List of issues and questions prior to the submission of the sixth periodic report of Israel

General

1.Please provide information and statistics, disaggregated by sex, age, ethnicity, religion and location, on the current situation of women in the State party in all areas covered by the Convention. Please indicate how the State party intends to improve the collection and analysis of data pertaining to the areas covered by the Convention so as to support policymaking and programme development and to measure progress towards the implementation of the Convention and the promotion of substantive equality of women with men.

2.Please provide information on measures taken to ensure that women in the State party are aware of their rights under the Convention and are able to invoke those rights, including through uninhibited access to justice when their rights have been violated. Please also provide information on relevant cases brought before the courts on discrimination against women and the outcome of those cases, and indicate whether the Convention has been invoked before the courts. Please provide information on efforts to give sufficient visibility to the Convention, the communications and inquiry procedures provided for under the Optional Protocol and the Committee’s general recommendations, in particular general recommendation No. 33 (2015) on women’s access to justice, in order to make them an integral part of the training of judges, lawyers, prosecutors, police officers and other law enforcement officials.

Reservations

3.With reference to the Committee’s previous concluding observations (CEDAW/C/ISR/CO/5, paras. 8 and 9), please provide information on measures taken to withdraw reservations to articles 7 (b) and 16 of the Convention.

Legislative, policy and institutional framework

4.With reference to the Committee’s previous concluding observations (para. 11), please provide information on steps taken to incorporate the provisions of the Convention into national law and to ensure the availability of effective remedies for all women, including disadvantaged groups of women. Specifically, please provide information on the concrete measures taken: (a) to incorporate a right to equality and non-discrimination on the ground of sex in order to end all forms of discrimination against women and girls in line with target 5.1 of the Sustainable Development Goals (para. 11); (b) to introduce a comprehensive definition of discrimination against women that encompasses both direct and indirect discrimination as well as discrimination in the public and private spheres by State and non-State actors, in line with articles 1 and 2 of the Convention (ibid.); and (c) to ensure the full application of the Convention to all persons under the State party’s jurisdiction or effective control (para. 13). With reference to the Committee’s previous concluding observations (para. 51), please provide an update on specific measures taken to establish a national human rights institution in line with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles) following the acceptance by the State party that it establish such an institution, as stated in the context of its universal periodic review (A/HRC/25/15, para. 136.25, and A/HRC/25/15/Add.1, para. 9).

Extraterritorial obligations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

5.Recalling that the Convention applies in all territories under the effective control of the State party and noting that the State party is an occupying Power of Palestinian territory, please provide detailed information on the enjoyment by women and girls in the Occupied Palestinian Territories of their rights under the Convention. Specifically, please provide information on steps being taken to revoke policies on demolition and forced “self-demolition” of homes and schools, in addition to forced evictions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and East Jerusalem, which, as the Committee observed in its previous concluding observations, have a serious negative impact on the development and advancement of women and their enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms (para. 28). Please indicate the steps taken to review the housing policy and the issuance of construction permits to Palestinians, in order to ensure that Palestinian women and girls can enjoy their fundamental rights and freedoms, in particular their rights to adequate housing and to family and private life, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 11 (paras. 28 and 29).

Access to justice

6.Please provide information on the challenges and achievements in ensuring access to justice by all women, including Palestinian women, women from disadvantaged groups and ethnic minority women, in particular Bedouin women. Please state the measures being taken to address concerns regarding the new guidelines published by the Legal Aid Department in April 2016, which allegedly impede access by women to justice in cases of child support and custody, and respond to reports that female asylum seekers face significant barriers in terms of access to justice because they do not receive legal aid from the Public Defender’s Office in domestic proceedings.

Women and peace and security

7.Please provide an update on efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in line with United Nations resolutions, and to fully involve representatives of Israeli and Palestinian women at all stages of the peace process, including through their equal participation in decision-making processes (para. 14). Please provide information on existing obstacles to participation by women in conflict prevention, management and resolution and the measures taken to address them. What measures are being taken to adopt a national action plan on women and peace and security to implement Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) following the establishment in 2014 of an interministerial team to form and consolidate such an action plan? Please state the measures that have been taken to ensure: (a) that migration and asylum policies do not deter women and girls fleeing from conflict-riven countries from legally seeking asylum, or limit their opportunities in that regard, and thereby reduce their vulnerability to trafficking and exploitation; and (b) a zero-tolerance policy in respect of sexual exploitation of women and girls by security personnel, including border police officers, immigration officials and humanitarian actors.

