Please note, that the statistics have been drawn from POLSAS on 1 October 2014. The statistics are dynamic and they can as such change over time.

It is not possible to calculate the number of women killed by their intimate partner through POLSAS, since this information is not stored electronically.

Re. restraining orders, barring orders and eviction: In 2012 new legislation was adopted by the Danish Parliament whereby the existing provisions on restraining orders and expulsions were amended and unified in a single Act (Act No. 112 of 3 February 2012 on protection orders, exclusion orders and expulsion). The overall purpose of the Act was to strengthen the protection of persons against persecution, harassment and violation of privacy, including stalking. The new piece of legislation entered into force in March 2012.

As mentioned in the response to question 2 above, the Director of Public Prosecutions has issued instructive guidelines to the police and prosecution service concerning the investigation and prosecution in cases regarding domestic violence and stalking, including the handling of cases on protection orders, exclusion orders and expulsions.

Furthermore, the Director of Public Prosecutions has carried out training seminars in all police districts on matters such as protection orders and stalking.

Re. law on violence against women: It is a basic principle in Denmark that the criminal law provisions are drafted in a gender neutral manner whenever possible. Thus, the provisions in the Danish Criminal Code concerning violence apply irrespectively of the gender of the victim. Denmark does not intend to change this position by adopting specific provisions regarding violence against women.

8. a) Any victim of domestic violence has access to immediate means of redress and protection, including protection orders.

According to the Danish Act on protection orders, exclusion orders and expulsion a victim of violence can be granted a protection order if there are reasonable grounds to suspect the offender of a violent crime. Furthermore, the Act provides the police with authority to expel a domestic violence offender from the residence if there are grounds to assume that the offender will continue the violent behaviour if he (or she) is not expelled.

In cases dealing with crimes against a person in an intimate relationship, the police can decide, after a specific (threat) assessment of the individual case, to offer special protective measures to the victim, including for instance supplying the victim with a personal attack alarm. A personal attack alarm is a mobile phone equipped with a GPS device which can establish immediate contact to an operation control centre and which can be forwarded with personal specifications to the relevant police district. It can also establish direct contact to the emergency control centre.

The National Police is currently working on the implementation of a risk assessment tool which is expected to improve the possibilities of the police to assess the threat level for e.g. victims of assault at an early stage and thereby to assess the need of initiating remedial measures for the victim.

Finally, it should be noted that the police at the time of the complaint — or immediately after — must inform the victim on the rules regarding appointment of legal assistance and the right to claim adjudicated compensation during the criminal case. Furthermore, the police must inform the victim of the possibility of a Victim Support volunteer and of having an appointed contact person within the police.

Re. safe shelters: Denmark has 45 shelters for battered women and their children. It is estimated that approximately 2,000 women and a similar number of children take residence in safe shelters every year. The 45 shelters include shelters which are specifically designed for women with physical disabilities. If a woman with a physical disability is in need of a stay at a safe shelter she will be referred to one of these shelters.

As part of a general focus on violence in intimate relations different projects have been initiated by public finances. It has just been politically decided to strengthen the advice to women who take residence in a shelter for battered women and children. Furthermore, it has been decided to strengthen the advice and treatment for victims of intimate violence and violent partners with the purpose of minimizing the consequences of the violence and reducing violence in intimate relations in the future.

In addition there are a number of hotlines for individuals who have been exposed to violence in close relations:

•Hotline for battered women.

•Hotline for individuals experiencing violence in intimate relations.

It is important to emphasize that the majority of the support and assistance to victims of domestic violence are not coming from the national action plans, but are given within the existing services such as health care, social services and police.

Re. legal aid: According to the Danish Administration of Justice Act, everyone has the right to free basic oral advice concerning any type of legal question. Free oral advice is offered by lawyers’ pro bono services and legal aid institutions.

Furthermore, the Minister of Justice subsidies free legal assistance beyond basic oral advice and legal assistance in connection with out-of-court settlements for applicants who meet certain economic criteria.

It is also possible to apply for free legal aid in connection with civil court cases. Applicants for this kind of legal aid must meet certain economic criteria, and it is — as a general rule — a condition that the applicant has a reasonable cause for bringing the case before the court. The reasonable cause can amongst others relate to the significance of the case for the applicant. It is generally considered that in cases concerning personal injury, the applicant has such a reasonable cause for bringing the case before court. However, in certain types of cases, e.g. family law cases, where the economic criteria are met, it is not required that the applicant has a reasonable cause for bringing the case before the court.

Re. The main responsibility for services in the field lies with the local authorities. But as parts of a general strong focus on prevention of violence in the family and in intimate relations various projects have been financed by the state. Amongst others, a project offering a maximum of four free sessions with a psychologist to women who take residence in a safe shelter for battered women was established in 2012. The purpose of these sessions is to help women process the violent treatment they have been victims of and to help them protect themselves from violent partners in the future. The project is currently being evaluated.

9.To ensure that no foreigner feels forced to stay with a violent spouse out of fear of losing her (his) residence permit, the Danish Parliament in January 2013 passed an amendment to the Aliens’ Act on the rules of revocation of residence permits issued on the basis of spousal reunification in cases where the foreigner concerned or the foreigner’s child has been exposed to abuse etc. by the spouse.

The amendment entails that the length of the foreigner’s residence in Denmark can no longer be taken into consideration if the abuse has caused the cessation of cohabitation and the invoked abuse has been substantiated, when deciding whether a foreigner can retain his or her residence permit. The foreigner must, however, have shown a will to be integrated into the Danish society e.g. through studies, work etc.

The amendment entered into force in May 2013.

10.Greenland (this answer covers all 3 issues under issue 10): The Government Strategy and Plan of Action against Violence, 2014-2017, integrates in several ways gender equality and perspectives on gender. The Action Plan includes 31 measures that are to be implemented during the Plans 2014-2017 period. Measure 14 focuses specifically on violence and violence against women. A new Gender Equality Act came into force in 2013. The Act emphasizes gender-related violence as a central and permanent issue for the Greenland Council on Gender Equality. The Act also explicitly prohibits gender-based harassment and sexual harassment.

The Government Strategy and Plan of Action against Violence 2014-2017 also includes a development and expansion plan for shelters for battered women in Greenland, designed to help women, who are victims of domestic violence and their children. In 2014, the nationwide shelter “Illernit” opened, providing battered women and their children the opportunity of getting far away from the violent perpetrator and to receive housing, treatment and family counselling for up to a year. In addition, a three-year project has been launched which aims at upgrading the qualifications of staff at the shelters and strengthening cooperation. The project is a joint collaboration between the Government of Greenland and the Mary Foundation.

Three campaigns were launched in 2014 directed towards youth and professionals. In connection with the campaigns, text books on the subject of violence against women were sent to various professional groups, including social workers, health care workers, teachers and social educators. Furthermore, a documentary has been produced on gender-based violence in Greenland. Other measures also deal significantly with gender and equality issues. The rationale behind this thinking is that it is mainly women who are exposed to violence in intimate relations.

In 2014 approximately DKK 4 million was spent on information and campaigns against domestic violence.

DKK 1,260.000 million of the total amount was donated by various foundations. A further DKK 0,5 million was spent on courses for shelter staff and an evaluation of the seven local shelters, and DKK 2 million was spent on establishing and developing the nationwide shelter “Illernit”.

