution while the selling of services by the prostitute remains unpunished.

Purchasing or promising payment for prostitution is punishable by fines or imprisonment up to one year (under the first paragraph). If the violation occurs against a minor the perpetrator can be fined or imprisoned for up to two years (under the second paragraph). Under the third paragraph, any person who bases his employment or living on prostitution practised by others shall be imprisoned for up to four years. Under the fourth paragraph, the same punishment applies to deceiving, encouraging or assisting a child under the age of 18 to engage in prostitution. The same punishment also applies to taking steps to have any person move from or to Iceland in order to derive his or her support from prostitution (the fifth paragraph). The sixth paragraph states that any person who employs deception, encouragement or mediation in order to encourage other persons to have sexual intercourse, or other sexual relations, in return for payment, or to derive income from prostitution practised by others, e.g. by renting out premises or by other means shall be imprisoned for up to four years, or fined or imprisoned for up to one year if there are extenuating circumstances. And finally, under the seventh paragraph, any person who, in a public advertisement, offers, arranges or seeks to have sexual intercourse with another person in return for payment shall be fined or imprisoned for up to six months.

A number of cases have been tried in the Icelandic courts where the above mentioned provisions have been applied. On 2 June 2010, the first cases were brought before the Reykjavík District Court against 11 alleged buyers of prostitution. As a result, nine men were fined, seven for the amount of ISK 80,000, one for ISK 40,000 and one for ISK 120,000, and two were acquitted.

In Supreme Court Case No. 105/2010 the defendant was found guilty of violations of the third, sixth and seventh paragraphs of Article 206 of the Penal Code. The defendant, X, was found to have made a profession of prostituting E, F and G and acted as an intermediary, e.g. by renting a house for the operations, having the victims photographed and advertising prostitution online. In consideration of the gravity of X ’ s crimes, including the smuggling of narcotics, and the magnitude of the prostitution operations, X was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.

Reinforcing existing measures to prevent and combat trafficking, especially of women and girls, and investigate such cases thoroughly

The parliament adopted a National Action Plan (NAP) against Human Trafficking in March 2009. The Action Plan is available in English online. The objective of the Action Plan was to enhance the coordination of actions that are necessary to prevent human trafficking in Iceland, and to further study trafficking in human beings. Furthermore, it specified actions aimed at prevention and education regarding this matter and to ensure that aid and protection of victims was provided. Emphasis was placed on actions aimed at facilitating the prosecution of the perpetrators.

A specialist and coordination team against human trafficking was established in October 2009 following the adoption of the Action Plan. The specialist and coordination team was established to ensure a comprehensive overview and knowledge of human trafficking in Iceland. The team was composed of representatives from the Ministry of the Interior (formerly the Ministry of Justice), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Welfare (formerly the Ministry of Social Security and Social Services and the Ministry of Health), the National Commissioner of Police, the Directorate of Immigration and the NGOs Kvennaathvarfið (the Women’s Refuge) and Stígamót (the Education and Counselling Centre for Victims of Sexual Abuse).

The role of the team was to follow up tip-offs of human trafficking, to identify possible victims and to grant the victims a recognized position as such, to ensure protection and assistance to victims, collect information and carry out educational and awareness-raising activities with respect to issues of human trafficking. The team also provided consultation to government authorities and supervised the implementation of the Action Plan against Human Trafficking. An emergency team was established; this is in charge of the first steps to assist and protect victims of human trafficking, such as providing emergency services, a safe refuge, interpreting services and legal aid, operated within the specialist and coordination team on human trafficking.

A new National Action Plan against Trafficking in Human Beings for the years 2013–2016 was adopted on 26 April 2013, replacing the one that ran from 2009 to the end of 2012. Further reference is made to Article 6 of this report.