National machinery for the advancement of women

8.In the light of the Committee’s previous concluding observations (para. 18), please provide information on the current status, mandate, financial, human and technical resources and activities of the national machinery for the advancement of women. Please provide information on steps taken to develop and adopt a comprehensive national plan of action for the advancement of women (para. 19 (b)). Please also indicate progress made with regard to gender budgeting and the mechanisms in place to monitor and evaluate the implementation of any existing strategies to ensure that budget allocations to various sectors are consistent with their respective gender mandates and activities. Please indicate the extent to which the national machinery cooperates with civil society, including non-governmental organizations and associations that promote the rights of women, including ethnic minority and Palestinian Arab women’s groups. Please provide information on the measures in place to ensure that civil society organizations carry out their activities independently, without intimidation and harassment.

Stereotypes and harmful practices

9.In its previous concluding observations (para. 48), the Committee reiterated its concern about the persistence of early, child and forced marriages and polygamy. Please provide information on the implementation and monitoring of measures taken since the consideration of the previous periodic report to eliminate such marriages and polygamous relationships, in particular among ethnic groups where such phenomena are prevalent.

Gender-based violence against women, including in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

10.In the light of the Committee’s previous concluding observations (paras. 20 and 21), please provide information on challenges and achievements in the implementation of the new legislation on sexual offences and the activities of the special task force of 220 investigators specializing in gender-based violence. Please provide disaggregated data on the number of prosecutions and convictions during the reporting period involving gender-based violence against women, including domestic violence. What achievements have been attained to encourage women, in particular ethnic minority women, to report incidents of gender-based violence, including domestic violence? Please supply information on the funding for organizations that provide support services to victims, including for shelters, and the accessibility of such shelters to women, in particular migrant and Palestinian Arab women.

11.Following the Committee’s previous concluding observations (paras. 22 and 23), please provide detailed information on measures: (a) to prevent human rights abuses and violations against women and girls in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and protect them against such acts as they exercise their freedom of movement, in particular at checkpoints; (b) to provide women with effective access to legal remedies and ensure that such cases are fully and promptly investigated and that the perpetrators are brought to justice; (c) to ensure that Palestinian women who are victims of violence have access to a sufficient number of shelters and to financial and legal assistance; and (d) to curb restrictions on movement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, which often lead to regular harassment and excessive use of force by Israeli security forces against female teachers and girls on their way to and from school.

12.Please provide information on specific measures taken to address the alleged high levels of violence against disadvantaged groups of women, in particular migrant women and women with disabilities, and to protect them from gender-based violence, including domestic violence. Please also provide information on the measures in place to collect comprehensive data on violence against such groups of women and to address the existing administrative and financial obstacles that disadvantaged groups of women, in particular women whose immigration status is dependent on their spouse or partner, encounter in terms of access to essential support services. Please also provide information on measures being taken to strengthen and further develop training programmes tailored to judges, police officers and other law enforcement officials on gender-based violence against women and its causes and consequences.

Trafficking and exploitation of prostitution

13.In its previous concluding observations (para. 30), the Committee expressed concern at the prevalence of trafficking in the State party, principally as a destination country, and at reports of internal trafficking. The Committee also expressed concern that female asylum seekers and migrants entering the State party through the Sinai were at high risk of becoming victims of trafficking and torture. Please provide information on measures taken to combat all forms of trafficking in the State party and to engage in bilateral and regional cooperation in order to protect female asylum seekers in the Sinai from falling prey to traffickers. Please provide updated data on the prevalence of trafficking in the State party, the number of cases that have been investigated and prosecuted and the convictions secured during the reporting period. Please also provide information on measures taken to provide adequate assistance and protection to all victims of trafficking, increase the number of State-run shelters for victims and provide rehabilitation and reintegration services for victims. In its previous concluding observations (para. 30), the Committee noted that there had been a sharp decline in the number of women trafficked for purposes of prostitution. Please respond to reports that women and girls from former Soviet Union countries who visit the State party on tourist visas are subjected to sexual exploitation in brothels. Please provide information on the prevalence of exploitation of prostitution and the existing measures aimed at preventing that phenomenon.