The total cost of the upgrading efforts comes to the amount of DKK 5.4 million for 2014-2016. The Government of Greenland has financed DKK 0.6 million while the rest of the funds have been donated by various foundations.

On the Government budget bill for 2015, DKK 2 million has been set aside to set up to a treatment program for perpetrators of violence.

The Ministry of Family & Legal and Justice Department holds the overall responsibility for the implementation and monitoring of the Strategy and Action Plan against Violence 2014-2017. An annual progress report is submitted to the Government which includes an evaluation of the measures taken.

The Faroe Islands:

As indicated in CEDAW/C/DEN/8 p. 77 a National Action Plan to Combat Violence in Close Relationships was adopted for the Faroes in 2011. The scope of the Action Plan extends to women and anyone else experiencing violence. It was decided that this Action Plan would not apply exclusively to women, because the total population of the Faroes (48,228 inhabitants as per Dec 31, 2013), is considered too small for an Action Plan only for women. Furthermore, it is important to tackle domestic violence comprehensively. Please refer to CEDAW/C/DEN/8 pp. 77.

Since the Action Plan was launched on May 1, 2012, there has been a great effort to disseminate information about violence — information material has been produced and a range of presentations held. The clear message is that we do not accept violence in our society.

At the beginning of 2013 a series of meetings were held throughout the Faroes entitled “Speak Out”. At these public meetings the Action Plan Coordinator explained how the Action Plan was being implemented. The meetings also featured a psychologist, police officer and legal expert explaining different aspects relating to violence. The same meetings were held again in 2014.

Measures 1-5 in the Action Plan relate to information about violence: For children, youth, the general public and migrants. Information has been disseminated among children and youth via presentations in schools and youth associations, there have also been features on children’s radio shows and a leaflet was produced and distributed to schoolchildren.

Furthermore, the Action Plan coordinator, a psychologist and a legal expert have trained two generations of university students training as social educators and primary and lower secondary school teachers. One year-group also received a copy each of a book on child sexual abuse.

In terms of general information, there have been produced car stickers and postcards. There have also been media features and adverts, a light billboard in the town centre of the capital, Tórshavn, and at a major music festival in Klaksvík, which is the second-largest city in the Faroe Islands. There have also been lectures, on request, at parents’ conferences in day-care centres.

An information leaflet for anyone moving to the Faroes has been produced, which explains rights and duties in Faroese society. The clear message in the leaflet is that in the Faroe Islands all forms of violence are banned, it also includes contact information for anyone in need of help or seeking further information. This leaflet has been very well received, and some people have reported receiving the help they needed after seeing this leaflet.

The Crisis Centre in Tórshavn (Kvinnuhúsið), which opened in 1990 and is open 24 hours a day, is the only institution in the Faroes that has gathered statistics on violence against women. No study has been carried out to ascertain whether the Speak Out campaign has made a difference. According to The Crisis Centre there are indications that the campaign has had a certain impact. Women have turned to The Crisis Centre on their own initiative, because violence has been high on the public agenda. The Centre has also received questions from relatives, friends, neighbours and workplaces of women experiencing violence. It has been found that the longer such a campaign runs, the more people speak out. What makes this campaign so significant is also that, with it, the Faroese public authorities clearly signal that violence is wrong.

The statistics compiled by The Crisis Centre show what form of violence women who turn to the Centre have experienced, as well as who perpetrated the violence. The statistics also include which area of the country the women are from, their age, how many children they have and other details.

These figures include all women contacting the Crisis Centre, not just contact with women who stay at the Centre. The Centre does not register any names, so it is not possible to tell whether the same woman has contacted the Centre several times. In most cases, women turn directly to the Centre, but in a few cases others make contact on their behalf. In 2013 The Crisis Centre was contacted 283 times regarding violence. The breakdown of these 283 contacts is as follows:

•31 regarding physical violence.

•109 regarding psychological violence.

•23 regarding threats.

•9 regarding material violence.

•9 regarding financial violence.

•10 regarding stalking.

•3 regarding sexual violence.

In some cases women report several forms of violence, in other cases there is no specific information regarding the form of violence. However, since 1990 The Crisis Centre has kept records of the forms of violence women have experienced.

EPDS Screening

After childbirth mothers are offered a home visit when the infant is 8 to 10 weeks old. The aim of this visit is to discuss the mother’s situation. This means that, in addition to examining and monitoring that the baby is thriving, the purpose is to discuss how the mother/parents are themselves. During the visit screening using the EPDS (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) is carried out, to check whether the mother is showing any signs of postnatal depression. The screening consists in a questionnaire for the mother to fill in, but the conversation is also part of the overall assessment.

An additional question has been included in the questionnaire about whether the women have experienced anything traumatic, including violence. In some cases this has brought violence to light and made it part of the conversation during the home visit, and women have sought further help, when needed.

Depending on the mother’s EDPS score, she is offered additional home visits, known as “listening visits”, and if the score is very high, she is advised to visit her own general practitioner to request a referral to the Faroese psychiatric service. Postnatal depression specialists can then offer access to further services provided by them in close cooperation with Gigni, the Faroese family healthcare services.

It is too early to draw any conclusions, but there are indications that the percentage of women who have experienced traumatic events correlates with age. On the other hand, it is very clear that women who have experienced violence have higher EPDS scores and are therefore at greater risk of postnatal depression. It has also been found that women who have experienced traumatic events find it more difficult to support themselves; they are often dependent on social benefits or unemployment benefits. The probability of a high EPDS rises when women have experienced multiple traumatic events.

Re. Restraining orders

The Faroe Islands are in a special situation in the area of criminal law. As an autonomous unit within the Kingdom of Denmark, the Faroe Islands have taken over responsibility for criminal law, whereas the police force and judiciary remain Danish competences.

This means that the Faroese Government does not have direct access to statistics from the police force or judiciary regarding violence against women. There is currently no data-sharing agreement in place. However, the Faroese Government is seeking to cooperate more closely with the police force in this and other areas.

The Faroe Islands and Denmark have very similar legislation on violence. The provisions on restraining orders are laid down in Article 265 of the Faroese Criminal Code, while Denmark now has a separate act on orders banning contact, exclusion from specific areas and expulsion from the home.

The Faroese police force does, however, consider current Faroese legislation in the area sufficient to tackle the incidents reported to the police. Victims are offered the same level of protection in criminal law in the Faroe Islands as in Denmark, because the Criminal Code is harmonised in this area.

The head of the Faroese police reports that in:

2012:Eight cases with requests for restraining orders were registered, of these, one restraining order was issued in 2013.

2013:Eight cases with requests for restraining orders were registered, of these, three restraining orders were issued.

2014: So far this year, five cases with requests for restraining orders have been registered, but no restraining orders have been issued.

As regards the possibility of assigning legal representation, the rules stipulated in the Danish and Faroese procedural codes differ. The power to appoint legal representation pursuant to Article 741a of the Danish Procedural Code is much broader than in the Faroese Procedural Code 741a. Nevertheless, according to information from the head of the Faroese police, the Faroe Court appoints legal representation to a greater extent than directly stipulated by law.

Trafficking in women and exploitation of prostitution

11.The Danish National Police cannot draw statistics specifically on initiated investigations regarding trafficking in human beings. It is, however, possible to draw statistics on the number of reports filed regarding trafficking in human beings which has led to an investigation being initiated.

