Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

Fifty- third session

1–19 October 2012

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

Equatorial Guinea

Addendum

Replies of Equatorial Guinea to the list of issues to be taken up in connection with the consideration of its sixth periodic report (CEDAW/C/GNQ/6) *

General (paragraph 1 of the list of issues)

Advances in the development of a specific system for the collection and analysis of data disaggregated by sex, besides the national census

1.The Government has made progress in this regard inasmuch as various surveys, besides the national population and housing censuses, have been conducted in 2008–2012, namely: the first demographic and health survey, the survey on the socioeconomic situation of women in Equatorial Guinea and the survey on the situation of older persons in Equatorial Guinea. The final reports, which have been very careful to include the gender variable, should be ready by the end of 2012. Within the framework of its cooperation with the agencies of the United Nations system, the Government of Equatorial Guinea has launched a project to harmonize national statistical data to ensure the availability of reliable and comparable national statistics that meet international standards.

Methodology used to assess the de facto situation of women

2.The Government of Equatorial Guinea does not have a set methodology specifically for assessing the de facto situation of women. The methods used so far consist of studies and analyses of women’s participation in different social sectors that are based on the results of surveys, opinion polls, field visits and round-table discussions.

Constitutional, legislative and institutional framework (para. 2)

Updated information on the status of the bill on equality and equity between men and women and on whether it contains a definition of discrimination against women in line with article 1 of the Convention

3.The bill in question has still not been submitted.

Updated information on the status of the bills mentioned in the report that have been submitted to public consultations

4.The bills in question are still awaiting approval by the competent bodies.

National machinery for the advancement of women (para. 3)

Additional information about the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Advancement of Women, such as its role in the design and implementation of the national policy for the advancement of women and the human and financial resources allocated thereto

5.The Ministry of Social Affairs and the Advancement of Women is the central Government agency responsible for promoting and executing the Government’s policies on social affairs and the advancement of women. With regard to the advancement of women, the Ministry is responsible for:

(a)Proposing policies, programmes, projects and action plans for the advancement of women;

(b)Fostering cooperation with national and international agencies and non-governmental organizations involved in the advancement of women;

(c)Promoting and furthering actions that promote equality between men and women and the effective participation of women in public, cultural, economic and social life;

(d)Promoting the establishment of family welfare institutions and determining the Government’s role and responsibilities regarding the same;

(e)Strengthening the awareness-raising measures intended to prevent violence against women and girls and ensure comprehensive protection against such violence;

(f)Promoting the rights of women in line with national, regional and international legal instruments;

(g)Regularly monitoring the implementation of the conventions and other international, regional and subregional instruments on the advancement of women.

6.The following human and financial resources have been allocated to these tasks:

(a)Human resources: a minister, a deputy minister, 2 presidential advisers (1 for social affairs and 1 for the advancement of women), a technical adviser, a secretary-general, a director-general for the advancement of women, a director-general for social affairs, a director-general of the minister’s cabinet, an inspector-general of services, 2 regional delegates (1 for the island region and 1 for the mainland region), 7 provincial delegates, 18 district delegates, 50 administrative staff members and 11 technical experts (1 each in politics, social work, agronomy and human relations, 2 in law and 5 in sociology);

(b)Financial resources: the Ministry is allocated approximately 1,467,154,000 CFA francs (US$ 2,934,308) a year for overheads and general expenditures and 16,944,000,000 CFA francs (US$ 33,888,000) for its investment programme.

Information on whether the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Advancement of Women is represented at all levels of the political administration and whether there is a mechanism in place to coordinate the implementation of the national policy for the advancement of women at the national and decentralized levels of the public administration

7.The Ministry of Social Affairs and the Advancement of Women is represented at all levels of the political administration. Its organizational structure is as follows: (a) the central Directorate, which is the core body, comprises executing agencies, presidential advisory bodies, ministerial advisory bodies, a general secretariat, general directorates, an inspectorate-general of services, a cabinet directorate, a legal affairs department and a technical unit; (b) outside the core, there are 2 regional branches, 7 provincial branches, 18 district branches and autonomous stewardship bodies. All the smaller basic bodies have advisory offices on social affairs and the advancement of women.

8.The national policy for the advancement of women is implemented through the National Multisectoral Action Plan for the Advancement of Women and Gender Equity (2005–2015). There is a Multisectoral Coordination and Evaluation Committee, which has its own subsidiary bodies and is responsible for ensuring that the Plan can be effectively implemented, executed, monitored and assessed.