Human trafficking falls within the scope of the General Penal Code, No. 19/1940, Article 227 a of the Penal Code on human trafficking was amended by Act No. 149/2009, adopted in the parliament on 18 December 2009, in order to bring the Icelandic legal definition of human trafficking into harmony with the European Convention on Actions against Trafficking in Human Beings and the Palermo Protocol. The relevant articles are as follows (unofficial English translation):

Article 6, point 20

Penalties shall also be imposed in accordance with the Icelandic Penal Code on account of the following offences, even if these have been committed outside the Icelandic State and irrespective of who the offender is:-

[...]

20. For offences stated in the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, May 3, 2005.

Article 227 a

Anyone convicted of the following acts, one or more, for the purpose of sexually using a person or for forced labour or to remove his/her organs shall be punished for human trafficking by up to 8 years imprisonment:-

1. Procuring, transporting, transferring, housing or accepting someone who has been subjected to unlawful force under Article 225 or deprived of freedom as defined in Article 226 or threatened as defined in Article 233 or subjected to unlawful deception by awakening, strengthening or utilizing his/her lack of understanding concerning circumstances or by exploiting his/her position of vulnerability.

2. Procuring, transporting, transferring, housing or accepting an individual younger than 18 years of age.

3. Rendering payment or other gain in order to acquire the approval of the exploitation by a person having control over another person.

The same penalty shall be applied to a person accepting payment or other gain under indent 3 of the first paragraph.

If a violation according under the first paragraph is committed against a child, this shall be considered as an aggravating factor when deciding the severity of the punishment.

The same penalty shall be applied to anyone that becomes guilty of the following acts, one or more, for the purpose of facilitating human trafficking:

1. To forge a travel or identity document.

2. To procure or provide such a document.

3. To retain, remove, damage or destroy a travel or identity document of another person.

Prosecuting and punishing traffickers in accordance with the gravity of their crime

The maximum penalties/sanctions for such offences were eight years imprisonment, as stated above. Act No. 72/2011, which took effect on 10 June 2011 raised the maximum punishment for offences against Article 227 a, on human trafficking, from 8 to 12 years’ imprisonment. Three cases have been tried before Icelandic courts pertaining to human trafficking, along with other charges.

(a)On 1 December 2009, an Icelandic citizen of Equatorial Guinean origin was sentenced by the District Court of Reykjanes in case No. S-676/2009. The defendant was acquitted of a charge of human trafficking but sentenced, for pimping and other offences, to imprisonment for two and a half years. On 3 June 2010, as a result of an appeal to the Supreme Court, the period of imprisonment was extended to three and a half years (see case No. 105/2010, discussed above). The alleged victim of human trafficking in this case was a woman of Slovenian citizenship recruited through Spain. The victim received extensive assistance without regard to the outcome of the court case.

(b)On 8 March 2010, five Lithuanian citizens were found guilty by the District Court of Reykjanes in case No. S-1064/2009 on a charge of human trafficking; one was acquitted. The others were sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. On 16 June 2010, as a result of an appeal to the Supreme Court, one was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment and four to four years’ imprisonment. The victim in this case was a young woman of Lithuanian citizenship recruited in Lithuania. It is worth noting that in this case the sentence was based on a proven intent of sexual exploitation, while the actual sexual exploitation had not occurred due to early intervention. The victim has received extensive and prolonged assistance.

(c)On 9 July 2010, an Icelandic citizen of Equatorial Guinean origin (the same perpetrator as in the first case cited above) was sentenced by the District Court of Reykjanes in case No. S-190/2010. The defendant was acquitted of a charge of human trafficking but sentenced, for pimping and other offences, to imprisonment of 15 months. The victim in this case was a young woman of Equatorial Guinean origin who has received extensive assistance.

Further reference is made to Article 6 in this report.

The investigation of illegal strip clubs by conducting research and surveys

The 1990s saw the establishment of a number of strip clubs in Iceland. The striptease acts took either place on tables in open areas or in enclosed spaces as “private dances”. Originally, the dance was viewed as art and the women who were brought to the country to work in the strip clubs were granted temporary work permits as artists. A special legal definition of strip clubs was not provided until Act No. 66/2000, amending Act No. 67/1985, was passed. Subsequently, distinct municipalities could set further conditions for the granting of operation licences for such restaurants. Such conditions were introduced in Reykjavík in 2002, when private dances were banned and nude dancers were banned from entering into the crowd. The ban was later found to be legal by the Supreme Court of Iceland.