2009	10
2010	13
2011	17
2012	11
2013	13
2014	6 (1 January until 30 September 2014)

Please note, that the statistics have been drawn from the Danish polices’ case file processing system (POLSAS) on 1 October 2014. The statistics are dynamic and they can as such change over time.

Based on manual counting the total number of persons convicted of trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation of women is:

2010	11
2011	5
2012	2
2013	2

From 2010 to 2013 the penalty varies from 9 months’ imprisonment to 4 years’ imprisonment.

Re. monitoring and evaluation: The third national action plan to combat trafficking in human beings (2011-2014) was evaluated by an external consultant company, “COWI”.

Overall the evaluation is very positive. The evaluation concludes that the implementation of the action plan is good. The set-up of actors and the coordination among them is working well. There is a good combination of different actors.

The efforts to combat trafficking are effective and well-coordinated. A range of specific recommendations can be found in the report, and the conclusion of the evaluation has been included into the political negotiations of the forth coming national action plan for combating trafficking in human beings (2015-2018).

The first Danish national action plan against trafficking in human beings was adopted in 2002, and since then there have been three action plans. The next national action plan will cover the years 2015-2018 and it will build on the experiences from the past years and strengthen the efforts to prevent and fight trafficking of women for the purpose of prostitution by adjusting the measures to match the needs of the different target groups within the field of trafficking in human beings.

From 2013, 1 mill DKK have been allocated to a strengthened confidence building effort and another 1.7 mill DKK to improved preparation and reintegration when trafficked persons are sent back to their country of origin.

In addition, an online campaign titled “Stop Trafficking in Human Beings” will inform about trafficking and thereby seek to prevent trafficking. The campaign will also tour “offline” in 8 of the biggest cities in Denmark from May 2014-January 2015. The campaign pays special attention to victims of trafficking to prostitution.

12. a)It follows from Section 9 c (5) of the Danish Aliens Act that a residence permit may be issued to an alien whose presence in Denmark is required for the purpose of investigation or prosecution. The residence permit cannot be renewed for a period longer than the investigation or prosecution period.

In other respects, however, it is not possible to grant a residence permit solely on grounds of a person being considered a victim of trafficking.

The fact that a person has been exposed to trafficking may be of relevance when considering whether an alien qualifies for asylum or subsidiary protection.

b)Victims of trafficking who are staying illegally in Denmark are given specific protection and assistance pursuant to the Danish Aliens Act. According to Section 33 (14) of said Act victims of trafficking are given a recovery and reflection period of at least 30 days. During the reflection period victims of trafficking are offered extended medical and psychological assistance, economic support and relevant social arrangements in addition to the offers available to all asylum-seekers and illegal migrants. The reflection period may be prolonged up to a total of 120 days if special reasons make it appropriate or if the victims accept the offer of a “prepared return” to their country of origin and cooperate in the efforts of planning this.

The prepared return is in practice an individually planned repatriation and reintegration program, which involves activities in Denmark, e.g. education or vocational training, and 6 months upon return, e.g. reception, housing, help regarding small business start-up. The offer aims at providing victims, who must return to their country of origin, with a new start in order to minimize the risk of retrafficking.

13.The guidelines allowing withdrawal of charges for victims of trafficking when violations relate to their status of victims of trafficking have been published by the Director of Public Prosecutions in May 2012, and therefore they are considered to be a part of the Danish regulation. Accordingly, the Danish police and prosecution service adhere to the guidelines. However, it is a prerequisite for withdrawal of charges in such cases that the person in question is identified as a victim of trafficking. Thus, the Director of Public Prosecutions at meetings where representatives of all police districts and the regional prosecutors’ offices were present has stressed the importance of focus on identification of potential victims during criminal proceedings.

Danish law enforcement officers are trained at the Danish Police Academy in identification of victims of trafficking. Training is provided by experts in trafficking from the Danish National Police and the Danish Centre against Human Trafficking. Furthermore, key persons from the local police districts in Denmark participate in information meetings on relevant topics regarding trafficking in human beings including victim identification. The meetings are held twice a year and are organized and headed by the Danish National Police.

14.Prostitution is mentioned in the Danish Criminal Code section 262 a on human trafficking. In the travaux préparatoires to the provision prostitution is defined as sexual relations with a customer against payment or promise of payment.

In 2013 the chapter on sex crimes in the Danish Criminal Code was amended by act no. 633 of 12 June 2013. In connection with the amendment it was considered whether paying for sex should be criminalized.

It was decided not to criminalize paying for sex, principally because criminalizing paying for sex was not expected to significantly decrease the extent of prostitution or human trafficking but was expected to have negative consequences for prostitutes.

In Denmark, prostitution is considered a serious social problem. The government has established different projects to help prostitutes leave prostitution or to improve their lives as prostitutes. The government seeks to initiate an enhanced effort against prostitution. This calls for a broad social prioritization and more specific initiatives, which will give people in prostitution a real possibility to choose another way of living.

15. Greenland:

The Government of Greenland does not have any plans on preparing a study on trafficking and prostitution. Greenland’s isolated location and small population renders it almost impossible for anyone attempting to set up trafficking and prostitution without alerting the authorities.

That, combined with the fact that no cases of human trafficking and prostitution have been reported to the Police Commissioner of Greenland, permits the Government of Greenland to consider trafficking and prostitution un-necessary issues to deal with in Greenland. The Government wishes to prioritize its efforts on other types of violence and abuse.

The Faroe Islands:

Given the small size of the population (around 48,000 residents) and community, it is believed that it would be difficult to engage in the trafficking of human beings and prostitution without alerting the authorities. The Faroese Police has no indication that human trafficking is taking place on the Faroe Islands. As regards prostitution, two individual cases have been raised, but they were not found to be cases of organised prostitution. Neither is it the Police’s impression that there are any brothels in the country.

The Crisis Centre shares the Police’s views. The Centre also states that, if there is any trafficking and/or prostitution, it is very well hidden and not organised.

On request, the Inter municipality Agency for Child Protection has reported that there is no reason to believe that any organised trafficking or prostitution is taking place in the Faroe Islands. On the basis of all this information, the Faroese authorities do not at the moment envisage carrying out any study on the prevalence of trafficking of women and girls or prostitution.

Participation in political and public life

16.Since the 8th periodic report was drafted in June 2013, local and regional government elections have been held in 2013. Furthermore, European Parliament elections have been held in 2014.

At the local government elections in 2013, the proportion of women in the municipality councils decreased slightly to 29.7% (from 31.8% in 2009). Despite this development, the number of female mayors remained at 12 out of 98. In the regional councils, the proportion of women increased more significantly to 39.5% (from 35.1% in 2009) and increased proportionally more than the number of female candidates (28.8% in 2013 and 28.4% in 2009).

At the elections for the European Parliament, 5 (38.5%) of the 13 elected Danes were women (a decrease from 46.2% in 2009) The seemingly significant decrease must however be seen against the fact that the number of mandates is rather limited (13), so the actual decrease was of one less elected female candidate compared to the election in 2009.

In Denmark, women have the same rights and opportunities as men to stand for elections and to join politics. Furthermore, the organization of the political system i.e. who is appointed as candidates for the different elections, lies with the political parties themselves, and they carry the major part of the responsibility for appointing candidates that are representative of the electorate not only in matters of gender, but also regarding age, occupational, educational, ethnic and other delimitations.