Complaint mechanisms (para. 4)

Mechanisms and remedies available to women who have been discriminated against on the grounds of their sex and gender, including independent complaint mechanisms

9.No official mechanisms specifically for filing complaints about discrimination against women on the grounds of their sex or gender have been established.

10.In terms of unofficial mechanisms, all the district branches of the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Advancement of Women have units that provide counselling to women, legal advice and community and couples’ mediation services, and where women victims of violence and discrimination regularly go to report cases of domestic or gender-based violence.

Information on whether the Convention has been directly applied or referred to in domestic courts

11.In the units that provide counselling to women, as well as legal advice and community and couples’ mediation services, set up by the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Advancement of Women as unofficial mechanisms for helping women, the Convention is routinely cited, as appropriate in each case.

Temporary special measures (para. 5)

12.The State party has not adopted any temporary or special measures to increase the participation of women in political decision-making positions and positions in the judiciary and civil service. Women are, however, gradually occupying far more of these positions. Moreover, the State party is currently taking action to increase women’s participation. Two new paragraphs (Nos. 2 and 3) have been incorporated into article 13 of the recently amended Constitution, which read as follows:

Article13-2: In keeping with the principle of equality of women before the law, the public authorities will introduce legal changes and mechanisms to promote the adequate representation and participation of women in public posts and in the performance of other functions in all State institutions.

Article 13-3: The conditions under which these rights and freedoms are exercised shall be defined by law.

Stereotypes and harmful practices (para. 6)

Detailed information on the method of assessment used by the State party to measure progress in the elimination of harmful practices

13.The State party has used the following methods to assess the impact of the awareness-raising activities undertaken to eliminate harmful practices and to measure the progress made: surveys, opinion polls and the analysis of sectoral statistics and sectoral reports.

Information on whether the State party envisages the design and implementation of a comprehensive education programme and awareness-raising and information strategies, including through the media, to overcome negative gender-stereotyped roles of women in the family and in society

14.A weekly radio show called “Culture in the Home” addresses topics such as relationships within the home and the role, functions and importance of women in the family, the home and society. The Ministry of Social Affairs and the Advancement of Women is planning to design a programme to educate people and raise awareness of gender issues in general to overcome negative gender-based stereotypes about the role of women in the family and in society.

Violence against women (paras. 7 and 8)

Updated information on the status of the comprehensive bill on the elimination of violence against women, which, according to the report, has been presented to parliament

15.The bill is still awaiting approval by the competent authorities.

Detailed information on the content of the bill, including the definition of violence against women, the different types of violence contained therein and the sanctions, as well as remedies and reparations envisaged for the victims and information on whether the provisions of the bill are in line with the Convention and the Committee’s general recommendation No. 19 (1992) on violence against women

16.The bill is based on articles 13-C and 15 of the Constitution, which read as follows:

Article 13-C. On the equality of women before the law. All women, regardless of their civil status, shall have the same civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights and opportunities as men in all aspects of public, private and family life.

…

Article 15. Any duly attested act of bias or discrimination on tribal, ethnic, gender, religious, social, political, immoral or analogous grounds is penalized and punishable by law.

17.As a Member State of the United Nations, Equatorial Guinea is concerned about the level of violence against women and recognizes that such violence is an obstacle to equality, development and peace and violates and infringes on human rights and fundamental freedoms. Violence against women is a manifestation of the historically unequal power relations between men and women that have been determined by the sociocultural factors that shape the masculine and the feminine gender and place women in a subordinate position to men. The imbalance in those relations manifests itself in three key areas of personal relations, as ill-treatment within the couple, sexual aggression in social life and harassment in the workplace.

18.The National Policy for the Advancement of Women was approved by Decree No. 79/2002 of 27 May 2002, implemented by the National Multisectoral Action Plan for the Advancement of Women and Gender Equity (2005–2015), approved in 2004, strengthened by the recommendations of the National Conference on the Situation of Women and Girls held in Bata in 2005, and highlighted in the strategies of the National Plan for Economic and Social Development, “Horizon 2020”, approved at the Second National Economic Conference, held in Bata in November 2007. The Republic of Equatorial Guinea, having decided to completely rebuild the nation and restore the rule of law, has been implementing a series of legal instruments to respond to the changing national situation. The comprehensive bill on the elimination of gender-based violence is part of that process.