Strip dancing was effectively outlawed by Act No. 85/2007, although exemptions could be passed for individual restaurants. The provisions allowing for exemption permits were later rescinded in 2010. These remained legal, with restrictions, until March 2010, when the parliament passed Act No. 18/2010 annulling the exemption provision in Article 4 of Act No. 85/2007 on restaurants and night clubs under which these clubs operated.

Late 2013, a proposal was made in parliament for the revision of rules regarding the granting of operating licences for restaurants, in order to prevent so-called “champagne clubs”, which exploit the nudity of the staff and offer access to members of staff in private spaces. The proposal is currently being discussed by the Judicial Affairs and Education Committee.

This means that strip clubs are now illegal in Iceland and have either closed down or changed their operations. The police monitor the operation of night clubs and as of now no violations against Act No. 18/2010 have been investigated by the police.

The police have conducted an investigation of the “champagne clubs” in Reykjavík, due to allegations about prostitution, money laundering and narcotic commerce taking place. According to the police, investigation of “champagne clubs” in Reykjavík is in its final stages. Once the investigation is finished, the Director of Public Prosecutions will decide the next steps. The police have also focused on new platforms for prostitution. It is a concern that following the demise of the champagne clubs, internet date sites and local bars and restaurants might have become a platform for prostitution.

Increasing international cooperation efforts to prevent trafficking, ensuring the protection of the human rights of women and girls who are victims of trafficking and establishing a legal framework for victim and witness protection.

Increasing international cooperation efforts to prevent trafficking

Iceland cooperates on these issues with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Nordic Council of Ministers, the United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Council of Europe. Regional cooperation within the framework of the CBSS is especially beneficial in dealing with highly practical issues and problems that are relevant for the region. Iceland takes an active part in its task force on trafficking in human beings. Among its projects are studies on cooperation mechanisms within the countries and region in collaboration with UNODC, on the collection and dissemination of data within the countries and in the region, training for diplomatic and consular personnel on trafficking in human beings, a project on identification of human trafficking in the form of exploitation for labour, and a study on memoranda of understanding and best practices in that area.

Ensuring the protection of the human rights of women and girls who are victims of trafficking

Victims of human trafficking in Iceland, regardless of their nationality or legal status in the country, or potentially former alleged violations of Icelandic law, are granted all necessary services, whether medical, social (including appropriate housing), financial or legal, once they have been brought to the attention of — or referred to — the specialist and coordination team against human trafficking in Iceland (action 2 of the National Action Plan against Human Trafficking), which operates according to the “low threshold policy”. Up to that point they may have resided in women’s shelters, obtained counselling from counselling centres for victims of sexual violence or from local authorities (social services), to name just some examples of previous forms of assistance, which are also provided regardless of their legal status. The composition of the specialist and coordination team is such as to ensure a comprehensive and holistic approach to victim assistance. Once alleged victims have obtained residence permits as such (see paragraphs 18 and 19 below), they have all the legal rights that that implies. Yet another point to be made is that potential victims can, in court proceedings, be granted the right of anonymity to the public and the right to testify under the absence of alleged perpetrators or through video/audio links if necessary. In the case of minors that are potential victims of trafficking in human beings (which has not yet arisen in Iceland) the National Action Plan against Human Trafficking stipulates that those cases are to be handled on the basis of the Act on Child Protection (actions 10 and 11 of the Plan).

Establishing a legal framework for victim and witness protection

Although discussions have taken place in parliament, there are no special legal provisions on the protection of victims or witnesses to human trafficking in Iceland. The Ministry of Interior is presently conducting an assessment on whether legal amendments need to be made regarding this. The National Commissioner of Police adopted guidelines in 2010 on the handling of human trafficking cases where it is stipulated that a risk assessment is to be made in each case and protection measures applied accordingly. This procedure has been followed in the cases that have already been handled in Iceland, resulting, in some cases, in extensive protection measures for both victims and witnesses and installation of surveillance and security equipment of their residences.