The Ministry must also point out that gender equality is a matter of great public interest and awareness also during and after elections. The Ministry publishes statistics after every election that show inter alia the gender distribution among the candidates standing for elections, pinpointing the parties that have the largest and the lowest number of female candidates, and the elected candidates, and the matter also receives media coverage at every election.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Interior is therefore of the opinion that the minor setback in the proportion of female candidates elected for the local government councils in 2013 and the European Parliament election in 2014 (by only 1 candidate) is a mere coincidence and cannot be seen as a general trend towards less equal gender representation in the political organs in Denmark, keeping in mind that others increased, and none decreased significantly. The Ministry will however continue to monitor the development in this field closely.

Greenland:

The Act concerning elections to the Greenland Parliament and Order of the Parliament do not contain any regulation which actively promotes gender equality. Greenland Government Act no. 1 of 31 May 2001 on financial contributions to political work does not either contains any legislation which actively promotes gender equality.

There are no plans to change the aforementioned legislation with regards to promoting gender equality. However, it is noted and debated when equal gender participation in elected assemblies is lacking.

Special measures, regarding the participation of women on boards, committees etc., were adopted, and in 2013 a quota on genders was implemented with the aim of ensuring equal representation by both genders in decision-making bodies.

The Faroe Islands:

The Faroese Government does not plan to implement quotas or other temporary special measures to increase women’s participation in politics. There are no plans to amend the electoral law with any exceptions or special provisions to guarantee any specific gender representation. The electoral law is gender-blind and all candidates running are equal, meaning that only the number of personal votes determines who is elected from each list.

The organisation Demokratia receives an annual public appropriation of DKK 186,000. Demokratia’s sole purpose is to increase the number of women in the Faroese Parliament and municipal councils. Demokratia is continuously campaigning to raise public awareness of the importance of both genders being represented on bodies taking political decisions.

In addition, it is the policy of several political parties to draw up parliamentary election lists with equal representation of women and men, ensuring that the same number of women and men are given the opportunity to run. Some municipalities also have so-called women’s lists.

Education

17.Equality, regardless of for example gender or ethnic origin, is the overall precondition in the educational sector. All educational opportunities are open to all citizens. Women are doing better than men in the Danish education system.

90,8 per cent of women, who graduated from the Danish primary school in 2012, are expected to achieve vocational qualifications. For men 87,6 per cent are expected to do the same. Regardless of ethnic background women do better than men in achieving vocational qualifications. In Denmark, women and men have equal access to vocational education and training (VET) which is targeted at the individual pupil to ensure high completion rates, regardless of gender. Vocational training reflects the labour market, thus some VET courses attract more pupils of one gender than of the other. However, no pupil is prevented from choosing a specific education due to gender. The sex ratio is almost equal in VET.

Upper secondary education: The four different programs in upper secondary education, STX, HF, HHX and HTX, have quite different male-female graduate ratios but the overall male-female graduate ratio of the programs was 46-54 in 2013.

It is generally thought to be an advantage that the programs have differing perspectives with regard to content, in so far that upper secondary education as a whole in this way will have a wider appeal to the youth population. Therefore, for instance, the high male-female graduate ratio of HTX, which has a technical perspective, is not considered to be a problem that calls for central political intervention.

However, it will still be an appropriate attention point for the specific upper secondary school to work for creating local school environments that aim at a more equal distribution of the sexes. A good example of this could be a project called <XX-it> that in 2012-13, with focus on information technology, set itself the goal to improve the male-female ratio of HTX by further developing a learning environment and a teaching that girls can better identify with. The project organization was based on 5 HTX departments on 4 technical colleges with associated youth guidance centres and local businesses and a reference group (with representation of e.g. the Ministry of Education).

As mentioned in the State party’s previous report, the majority of entrants to higher education programs in Denmark are women. The latest statistical data from 2014 show a decreasing yet slight imbalance in favour of women starting on a higher education program.

It was also mentioned in the previous report that some higher education programs have a gender imbalance. Women are overrepresented at welfare education programs, such as nursing, kindergarten and educator programs. Men are overrepresented in the technical programs. The statistical data over a seven-year period from 2005-2012 nevertheless show that the imbalance in the above mentioned programs is undergoing a change for the better. This is very noticeably in relation to the Teacher Training program.

And many efforts have been made to break down the gender segregated education system. Within all sectors you find both women and men, but men dominate in engineering and science while women dominate in health and in teaching.

Different initiatives have been launched such as on-line information on the opportunities when choosing non-traditional educations — including co-funding of “Girls Days in Science”, use of role-models, pilot-projects showing the available jobs within different sectors, government funding of local projects in schools and municipalities. The influence and importance to professional career and education guidance of cultural values, including gender aspects, is also part of the curriculum of the career guidance counsellor’s education.

The Danish Government is currently supporting five projects that promote more diversity and more male pedagogues in day care for 0-6 year olds. The projects are running in selected municipalities and day care institutions and aim at attracting and keeping the male pedagogues to this field of work.

The reasoning for this initiative is that more and more men are being educated to be pedagogues. But out of these only a small minority chooses to work within day care for smaller children (0-6 years). Part of the projects is to spread the experiences and the lessons-learnt from the five projects to other municipalities and institutions around the country.

The aim of the funding is to create a greater diversity in the day-care sector by especially attracting and keeping more male pedagogues. A greater diversity will give the children a broader picture of the roles of men and women by giving them more different role-models. Among the staff the diversity would also create a better and more dynamic working environment. The projects should also be seen in the perspective of creating a more flexible labour-market for men and women and giving men and women a broader choice when choosing education.

Re. gender mainstreaming in schools: As indicated in the periodic report by the State Party, girls’ and boys’ choice of education is highly gender segregated — boys more often than girls choose education in the natural sciences and crafts.

One of the three goals of the Danish reform of the primary and lower secondary education, which came into force this August, is that it must challenge all students, so that they realize their full potential. The reform implies that the schools increasingly must vary the teaching and cooperate with the local community to base the teaching on the students’ needs and interests. This is to a great extend expected to break with the gender stereotypes, because the girls also must work application-oriented in relating theory to practice and explore for example the natural sciences in a motivating and more varied way from their point of view.

Together with the reform of the primary and lower secondary education, the government has agreed on a reform of the VET-educations. This reform also concerns the primary and lower secondary education where it states, i.e. that all students must be challenged in their choice of further education. For example through compulsory introductive courses in 8th grade, through strengthening of the cross-cutting issue “Education and Job” in the primary and lower secondary education and in the collective guidance activities, which is a responsibility for the Youth guidance Centres. In order to implement the new initiatives the Ministry of Education initiates a developing process in cooperation with stakeholders. The impact of this process is meant to be improvements of practice in the field of “Education and Job” and collective guidance in lower secondary school. Thereby the students will gain more knowledge of and experience with not gender stereotyped educations and jobs. The students must familiarize themselves with educations which they would not have chosen for themselves. This is expected to make more girls — as well as boys — be more focused in their choice of further education, thereby making it attractive for boys — as well as girls — to choose the VET-educations.

This is in addition to the statutory objective of the primary and lower secondary school after which the teaching and the daily life in school shall build on intellectual freedom, equality and democracy, and the school shall prepare the students for rights and duties in a society based on these values. Thereby the school shall reduce and prevent gender stereotypes.