19.The main elements of the bill are as follows:

(a)Gender-based violence is considered in Equatorial Guinea to be one of the most brutal signs or manifestations of inequality between men and women. It is violence perpetrated against women merely for being women, because their aggressors do not believe that women have fundamental rights, such as the rights to life, freedom and respect and the right to make one’s own decisions;

(b)In the bill, violence against women is defined as any conduct, act or omission aimed at women that is based on an unequal balance of power and directly or indirectly, in public or private, affects their life, liberty or dignity, their physical, psychological or sexual integrity, their financial situation, their wealth or their personal safety;

(c)Indirect violence is defined as any discriminatory conduct, act, omission, provision, norm or practice that places women at a disadvantage in relation to men;

(d)Types of violence against women: physical, psychological, sexual, economic, wealth-related and symbolic;

(e)The sanctions and penalties, including the amounts of the fines that may be imposed by the courts, for violence against women are set forth in the Criminal Code and vary according to whether the harm caused is classified as mild, severe or very severe;

(f)The bill contains specific provisions to ensure that proceedings are free of charge and expeditious, and common rules and preventive measures that are to be applied during and after trials of cases of violence against women;

(g)These provisions are in line with the Convention and the Committee’s general recommendation No. 19 (1992) on violence against women and with article 8 of the Constitution of Equatorial Guinea.

Detailed information on the results of the national study on domestic violence and the types of actions that are being considered to address the findings of the study

20.The study in question was started and completed in the island region of the country but could not be carried out in the mainland region. It was therefore subsumed by the health and population survey that the Government has just conducted. The final results of that survey should be available at the end of 2012.

The connection between this study and the Multisectoral Programme to Combat Gender-Based Violence

21.The findings of the part of the study that was completed were used as input for the design of the Multisectoral Programme to Combat Gender-Based Violence.

Information on the impact of the Multisectoral Programme in the fight against sex- and gender-based violence

22.The Multisectoral Programme has yet to be implemented.

Trafficking and exploitation of prostitution (paras. 9 and 10)

Information on whether the State party is envisaging enacting specific legislation to prevent and punish the exploitation of prostitution

23.The State party considers prostitution to be a social problem. It therefore passed Act No. 1/2004 of 14 September 2004 on human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants, which combats prostitution as a form of sexual exploitation. The problem is thus not specifically addressed. However, the Government is studying the possibility of conducting a study specifically on prostitution with a view to obtaining input for the drafting of specific legislation on the matter.

24.There is still no specific legislation on prostitution, and no specific studies have been carried out to identify the main areas, causes or features of prostitution in Equatorial Guinea or to determine the scale of the problem.

Information on measures taken to enhance the capacity of the relevant staff dealing with the issue and to raise awareness among the public in general to address and prevent the exploitation of prostitution

25.National officials are being trained, within the framework of Act No. 1/2004 of 14 September 2004 on human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants, to raise awareness, detect cases, prosecute perpetrators and rehabilitate victims.

Measures taken to discourage the demand for prostitution, including sexual tourism, and exit and rehabilitation programmes offered to women and girls who wish to leave prostitution

26.The rights of women and girls under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international women’s rights instruments are constantly publicized at conferences, talks and seminars that address the issue of prostitution, its causes and its harmful effects, as well as the preventive measures that can be taken to reduce the practice of, and the demand for, prostitution.

Detailed information on the extent of the phenomenon of trafficking in women and girls, its roots and consequences and measures to suppress, prevent and punish trafficking in women and girls

27.No study has been performed as yet to determine the scale, causes and consequences of trafficking in women and girls. As to measures to suppress and/or prevent human trafficking, the Government passed Act No. 1/2004 of 14 September 2004 on human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants and, within that framework, training is being given to the officials directly engaged in the fight against human trafficking. In this regard, the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Advancement of Women, with technical assistance from the International Organization for Migration and support from the Embassy of the United States of America, has organized two training courses on human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants for senior officials working in the areas of public administration, national security and border security.

28.The Ministry of the Interior has also recently organized a seminar to bring the contents of Act No. 1/2004 to the attention of local government officials.