Participation in political and public life

14.In the light of the Committee’s previous concluding observations (para. 32), please provide updated information on the situation of women, in particular Israeli Arab women, regarding their participation in public life, in particular in the Knesset, on State boards and in senior positions in the Government, the judiciary and the foreign service. Specifically, please provide information on whether concrete goals and timetables have been developed with a view to accelerating the representation of women, including Israeli Arab women (para. 33 (a)). Please provide information on specific measures, including temporary special measures and other programmes and training initiatives, to promote participation by women in political and public life and to accelerate their participation in decision-making positions since the review of the previous periodic report, and measures taken to sanction political parties whose regulations forbid the election of women, in order to meet a minimum representation rate in line with target 5.5 of the Sustainable Development Goals.

15.With reference to the Committee’s previous concluding observations (para. 33 (d)), please provide an update on the status of the two bills on the funding of political parties and on local authorities (elections). Please provide information on the impact that article 7 (a) (3) of the Municipal Council Law (Funding of Elections), which provides for 15 per cent additional funding to political parties in which women comprise least one third of the membership, has had in accelerating the participation of women in local government.

Nationality

16.In its previous concluding observations (para. 24), the Committee noted that the Citizenship and Entry Into Israel Law (Temporary Order) of 2003, amended in 2005 and 2007, prohibited Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories from obtaining residency or citizenship status in Israel, including through marriage to an Israeli citizen. Please provide data on the number of Palestinian Arab women who have lost their social rights or benefits as a direct or indirect result of the application of that law and on the number of women who have been denied family reunification owing to the application of that law on grounds of national security. In the absence of a specific law on equality between women and men and between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel, the proposed nationality bill of 2014, in which the Jewish character of Israel is declared as quasi-constitutional, may potentially lead to increased discrimination against Arab citizens of Israel, in particular Arab women. Please update the Committee on the status of the proposed bill.

Education

17.In the light of the Committee’s previous concluding observations (para. 34), please provide information on measures taken to address the Committee’s concerns that Israeli Arab and Bedouin women and girls remain in a disadvantaged and marginalized situation, including with regard to dropout rates and access to institutions of higher education. Please also provide information on measures taken to diversify academic and vocational choices for women and men and to encourage women and girls to choose non-traditional fields of education, in particular engineering and other technical fields (para. 34). What measures have been taken to eliminate gender stereotypes by revising school textbooks, in particular in the Arab education system? Please also provide an update on measures taken to continuously revise school curricula to ensure that they include age-appropriate education on sexual and reproductive health and rights that adopts a gender perspective and takes into account developments in the fields of education and health. Please provide information on the prevalence of teenage pregnancy and how such pregnancies affect the continuation of formal schooling for girls.

18.Please provide information on the progress made and measures taken to strengthen the position of women in leadership roles in academic institutions, providing sex-disaggregated data on the number of women in senior administrative and academic positions at all levels of the education system. Please provide information on specific measures being taken: (a) to address the obstacles that asylum-seeking and migrant women and girls face in terms of access to education; (b) to curb restrictions on movement and harassment by Israeli security forces at checkpoints, which adversely affect access by Palestinian women and girls to education; and (c) to address incidents affecting access to education, including attacks and the use of force, which disproportionately affect women and girls.

Employment

19.In its previous concluding observations (para. 36), the Committee expressed concern at the gender segregation of the labour market and the wide gender wage gap, with the average income for women being 63 per cent of the average income for men. Please provide information on the specific measures taken to ensure equal opportunities for women in the labour market, enforce the principle of equal pay for work of equal value and introduce temporary special measures in order to address occupational segregation. What specific measures are in place to address the wide gender wage gap in the State party? Please provide information on specific measures taken to raise awareness about responsible fatherhood and participation by men in raising children and about equal sharing of domestic duties and to raise the awareness of employers and employees of flexible working arrangements. Please report on the impact of those measures.