Re. women in research: In October 2013 the Danish Council for Independent Research has adopted an Equal opportunities policy. In the policy the council among other things states that The Danish Council for Independent Research is of the opinion that men and women have the same potential for becoming competent researchers. Although applicants, in theory, have the same opportunities, the Council finds it important that the procedures and grant criteria of the Council do not have inadvertent, negative consequences for neither men nor women. The Council therefore finds it important to uncover and as much as possible eliminate any less visible barriers which may block the opportunities of both female and male researchers to contribute to the scientific process.

The Equal opportunity policy lists a number of initiatives in the Council: e.g. thorough monitoring and statistical overview, equal representation of men and women in the Council itself (the target is that on the Board, the academic councils and sub-councils and the group of external assessors, the under-represented gender should account for at least 40 per cent), all applications for grants for major research projects shall account for the gender distribution in the group of researchers to be established etc.

Also the Danish Council for Strategic Research (now Innovation Fund Denmark) has policies to increase the share of successful female applicants. Amongst other thing the Council has a requirement that there are both men and women represented in the steering groups of the projects supported by the Council.

Re: “RESEARCH 2020”

The Catalogue “RESEARCH2020 — Strategic Research Horizons” is a catalogue reflecting society’s future needs for research. During the RESEARCH 2020 process a wide group of representatives from businesses, the public sector, inter­est organizations and universities among others have contributed to identifying the visions and needs for future research. The purpose of RESEARCH2020 has been to reflect society’s demand for research and to point out the most promising areas for future pub­lic research investments in Denmark. It is import to emphasize that RESEARCH2020 is not an expression of political priorities but a result of an extensive mapping and dialogue process.

In total the catalogue identifies five main research areas and 14 subthemes. Gender has been an integrated part of the mapping and dialog process and gender is reflected alongside other issues in a number of research areas when relevant. Gender is specifically reflected in the following research themes:

1.1Future Energy Technologies and Systems

2.1From Basic Research to Efficient Prevention, Diagnostics and Treatment of Diseases

2.2The Healthcare and Care Sector of the Future

4.1Competitiveness, Productivity and Growth

4.2Efficient and Innovative Welfare and Prevention

4.3Transport, Logistic and Living Space

5.1Education, Learning and Competence Development

5.2Cultural Understanding and Cross-Cultural Competences

The catalogue is primarily used for the yearly political prioritization regarding the overall level of public investments in different strategic research themes. It is still the relevant research council (the Innovation Fund Denmark) who formulates the specific call texts and evaluates the incoming research applications.

Greenland:

In the field of education, it is the aim of the Government to raise the number of educated people among the population, regardless of gender. In 2012, only 51 per cent of 35-year-olds in Greenland had an education that would provide them access to the labour market. Current focus is thus on getting more people started on an education and convince more to complete the education they have commenced. No special measures, with relation to education and gender, have been adopted as it is more important for Greenland currently to raise the general level of education in the population.

The Faroe Islands:

The figures for persons studying in the Faroe Islands were compiled on the basis of monthly student grants paid. All students who received student grants that year are included in the figures. The figures for persons studying abroad were compiled on the basis of the number of students who received travel grants. Reference is made to CEDAW/C/DEN/8 pp. 71.

Source: The Faroese Student Grant Fund (Studni) Oct. 2013.

Table 1Students in Upper Secondary School by gender and school year

	Female	Male	Total
2004/5	980	657	1 637
2005/6	1 010	727	1 737
2006/7	1 082	712	1 794
2007/8	1 097	752	1 849
2008/9	1 206	842	2 048
2009/10	1 240	929	2 169
2010/11	1 304	1 010	2 314
2011/12	1 273	1 041	2 314
2012/13	1 342	1 046	2 388

Table 2 Students on higher education in the Faroes by gender and school year

	Female	Male	Total
2004/5	288	273	561
2005/6	289	304	593
2006/7	316	273	589
2007/8	314	284	598
2008/9	367	338	705
2009/10	346	401	747
2010/11	380	493	873
2011/12	396	507	903
2012/13	405	580	985

Table 3 Students on higher education abroad by gender and school year

	Female	Male	Total
2004/5	541	365	906
2005/6	526	391	917
2006/7	567	362	929
2007/8	593	358	951
2008/9	681	411	1 092
2009/10	699	429	1 128
2010/11	756	484	1 240
2011/12	967	657	1 624
2012/13	921	620	1 541

Table 4 Students on higher education by geography and school year

	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08	2008/09	2009/10	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13
Total	1 477	1 509	1 520	1 547	1 785	1 879	2 116	2 504	2 528
Denmark	787	789	774	791	897	943	1 031	1 365	1 324
Faroes	576	596	598	605	701	750	876	903	987
Other	114	124	148	151	187	186	209	256	217

Table 5 Students on higher education in the Faroes and abroad by gender and school year

	2010/11		2011/12		2012/13
	Female	Male	Total	Female	Male	Total	Female	Male	Total
Faroes	380	44%	493	56%	873	396	44%	507	56%	903	405	41%	578	59%	983
Abroad	756	61%	484	39%	1 240	967	60%	656	40%	1 623	921	60%	620	40%	1 541
Total	1 136	54%	977	46%	2 113	1 363	54%	1 163	46%	2 526	1 326	53%	1 198	47%	2 524

Source:Studni, Feb. 2014.

Employment

18.The Government’s bill on more women in company boards and management positions — normally referred to as “The Danish model for more women in corporate management” includes the 1200 or so largest private companies in Denmark and all public-sector companies regardless of size.

Provisions for the underrepresented gender were introduced in the Danish Act on Public and Private Limited Companies (the Danish Companies Act), the Act on Certain Commercial Undertakings and the Financial Statements Act in December 2012.

The included companies are required to set targets for the share of the under-represented gender in the supreme governing body and to establish a policy to increase the share of the under-represented gender in the company’s other management levels (the Danish Model). Furthermore these companies are required to explain the progress made in achieving the set targets and status of the policy.

The Danish Business Authority have published a report regarding the included companies targets for the share of the underrepresented gender in the supreme governing body and the policy to increase the share of the under-represented gender in the company’s other management levels. The evaluation of the company’s financial reports shows that 73 per cent have set targets for the share of the under-represented gender. 65 per cent of those who have set target figures describe the status of achievement of the objective and 84 per cent set a time frame for the achievement of that objective. The time frame is averaged down to 4 years and the target figures is an average set at 25,5 per cent. 2 per cent states of equal distribution of gender and 25 per cent does not disclose the fair distribution or specify a target for the supreme governing body.

When it comes to drawing up a policy to increase the under-represented gender in the company’s other management levels, the report shows that 4 per cent have reported the equal distribution of gender. 50 per cent has prepared a policy and 69 per cent of those have developed a policy that specifies a precise content of the policy. However 47 per cent does not disclose an equal distribution or a policy.

Registration information by the Danish Business Authority shows that the number of women appointed for the board of companies is 11 per cent in August 2014 compared with 8 per cent in 2013. This represents an increase of 3 percentage points.

An evaluation, regarding the impact of this bill, is expected ultimo 2014.

Re. occupational segregation, wage gap: The Danish Government acknowledges that the gender segregated labour market is the single most important factor in explaining the difference in pay between men and women. Many typical women’s trades are still pronounced low pay areas. However, the elimination of occupational segregation presents a major and complex challenge — not just for Denmark.