Nationality (para. 11)

29.The new Nationality Act (Act No. 3/2011 of 14 July 2011) allows spouses (in this case the wife) to choose freely whether to take the nationality of Equatorial Guinea or not. Article 6 of the Act states: “Spouses of nationals of Equatorial Guinea may exercise this option after 10 years of marriage and cohabitation in the Republic of Equatorial Guinea”. It should be borne in mind, however, that article 23 of the same Act states: “The Government of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea does not recognize dual nationality unless agreements have been reached on the matter with other States.”

Participation in political life (para. 12)

Possible reasons for the disparity between the changes in the number of women judges and the changes in the number of women holding seats in parliament in 2007–2009 and information on measures taken to promote women’s political participation, including quotas or other temporary special measures

30.The appointment of judges depends on two factors: the legal training of the candidates and the availability of posts. Election to parliament, however, depends on the popular vote. Members of parliament are elected by universal suffrage. No reason can be put forward for the decline in the number of women parliamentarians since the election laws do not discriminate on the basis of gender.

31.The measures taken by the State party to increase the participation of women in political life essentially consist of the recent amendments to the Constitution, namely the aforementioned insertion of two new paragraphs (Nos. 2 and 3) in article 13 of the Constitution (see paragraph 12 above).

Information on measures to promote women’s participation in decision-making positions in other fields of the public sector

32.No special or even temporary measures have been taken yet. The proportion of decision-making positions held by women has been gradually increasing in both the public and private sectors, however, without the help of special measures. Nevertheless, the State party has taken action to increase women’s participation even further: two new paragraphs (Nos. 2 and 3) on the matter have been incorporated into article 13 of the Constitution as part of the recent constitutional reform process (see paragraph 12 above).

Education (paras. 13 and 14)

Detailed information on the national literacy programme for women and girls in place since 2008, including on the results achieved so far

33.The goal of the national programme for the education of adult, young and adolescent women is to eradicate female illiteracy in Equatorial Guinea. The programme is part of the Government’s social policy of educating, training and improving the literacy of adult, young and adolescent women who have dropped out of school, as well as young people outside the formal education system and illiterate women, which enables them to join an informal adult education scheme so that, through literacy training, education and vocational training in income-generating activities, they can effectively and productively participate in the country’s socioeconomic development.

34.The programme has started and is now in the preparation stage. The results so far are:

(a)Launch of the programme through a nationwide campaign;

(b)Identification of learning needs, equipping of classrooms and preliminary selection of staff;

(c)Design and validation of the study of literacy, education and training needs;

(d)Designation of the 177 classrooms to be used in the first stage;

(e)Identification of literacy, education and training needs, preliminary selection of educational establishments and teaching staff (municipal outreach staff and literacy teachers);

(f)Acquisition of some of the material needed for the first stage of the programme (typewriters, solar panels, computers, consumer items, etc.);

(g)Training of the municipal outreach staff and district coordinators;

(h)Design and validation of the national literacy and education curriculum and the learning modules for adults, young persons and adolescents;

(i)Printing of the first edition of the national literacy and education curriculum and the learning modules for adults, young persons and adolescents.

Detailed information on the measures in place that, according to the report, have contributed to the decrease in the school dropout rate for girls

35.Measures taken to reduce the school dropout rate include:

(a)Mobilization of more resources for girls’ education;

(b)Assumption of control of the preschool education initiative, its systematization and its expansion to other parts of the country, in view of the importance attached to it by families;

(c)Opening of two education centres in Malabo and Bata, for post-school-age students. These are particularly helpful for girls who have interrupted their studies because of pregnancy;

(d)Construction of new integrated training centres in the larger towns (Malabo, Bata and Mongomo);

(e)Construction of education centres in municipalities and remote communities;

(f)Constant raising of awareness, particularly among parents, of the importance of schooling for girls;

(g)Significant reduction in the number of early marriages;

(h)Changes in the discriminatory attitudes of parents towards girls’ schooling.

Updated data on the literacy and school dropout rates, disaggregated by sex and by urban and rural areas

36.Data on these indicators have not been updated since 2001. In 2001, the literacy rate was 90.8 per cent for men and 86.7 per cent for women; in other words 23.3 per cent of women and 9.2 per cent of men were illiterate. The school dropout rate for girls was 22.2 per cent in 2001, compared with 16.6 per cent in 2008.

Additional plans, programmes and strategies that are envisaged to ensure that girls and women have the same rights as men in the field of education, in particular with respect to access to technical and higher education

37.There are currently no additional programmes or strategies of this kind.