The ratification of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children and the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.

The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime was ratified by Iceland on 13 May 2010 and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, was ratified by Iceland on 22 June 2010.

As stated in Article 6 of this report, the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings was ratified by Iceland on 23 February 2012 and took effect vis-à-vis Iceland on 1 June the same year.

Report on (a) statistical data related to trafficking and prostitution and (b) information on the impact of the decriminalization of prostitution on the enjoyment of women’s human rights.

In its concluding observations (CEDAW/C/ICE/CO/6), the Committee recommended that the next periodic report contain statistical data related to trafficking and prostitution and information on the system put in place as well as progress made in the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.

As stated in Article 6 of this report, the Council of Europe’s Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings was ratified by Iceland on 23 February 2012 and took effect vis-à-vis Iceland on 1 June the same year. Further reference is made to Article 6 of this report.

Information on prostitution and human trafficking was gathered from the National Commissioner, the Police Commissioners of Reykjavík and Suðurnes, social service providers in Akureyri, Hafnarfjörður, Kópavogur, Reykjanesbær and Reykjavík, the Education and Counselling Centre for Victims of Sexual Violence and the Women’s Refuge.

As is mentioned above, the act of prostitution is not punishable under Icelandic law. Article 206 of the Penal Code is not limited to acts of prostitution. Various reasons and motives can lead persons into prostitution. Prostitution can be a way for young people to finance their lifestyle. Amongst persons in prostitution, a history of sexual violence, the lack of parental supervision during upbringing and narcotic abuse are common themes. Women in poverty are also known to prostitute themselves in order to support themselves and their children. The aftermath of prostitution often does not become clear until after many months of therapy.

The extent of prostitution in Iceland is hard to measure. The borders between prostitution and human trafficking are not always clear, as is noted in reports by the Educational and Counselling Centre for Victims of Sexual Violence.

The Ministry of Welfare is currently involved in talks with the Women’s Refuge regarding temporary hosting of human trafficking victims while further work takes place.

According to information from the National Commissioner, a considerable increase has taken place in the number of registered violations of Article 206 of the Penal Code, as shown in the table below. The table shows only the number of cases that have come before the National Commissioner where a violation of Article 206 has taken place. Prostitution victims are therefore not included in the numbers.

Registered violations of Article 206 of the Penal Code

Year	2010	2011	2012	2013
Number of Violations	37	13	24	175*

*Provisional figure.

Each case can encompass various violations, both by a single or multiple perpetrators. The table includes all registered violations in the time period.

The Reykjavík Police Commissioner has handled the cases of 30 individuals who have been defined as prostitution victims in the years 2011-2014.

	Total	Icelandic Citizens	Foreign Citizens	<20 Year Olds	21-30 Year Olds	>30 Year Olds
Women	23	11	12	4	7	10
Men	7	7	0	3	2	2

The Kristínarhús Reception Centre opened in September 2011. The Educational and Counselling Centre for Victims of Sexual Violence took the initiative of opening the Reception Centre, aimed especially at women escaping from prostitution or human trafficking situations. The state supplied the necessary operation funding for the Reception Centre and additional funds were gathered through a fund-raising campaign. Additionally to its main task, the Centre was also given support to host visitors to Reykjavík scheduled for an interview with the Educational and Counselling Centre. The Reception Centre had sufficient room for 4-5 women in separate rooms.