Occupational segregation is caused by a multitude of factors such as traditional carrier choices for men and women, personal preferences and family background. Many efforts have been made to break down the gender segregated education system and labour market. Within all trades you find both women and men, but men dominate in engineering and science while women dominate in health and education.

Different initiatives have been launched such as on-line information on the opportunities when choosing non-traditional educations, use of role-models, pilot-projects showing the available jobs within different sectors, government funding of local projects in schools and municipalities. The influence and importance of professional career and education guidance of cultural values, including gender aspects, is also part of the curriculum of the career guidance counsellor’s education.

In September 2013, the Danish National Centre for Social Research (SFI) published an updated report on the wage gap between men and women for the period 2007-2011.

The first report from 2001 concluded that the unadjusted GPG was 12-19 pct. depending on the method applied. In the 2013 report, the unadjusted GPG in 2011 was 13-17 pct. The adjusted GPG in 2011 was 4-7 pct.

The unadjusted GPG is reduced both on the labour market as a whole and at the sectorial level in the years 2007-2011. In fact, there has been an over-all decrease in the unadjusted GPG since 1997, most notably in the public sector. The decrease in 2007-2011 is mainly due to positive changes for women in relation to their educational background and work experience. Women’s higher level of education also means that their labour market profile increasingly look like the men’s.

In addition to this, Statistics Denmark latest publication from September 2014 on men and women’s income show that in 31 pct. of heterosexual couples the women earn more than their male partner. This is also the case in 24 pct. of heterosexual couples with children. Furthermore, women’s real income is increased more than the men’s since 2000. In 2012, women’s real income was 78 pct. of men’s real income as opposed to 70.4 pct. in 2000.

The Danish Government adopted new legislation to improve and extend the existing scope of gender-segregated wage statistics in June 2014.

In the future, enterprises with 10 full-time employees or more and at least 3 male and 3 female employees are subject to the regulation on gender-segregated wage statistics. This extends the scope of the regulation from approximately 3.500 enterprises to approximately 13.000 enterprises. Enterprises will automatically receive gender-segregated wage statistics free of charge. The aim of the new legislation, which enters into force on 1 January 2015, is three-fold:

•Improve the awareness of gender-segregated wage statistics.

•Provide a useful tool for employers and employees to co-operate at business level to eradicate gender-specific wage differences.

•Provide a basis for legal action in cases of suspected gender-specific wage differences.

With regard to a more equal sharing of parental leave, Denmark would like to stress that each parent has a right to 32 weeks of parental leave which is non-transferable. Parents have a shared right to 32 weeks parental leave benefits. The right to pay during parental leave is regulated by the social partners in collective agreements or individual contracts, and the right pay plays a significant role when families plan their parental leave. The trendsetting collective agreements give a right to full or partial pay during a part of the parental leave period and this right has been increased gradually over the years for both women and men.

While mothers still take the majority of parental leave, there is a continuous — albeit slow — increase in fathers’ share of parental leave. Thus, statistics show that from 2007 to 2012 fathers’ share of parental has increased from 32 to 39 days.

Share of leave between mothers and fathers, where both parents took leave with leave benefits

Year of birth	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Number of children	35 375	36 650	35 777	36 049	32 969	32 254
Average number of leave days in total	329	331	332	332	331	335
Average number of leave days — fathers	32	35	36	37	37	39
Average number of leave days — mothers	298	297	297	296	295	296
Average number of leave days — both parents together	20	21	21	20	20	21
Average number of leave days with one parent	309	310	311	310	311	314

Note: Statistics Denmark Newsletter, 12 March 2014.

As regards giving women priority for available full-time employment positions, the Ministry of Employment is of the view, that this could amount to discrimination on the basis of gender and thus infringe the right to equal treatment of men and women on the labour market.

The Ministry of Employment also notes that traditionally full-time employment is the norm in collective agreements and in the past, some collective agreements even prohibited part-time work. However, in 2002 the Government established a right for employees to negotiate part-time work with the employer by amending the law on part-time work. This amendment implemented the EU-directive on part-time work which again implements the Framework Agreement on part-time work concluded by the European Social Partners.

In the municipal and regional sectors — which have a majority of female employees — collective agreements already promote the access for part-time employees to increase their weekly working hours.

Greenland:

In 2011, the Government issued a report that highlights gender and equality in the workplace. Furthermore, the duty of businesses and authorities to report on equality policies in the workplace and the gender make-up of the workforce has been strengthened. Improvements have been made regarding maternity leave by the passing of Act of the Government no. 14, of November 7th, 2009, on maternity leave and income maintenance during pregnancy, birth or adoption. No special measures have been adopted which will ensure equal sharing of responsibilities in the home.

Re. unemployed women in villages: According to Greenland Statistics, 1230 women and 1425 men in all of Greenland were unemployed in 2012. In the settlements, unemployment numbers showed 244 women and 223 men. As the statistics prove, unemployed women do not significantly outnumber unemployed men in the settlements and outer lying areas.

Re. procurement contracts: In order to implement the latest EU-regulation on public procurement the Danish Government has set up a Committee on public procurement consisting of relevant representatives for both tenderers and contracting authorities. The task of the committee is to draft a Danish law on public procurement. A part of the new EU-regulation is that contract performance conditions can be intended to favour the implementation of measures for the promotion of equality of women and men at work or to increase participation of women in the labour market. The Danish Government expects to present the law to the Danish Parliament in February 2015.

In April 2013, the Danish Government established a Council for Public-/ Private Cooperation in order to support competition for public sector contracts and to promote cooperation between public authorities and private companies. The Council is obliged to have a fair balance between of men and women. Currently the council consists of 10 women and 8 men.

The Faroe Islands:

In the 15-35 age bracket, there are fewer women than man without higher education. In the 15-44 age bracket, more women than man have completed upper-secondary academic or vocational education. The shift in the levels of education is particularly noticeable in the 25-34 age bracket. Her women have surpassed men; there are more women with medium-cycle and higher education (Source: Faroese Census 2011).

There appears to be a trend towards more women pursuing higher educations than men. The gender wage-gap will probably gradually start to reflect this trend; currently the gap is quite wide.

Getting more women into top management should be a goal. More than ¾ of all high-level managers in the Faroe Islands are men. When examining the wage-gap the imbalance is even greater. Only 6% of managers with an income above DKK 300,000 are women.

The Faroese labour market remains gender segregated. The vast majority in the biggest single category of workers, care workers, are women. A full 92% of the 2,352 persons employed in the care sector are women. Of the part-time positions advertised in the Faroes, 75% are in the care sector (elder care, day-care, etc.).

The same is true for the health-care sector, where 780 women and 120 men are employed. On the other hand, the vast majority of workers in the category “technical professionals in science, engineering, maritime transport and aviation” are men. This category includes, for example, officers on ships, construction engineers, marine engineers and others. As many as 97% of the persons employed in this category are men.

Furthermore, the Faroes have the highest levels of part-time work in the Nordic region, and it is particularly women who work part-time. Over half, 51%, of all women on the labour market work part-time. In addition, most women work in the care sector, which is a public sector; this is one of the main reasons why the gender pay-gap is so wide.

On the other hand, the Faroe Islands has the highest employment rate in Europe. Particularly Faroese women stand out with an employment rate of 76%, as compared to 79% for Faroese men in the 15-75 age-bracket. (Source: Faroese Census 2011).