Employment (para. 15)

Data on the participation of women in public- and private-sector employment

38.Of the 9,788 civil servants in the country, 40.4 per cent are women and 59.6 per cent are men (source: Ministry of the Civil Service). No data are available on the proportion of female employees in the private sector.

Information on the situation of women working in the informal sector, particularly on the types of legal, social, and other services and protection available to women

39.This information cannot be provided because no studies have been made of these matters as yet.

Measures taken, including temporary special measures, to ensure the participation of women in the emerging sectors of the economy and also to eliminate discriminatory practices against women in the field of employment, such as inflexible working conditions and pay differentials

40.No temporary special measures have been taken to ensure the participation of women in the emerging sectors of the economy. Talk of inflexible working conditions and gender-based pay differentials is not relevant in Equatorial Guinea since neither the Labour Act nor the Civil Service Act discriminate against women; on the contrary, they protect women and confer special rights upon them.

41.The measures that have been taken include raising awareness among the population of women’s skills and potential, training and sensitizing women themselves, granting loans to women’s groups and female entrepreneurs and amending the Labour Act, which regulates employer-employee relations without distinction between the sexes.

Information on the complaint mechanisms available to women whose rights have been violated or who have been victims of sexual harassment in the workplace

42.There is no complaint mechanism specifically for women in such situations. Men and women whose rights have been violated in the workplace have access to the same mechanisms for filing complaints; in other words, they can report violations to the appropriate authorities.

Health (paras. 16 and 17)

Information on measures in place to improve women’s awareness of and access to health-care facilities, clinics and maternity care services, including prenatal and postnatal care and family planning information

43.Measures include:

(a)Publication of information and advertising leaflets;

(b)Radio and television programmes (“Health for All”);

(c)Implementation of information, education and communication activities that address population issues (the IEC/Population project), focusing in particular on women’s and children’s health issues;

(d)Organization of awareness-raising activities in education centres and maternity clinics to provide information on reproductive health services, family planning, sexually transmitted diseases and other aspects of women’s sexual health.

Information on the proportion of maternal deaths that are due to illegal and unsafe abortions

44.No statistical data are available on this subject.

Information on the results of the activities of the Social Development Fund to decrease the maternal mortality rate in the State party

45.Medical staff (doctors and nurses) have been trained to take over and continue the obstetric fistula treatment programme introduced by the Government with the technical and financial support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

46.The primary health-care programme has been restarted, with the training of 500 primary health-care workers, 300 of whom have been hired and receive a monthly salary; the distribution of a large volume of essential medicines to all district hospitals and health centres across the country; the implementation of a plan to train traditional midwives nationwide; the completion of the first stage of that training by 85 midwives on the mainland; and the refurbishment of over 60 per cent of the health clinics that had been closed. Efforts to raise awareness in rural areas so that people use the services of health centres and clinics have been successful.

47.The first population and social survey of Equatorial Guinea, which will provide a clearer picture of women’s health and the current maternal mortality rate, is another activity organized by the Social Development Fund.

Information on measures in place aimed at lowering the high rate of teenage pregnancies and at preventing sexually transmitted diseases, including the incorporation of education on reproductive and sexual health and rights in school curricula and de facto access to all family planning services and devices, such as contraceptives

48.Measures have included:

(a)More awareness-raising activities, in the form of radio and television programmes, talks, theatre performances, lectures and round-table discussions at special events; the publication and distribution of leaflets to provide information and raise awareness; and the distribution of contraceptives to the sexually active population at seminars, medical consultations, public events, awareness-raising events, etc.;

(b)The establishment and opening of family planning services in all the country’s hospitals;

(c)The incorporation of the subject of human rights in school syllabuses through the inclusion of content on education for peace, population, HIV/AIDS and gender in the curricula and textbooks used in the sixth grade of primary school and in lower-secondary school;

(d)Training of over 500 students in 2006–2007 as peer HIV/AIDS educators (ongoing);

(e)Implementation of the national reproductive health programme and the national programme to combat HIV/AIDS, which also addresses other sexually transmitted diseases.