20.Please state the measures taken to protect migrant domestic workers, the vast majority of whom are women, from discrimination and abuse by their employers, and to protect Thai women working in the agricultural sector. In the light of the Committee’s previous concluding observations (para. 42), please provide information on measures taken to address concerns regarding the working conditions of female migrant workers who are employed as home caregivers and who allegedly work around the clock with mandatory live-in arrangements. Please state the legislative measures taken to ensure that migrant women who are home caregivers have protection under the Hours of Work and Rest Law and to stop the cancellation of work permits for migrant workers in cases of childbirth, marriage and intimate relationships (para. 43). In the light of the Committee’s previous concluding observations (para. 37 (b)), please provide information on the measures taken to combat sexual harassment in the workplace, including in the military, through the enforcement of the Prevention of Sexual Harassment Law, and supply data on complaints received and action taken to respond to them.

Health

21.In the light of the Committee’s previous concluding observations (para. 38), please provide information on measures taken to address the negative impact of the restrictions on movement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories on the health of women and girls, including older women and women with disabilities, in particular in terms of access to health-care services such as hospitals, clinics, urgent care and specialized treatment that is not available in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Specifically, please provide information on measures taken to ensure that checkpoints do not have a negative impact on access to health-care services by Palestinian women, including pregnant women, in particular to specialized and mental health care (para. 38). Please also provide information on measures taken to close the gaps in the infant and maternal mortality rates of Jewish, Israeli Arab and Bedouin women and children and in life expectancy (para. 39). Please further provide information on the prevalence of breast and cervical cancer and the measures taken to prevent these and other chronic non-communicable diseases that predominantly affect women and on the percentage of the health budget allocated to combat such diseases.

Rural women

22.Please provide information and statistical data on the situation of rural women, disaggregated by ethnicity and religion, and information on the existence of a strategy addressing the integration of a gender perspective into rural development, which includes targeted support for rural women to increase their access to health care, education, justice, employment, economic development initiatives and ownership of land and to promote their participation in decision-making. Please also provide information on measures taken to review and adjust the levels of social benefits in order to ensure an adequate standard of living for women and their families in rural areas. Please provide information on the situation of Bedouin women and girls in the Negev, in particular their access to ancestral lands, housing, potable water, electricity, sanitation, education, employment and health care.

Disadvantaged groups of women

23.Please provide updated information and data on the human rights situation of older women, widows, migrant women, asylum-seeking and migrant women, women with disabilities, Palestinian, Israeli Arab and Bedouin women and other groups of disadvantaged women in respect of education, employment, housing and access to health-care services, as well as their protection from sexual violence and abuse. In the light of the Committee’s previous concluding observations (para. 40), please provide information on the situation of Palestinian women in detention and their conditions of detention, including access to health care. Please state the measures in place to protect pregnant female prisoners, ensure their access to sexual and reproductive health-care services and enhance their mental health-care services. Please state the specific measures taken to facilitate family visits for Palestinian female prisoners held outside the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Marriage and family relations

24.Please provide information on any legal developments, since the consideration of the previous periodic report in 2011, to reform the marriage and divorce regime in order to allow for civil marriages and to address the discrimination experienced by women in the context of divorce in rabbinical courts, where only husbands have a right to grant a wife a divorce (the get). Please provide information on measures taken to address the exclusion of women from rabbinical courts, which operate under licence from the State. Please respond to reports that civil law marriages contracted outside the State party are still subject to the jurisdiction of religious courts. Please also provide information on measures taken to address the negative impact of the retroactive invalidation of divorce on Jewish women and on the economic situation of women and children in the aftermath of a divorce. Please provide information on the increase in rulings of joint physical custody and their impact on the welfare of women and children. What measures have been put in place to curb the practice of extorting concessions from women in return for the get and limiting the scope of the jurisdiction of rabbinical courts to matters of marriage and divorce? In the light of the Committee’s previous concluding observations (para. 49), please provide information on measures taken to prohibit bigamy and eliminate polygamy.

Additional information

25.Please provide any additional information deemed relevant regarding legislative, policy, administrative and any other measures taken to implement the provisions of the Convention and the Committee’s concluding observations since the consideration of the previous periodic report in 2011. Such measures may include recent laws, developments, plans and programmes, recent ratifications of human rights instruments or any other information that the State party considers relevant. Please note that, further to the issues raised herein, the State party is expected, during the dialogue, to respond to additional questions relating to areas covered by the Convention.