In 2009 the Gender Parity Commission carried out a major gender occupational segregation survey. The meta-question was whether men and women receive the same wages in the public sector. The 2011 census also contains gender occupational segregation analyses by sectors, weekly working hours, and other variables (most of the figures included above are from this census). In addition to the studies regularly produced by Statistics Faroe Islands, studying gender-related aspects of the Faroese labour market is one of the major research interests of the University of the Faroe Islands.

Overall, it is considered that the authorities, with the studies carried out and other sources of information, have a reasonably good understanding of the Faroese labour market and the factors affecting occupational segregation and the gender-pay gap.

There are several reasons why women work part-time. The reasons why employers create part-time jobs include that they provide greater flexibility to organise work according to changing needs, part-time employees take less sick leave, and the type of work being too strenuous to do full-time. Physically and psychologically demanding work are also some of the main reasons employees themselves cite for wanting to work part-time, in addition to family considerations.

The fact that over 3,000 Faroese men work abroad (in maritime industry, oil industry and other sectors) is also one of the key reasons why many women, who are alone with the children for much of the year, choose to work part-time. (Source: Care Workers Association, 2014).

In May the Faroese Government forwarded a draft amendment to the parental leave scheme to the Parliament. This amendment proposed to extend the leave by 6 weeks, of which 2 would be reserved for the father and lapse if the father did not use them. The proposed amendment was not adopted in its original form. Instead the total leave was extended by 4 weeks, without extending the number of weeks reserved for fathers. The changes to the amendment make it clear, that there is currently not sufficient support in Parliament for extending the paternal leave quota in the scheme, although it is considered the most tangible special measure to promote gender parity on the labour market and in the home. This means that the paternal leave quota is still 2 weeks in the Faroese parental leave scheme.

In addition, the Faroe Islands have a welfare system, which is partially familiaristic. Meaning that there is a presumption that the family provides part of welfare services (e.g. care for elderly/children, inflexible childcare arrangements, housing market).

In recent years, there has been some pressure from unions and other actors to make changes to the labour market, particularly in eldercare and childcare, so that more part-time jobs become full-time jobs. A survey in 2011 found that 20% of part-time workers would like to work more.

Changes have been introduced in the public eldercare sector such as integrating services (for persons living at home and persons living in care homes), which allows for better use of human resources and also gives employees greater opportunities to work full time. (Source: Public Employment Service).

In the Faroe Islands it is easy to access childcare services and they are relatively cheap to use, which contributes to eliminate obstacles, both in terms of labour market participation and working hours. Waiting time for access to childcare in the Municipality of Tórshavn, the capital, is usually less than one year. The fees are:

•Crèche DKK 2,463 per month for 11 months a year.

•Kindergarten DKK 1,530 per month for 11 months a year.

•After school care DKK 841 per month for 10 months a year.

•Day-care DKK 2,463 per month for 11 months a year, for crèche-aged children.

•After school care DKK 1,148 per month for 11 months a year.

•Pre-school-aged children in after school care DKK 985 per month for 10 months a year.

Sibling discount: If one family has more than one child in care, the family pays the full fee for the cheapest place and 75% for the more expensive places. If a family has more than one child in care, and all are in the more expensive places, the family pays 75% of the fees for all he places. Example: If a child is in crèche and one in kindergarten the monthly discount is DKK 600. (Source: The Municipality of Tórshavn).

Health

19.Initiatives have been taken to support the implementation of the prevention packages, including the prevention package of sexual health. Most municipalities are using the package to guide their policies and initiatives, and sexual health is present in most municipal health policies. Furthermore, approx. 10 municipalities are currently implementing a model for strengthening of the sex education in schools. In the years from 2011 to 2013 there has been a decrease in induced abortion among young people. The decrease is significant in the age-group 15-19 years. However, the decrease is a continuation of a decrease that was initiated in 2009. There has also been a decrease in teenage-pregnancies.

Greenland:

Figures from the Chief Medical Officer’s Office in Greenland show that the number of abortions is still high, but does seem to be slowly falling. The efforts to combat unwanted pregnancies is viewed by the health care system as a slow and tough process, dependant on a change of attitudes –among the male population as well — to the question of planned pregnancies. The health care system is involved in a number of measures, all geared to combating unwanted pregnancies, by e.g. offering free contraceptives, projects in classrooms, such as the “doll project” in which all youth in the 9th or 10th grades are given the opportunity to take care of a baby simulator, or conversations on contraception and follow-up after abortions.

Unwanted pregnancies are not seen only among young people in Greenland. Both qualitative and quantitative research studies have been conducted as to why Greenland has such a high number of unwanted pregnancies. There is a correlation between the number of unwanted pregnancies and the rapid changes in society, and the necessary adaptability required of each individual to deal with the changes during a time when the values of traditional society, social and mental health are put under considerable pressure.

Individuals, who are listed in the population registry for Greenland and who reside in the country, are offered free pregnancy health checks and free maternity care at a hospital. In the same manner, free guidance is offered in the use of birth control methods.

Table 13Legal abortions notified in age groups

	Number		Rate per 1.000 females in age groups
Age group	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
12-13 years	0	0	3	1	2	0	0	3.4	1.2	2.5
14-15 years	25	27	33	28	26	27	29.3	37.3	31.2	31.0
16-17 years	71	93	62	75	81	83.7	105.2	75.2	91.6	103.4
18-19 years	135	105	107	88	101	144.2	109.3	109.7	93	112.6
20-24 years	268	301	266	266	270	128.2	139.4	118.9	115.8	117.3
25-29 years	163	181	135	175	220	88.4	97.2	68.4	87.9	108.3
30-34 years	77	79	77	93	108	50.8	49.7	46.2	52.2	59.1
35-39 years	41	54	37	38	45	24.7	36.1	25.3	26.5	31.7
40-44 years	17	19	15	19	20	6.5	7.8	6.6	9.5	11.0
45-49 years	2	1	2	0	0	0.9	0.4	0.8	0	0.0
Total *	799	860	737	783	873	56	60.1	51.5	55.1	62.3

*Age group 15-49 year.

Re. studies on abortions: Please see the reply by the State Party under Issue 37.

The Faroe Islands:

Re. Abortion rates 2007-2011

2007: 46 2008: 37 2009: 51 2010: 33 2011: 33

The abortion law dates from 1956. The criteria for allowing abortion are:

•If the health or life of the woman is in danger.

•If the woman is pregnant because of a criminal offense such as rape.

•If there is a danger that the embryo will suffer severe damage in form of a mental illness or physical disability.

•If it is estimated that the woman will not to be able to take care of a child owing to severe mental or physical challenges.

Over the years, the Faroese Government has made an effort to inform about contraception, as well as social and economic arrangements for women, who may be in need of social services after having a child. Also, the Government focuses on improving the conditions for single parents and families with children in general.

In 2007 an advisory service was set up, which offered free and anonymous advice about abortion. As the service did not reach all parts of the country, the Minister of Health decided to move the service to the remit of the family healthcare services in 2013. Now all women can contact this service for free advice on abortion, regardless of where they live.

There has been debate about updating the Abortion Act, but there does not appear to be a majority in Parliament in favour of any substantial changes to the law the moment.