Information about programmes in place to prevent and treat sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS

49. The Government and its partners are engaged in a major effort to combat sexually transmitted diseases in general, and HIV/AIDS in particular, in accordance with the following legal provisions: articles 5, 13 and 22 of the Constitution; the Family Planning Act (No. 3/1996 of 2 February 1996); the Act on Preventing and Combating HIV/AIDS (Act No. 3/2005 of 9 May 2005); and Decree No. 107/2006, of 20 November 2006, under which urgent actions to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS in Equatorial Guinea were introduced. Activities include:

(a)The implementation of the national programme to combat HIV/AIDS, the multisectoral programme to combat HIV/AIDS, the national reproductive health programme and the programme to prevent the mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS;

(b)The execution of the 2009–2010 emergency plan to combat HIV/AIDS;

(c)The introduction of free access to antiretroviral treatments for HIV/AIDS patients;

(d)The distribution of free contraceptives among the sexually active population;

(e) The ongoing organization of information and awareness-raising activities on the prevention of HIV/AIDS, malaria, diarrhoea and related illnesses, in communities and on radio and television;

(f)Seminars for students and teachers in education centres on how to avoid HIV/AIDS.

Rural women (para. 18)

Detailed information on specific measures to address discrimination against rural women in their access to education, health and employment, as well as on the results of the second phase of the rural women’s self-employment project

50.A number of measures have been adopted to integrate rural women. These are described below.

51.The most significant measure as regards education is the implementation of the National Programme for the Education of Adult, Young and Adolescent Women.

52.As regards employment, the second phase of the rural women’s self-employment project has already begun, and the rural development project to support the initiatives of women and men in rural areas has been implemented.

53.The following activities/actions have been carried out in the second phase of the rural women’s self-employment project:

(a)A general census of the groups of women farmers operating in every municipality in the country (345 groups identified);

(b)Identification of the real needs and problems of the surveyed groups;

(c)Reorganization of the project into a pilot project involving 24 of the groups;

(d)Training in internal organization (drafting of by-laws, selection of leaders) for the members of the pilot groups;

(e)Assistance with the certification of the records of the 24 pilot groups selected;

(f)Training for representatives of the pilot groups and the delegates of the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Advancement of Women (the district coordinators of the project) in modern farm production and marketing techniques; the management, organization and running of the group; and the monitoring and evaluation of the project;

(g)Contracting agricultural experts to help the groups of women farmers.

Information on strategies in place to guarantee rural women’s access to justice

54.There are no special strategies for rural women.

Marriage and family relations (paras. 19 and 20)

Updated and detailed information on the draft family code and on the bill on customary marriage

55.These bills are still awaiting approval by the competent bodies.

How the provisions of these bills reconcile the existing dual legal system of civil and customary law in the State party and with the Convention

56.The provisions of the two bills (the draft personal and family code and the customary marriage bill) are based on the principle of equality between men and women in family relationships. The bills are reconcilable with the existing system in most respects, especially as regards marital relations.

57.An examination of the content of both bills shows that they cover the following key matters:

(a)The definition of marriage;

(b)The minimum age for marriage;

(c)The consent of the spouses;

(d)The requirements and formalities for entering into marriage;

(e)The legal effects of marriage;

(f)The rights and duties of spouses;

(g)The personal rights of spouses;

(h)The dissolution of marriage, the grounds for it and its effects;

(i)Parental authority.

58.In all these matters, men have a large advantage over women, and the bills attempt to address this.

59.The bills are also reconcilable with the Convention inasmuch as they fulfil a very high percentage of the requirements of the Convention.

60.As to whether these provisions eliminate discrimination against women in marriage, the answer is “yes” as far as family relations are concerned since the provisions are in line with the Convention.

Information on whether and how the content of these bills eliminates discrimination against women in the field of marriage and family relations in line with the provisions of the Convention

61.Yes, the bills will have an impact. Under the draft personal and family code, the two spouses will have to agree before they marry on the location of the family home; the matrimonial property regime will be based on separate ownership of assets, but each spouse will be obliged to contribute to the upkeep of the home according to the financial situation of each; and a marriage will be automatically dissolved upon the death of one of the spouses, which will end the traditional practice of the Fang ethnic group that obliges widows to marry a relative of their deceased husband.

Information on the public consultations held during the discussions on these bills

62.The Ministry of Social Affairs and the Advancement of Women has not received any information on the consultations held by the competent authorities on these bills.

Detailed information on specific measures taken to prohibit and discourage polygamy in practice and to ensure women’s equal rights with men on issues related to inheritance and child custody

63.No special measures in this connection have been put in place.