From its inception until it closed, 27 women stayed at the Reception Centre: 15 foreigners and 12 Icelandic citizens. Thirteen of the visitors had mental problems, while 15 visitors were dealing with narcotic abuse. In 2011 five women dwelled at the Reception Centre, running up 127 staying nights from the opening in September till the end of the year. In 2012, 20 women and 9 children stayed at the Reception Centre for a total of 1,148 nights. Most of the women were under the age of 40 but two were over 50. Of the 20 women, 15 stayed at the Reception Centre due to prostitution or human trafficking. In 2013, five children stayed at the Reception Centre but the exact number of women staying at the Centre is unclear. All the women staying at the Centre were under the age of 40. Together, they clocked up 1,000 nights over the year, some staying only a couple of nights but others the entire year.

In 2012 additional funding of ISK 15 million was granted to the Reception Centre. The Ministry of Interior granted ISK 6 million to help assist possible victims of human trafficking, and ISK 700,000 was granted to install security cameras on the premises of the Reception Centre. A special ISK 25 million grant was made in 2013 towards operating the Centre.

After a two-year long experimental period, the Reception Centre was closed in January 2014. Operating the Reception Centre proved to be a complex and complicated matter. The gathering of so many women in one place was not found to be a suitable solution. Many of the women were dealing with mental or narcotic-abuse problems. The employees and volunteers at the Centre had an especially hard task dealing with the children. The Educational and Counselling Centre explained that further funds would have had to be granted in order to provide professional assistance to the visiting women in view of their complicated situations.

Simultaneously to the announcement of the closing of the Reception Centre, the Educational and Counselling Centre asked for the funds provided to be used in order to improve other parts of the functioning of the organisation: improved services to individuals outside the Reykjavík area, additional services to men in need and to disabled persons. The Educational and Counselling Centre asked for the funds provided for the Reception Centre to be used to create two new positions on the aforementioned projects. The funding for the Reception Centre in 2014 went to the organisation in order to attend to the projects in question.

The consequences of the closing down of the Reception Centre are minimal for other matters than the investigation of human trafficking cases. Without sound housing solutions, police authorities and volunteers will have a harder time gaining the trust of victims. With housing provided, the victims of trafficking and prostitution become more visible. The danger is that the progress made in the therapy so far will be lost. Service providers to prostitution victims have not felt any repercussions from the closure of the Reception Centre. The Women’s Refuge did not experience an increase in visits following the closure.

Even after the closure of the Reception Centre, there are other options available to those wanting to leave prostitution. The municipal social services offer information and instructions regarding social rights and social and personal support, in accordance with Article 16 of the Local Authorities’ Social Services Act. Professionals at municipal level provide social therapy to prostitution victims. If a victim is in charge of a child an examination of the child’s circumstances is made, and if necessary, the child protection authorities are alerted.

The Educational and Counselling Centre provides advice and interviews and organises self-help groups for individuals wanting to leave prostitution. It has also offered to coordinate actions on the matters of individuals wanting to leave prostitution. The group in question is not thought to be in need of special housing solutions.

Prostitution in Iceland seems to be in close connection with narcotic commerce. Therapy institutions have offered their assist to narcotic addicts. The Women’s Refuge is open to all victims of prostitution.

In the light of the number of registered violations of Article 206 of the Penal Code, it is important that all social service and healthcare providers, including therapy providers, keep an eye open for the possibility that a service recipient may be a victim of prostitution or human trafficking. Accessible assistance, delivered without prejudice, must be provided. State employees have to be well informed on the symptoms of prostitution and possible solutions for the victims. Professionals working with individuals wanting to get out of prostitution have to be motivated. The experience of the Reception Centre shows that prostitution victims may have a hard time leaving their former employment behind. Continuing cooperation between social and healthcare authorities must take place, with the participation of NGOs. Cooperation with the police authorities must also be increased. Intra-governmental co-operation in the field of human trafficking has yielded good results.

Information on the impact of the decriminalization of prostitution on the enjoyment of women’s human rights

Only a short time has passed since prostitution was decriminalized, i.e., since Article 206 of the Penal Code (No. 19/1940) was amended yet again by Act No. 54/2009, which was enacted on 30 April 2010, as has been described above. Thus, only limited knowledge of the impact of the decriminalization exists, and there are no reliable studies or statistics that can be cited.