Disadvantaged groups of women

20.Migrant and minority women enjoy the same rights as ethnic Danish women to all parts of the Convention. When it comes to some parts, utilizing these rights can be more challenging for migrant and minority women. For example, minority women to a lesser extent than Danish women and men vote at national elections and are to a lesser extent represented in the labour market. Different initiatives on the integration of women aim at strengthening migrant and minority women’s utilization of their rights and opportunities in these field, for instance the project “District Mothers” and the Mentor Network for female refugees or migrant women in the Danish Centre for Information on Women and Gender (KVINFO). An evaluation of the Mentor Network carried out between 2010 and 2014 shows, among other things, that 38 % of the mentees have found a job after being part of the project.

Women and men with disabilities are covered by the Act on Gender Equality, and they have the same access to file complaints related to discrimination on grounds of gender tried by the Board of Equal Treatment.

The Danish Act on Gender Equality, adopted in 2000, regulates the area of gender equality outside the labour market and forms the basis and framework for public authorities to promote gender equality. Both the state and municipal authorities are covered by the scope of the Act. In addition, the Act applies to all commercial activities.

The Act aims to promote equality between women and men based on women and men’s equal worth. The purpose of the Act is to counteract direct and indirect discrimination based on gender, including harassment and sexual harassment outside the labour market. The Act prohibits discrimination based on gender.

The Board of Equal Treatment is an independent appeals board that deals with complaints related to discrimination. The Board deals with complaints related to discrimination based on gender, race, colour, religion or belief, political views, sexual orientation, age, disability or national, social or ethnic origin within the Labour Market. Outside the labour market, the Board deals with complaints related to discrimination based on race, ethnic origin or gender.

Re. reception conditions: According to section 42 a (7) of the Aliens Act that the Danish Immigration Service shall decide on the accommodation of aliens supported by the Danish Immigration Service.

The Danish Immigration Service has various types of asylum centres, including reception and deportation centres, ordinary residence centres, children centres, a care centre and a women’s centre. The staff at the women’s centre is particularly trained in terms of taking care of particularly vulnerable aliens and has among other things developed experience in dealing with aliens who have been exposed to trafficking. Moreover, at Centre Sandholm there is a women’s ward which is targeted at particularly vulnerable aliens.

If an alien has a particular need for protection reasons or for other reasons, the person in question may be given accommodation at a crisis centre.

Re data: There are no statistical data of the number of residence permits granted according to gender.

Re. gender based persecution and claims: The Aliens Act has no specific provisions on asylum or protection status due to gender-based abuse. It is, however, generally accepted that women may suffer particular types of abuse that may give rise to a need for protection. Like all other asylum cases, cases in which the ground for seeking asylum is gender-based abuse must be assessed relative to Section 7 of the Aliens Act. Accordingly, a specific and individual assessment is made of whether the individual asylum-seeker’s ground(s) for seeking asylum compared with the background information on the relevant country of origin will lead to the conclusion that the relevant asylum-seeker falls within Section 7(1) or Section 7(2) of the Aliens Act. When making this assessment, information on any particular circumstances of the asylum-seeker in his or her country of origin are also taken into account.

It is the Refugee Appeals Board that decides whether to grant refugee status under Section 7(1) of the Aliens Act or protection status under Section 7(2) of the Aliens Act in cases submitted to the Board.

Selected anonymized examples of case-law of the Refugee Appeals Board, including decisions in cases involving gender-based violence, are uploaded to the website of the Board at www.fln.dk on a continuous basis.

Each year the Executive Committee of the Refugee Appeals Board also publishes a report on the activities of the Board, which includes an account of refugee case-law, an account of the basis of and the determination of applications for asylum and an account of the other activities of the Board. The issue of persecution on gender- and honour-related grounds and human trafficking is described in sections 5.9 and 5.10, most recently in the 2013 report. The reports can be downloaded from the website of the Refugee Appeals Board at www.fln.dk (in Danish).

Marriage and family relations

Regarding forced marriages, questions a)-c):

a)The exact number of forced marriages and similar forms of oppression is very hard to establish, since it can be difficult to clearly distinguish this form of oppression and because of underreporting. Some cases are never reported or “officially” known. However, some figures can give an indication of the extent of the problem. In 2013 the Danish Immigration Service gave 32 refusals on requests of family reunification due to assumptions or suspicions of forced marriage. From January 1 to August 31 2014 this number was 23.

•In 2013 LOKK (National Organization of Women’s Shelters in Denmark) received 124 inquiries where forced marriage was the main cause of the inquiry. From January 1 to October 6 in 2014 this number was 110. LOKK registers only the cause of the inquiry given to LOKK by the initial approach. If issues of forced marriage become known later (and forced marriage was not the initial cause of the inquiry), this is not registered.

•In 2013 the Danish National Police registered 20 reports concerning forced marriage (these include instances where a forced marriage has been entered, is imminent or being planned). From January 1 to October 9 2014 this number was 16.

b)There are no evaluations of the National Strategy Against Honora-related Conflicts yet and the direct impact of the strategy is difficult to establish. But the increase in inquiries to LOKK (National Organization of Women’s Shelters in Denmark) and R.E.D (Rehabilitation Centre for Ethnic youth in Denmark) suggests that the young people’s awareness in terms of their rights and the possibilities of getting help and support has increased. But the increase in inquiries also shows that this is still an area of concern with challenges that need to be addressed.

New statistics from the government’s national Integration Barometer show a significant decrease in the percentage of non-western immigrants and descendants between 18 and 29 years old whose freedom is restricted by their family regarding their choice of partner/spouse. The percentage decreased from 26 % in 2012 to 20 % in 2013. In the same period of time in the percentage of immigrants and descendants between 18 and 29 years old who do not support ideas of gender equality decreased from 4 % to 2 %.

c)The National Strategy Against Honora-related Conflicts: 24 million Danish Kroner (DKK) is allocated over a period of four years.

Strategy against Parallel Legal Concepts: 6 million DKK is allocated over a period of four years.

District Mothers: 6,4 million DKK is allocated over a period of four years.

LOKK’s work against honour-related conflicts: 19 million DKK is allocated in the years 2014-2016.

R.E.D: 12.5 million DKK is allocated in the years 2014-2015.

A strengthened effort to help youngsters threatened by forced marriage or other serious honour-related conflicts (a continuation of R.E.D. and the establishment of a new housing facility): 24 million DKK is allocated in the years 2015-2017.

Regarding family reunification: The gender of the spouse or partner living in Denmark, and the gender or nationality of the spouse or partner living abroad, has no bearing on whether the spouse or partner living abroad will be granted residence permit under the Danish family reunification regulation.

The requirement that both spouses or partners must be at least 24 years old applies in general, but the requirement can be waived under special circumstances, e.g. if Denmark’s international obligations require it. The age requirement is not in any way discriminatory based on nationality or gender and is proportional to the stated aim, which is to prevent forced and arranged marriages.

The requirement that the spouses’ or partners’ aggregate ties with Denmark must be stronger than their ties with any other country is waived if the spouse or partner living in Denmark either has been a Danish national for at least 26 years or was born and raised in Denmark and has been a legal resident in Denmark for at least 26 years. The waivers are not tied to gender, and the requirement can also be waived under special circumstances, e.g. if Denmark’s international obligations require it.

Re. data under the judicial system: No information is available on the number of cases in Denmark on parental responsibility (incl. custody) between a Danish father and a foreign mother.

Re interest of the child: When making decisions on parental responsibility the main focus is on the best interest of the child. When considering this, violence between the parents and its impact on the child is taking into account.