I.Introduction

1.This report corresponds to the 10th Periodic Report from the State of Cabo Verde to the CEDAW Committee and it contains information on the implementation of the recommendations received from the Committee in July 2019 (CEDAW/C/CPV/CO/R.9), which were instrumental in propelling the implementation of CEDAW at all levels of governance, and the results achieved over a 4-year period, from July 2019 to July 2023.

2.The responses were prepared under the coordination of the Cabo Verdean Institute for Gender Equality and Equity (ICIEG), in consultation with the Inter‑ministerial Commission for the Preparation of National Human Rights Reports, with the participation and contributions of all relevant stakeholders.

3.The report provides information on the measures implemented by Cabo Verde in response to the recommendations received from the CEDAW Committee.

II.Implementation of recommendations

Recommendation 1

Convention and Protocol Visibility

4.CEDAW is regularly referenced by the Government and its guidelines are aligned with the Government’s 8th Legislature Program which is in force from 2021 to 2026. This was the basic reference document for the preparation of the National Gender Equality Plan (2022–2026 PNIG) and the 2022–2026 Strategic Sustainable Development Plan (PEDS II) It was also referenced in the briefing given to the Government at the 64th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and in the 73rd session of the CEDAW Committee to discuss the 9th Periodic Country Report.

5.In 2021, the 5th National Gender Equality Plan was approved by the Council of Ministers, which is the guiding document for public gender policies, having been prepared in accordance with CEDAW directives.

6.In May 2022, the ICIEG, the national body which promotes public policies for gender equality, conducted workshops with all government sectors to ensure the mainstreaming of gender issues in sectoral programs, as part of the preparation for the 2nd Strategic Sustainable Development Plan_PEDS (2022–2026). In that process, the CEDAW document was considered a benchmark of excellence.

7.In May 2022, the National Commission for Human Rights and Citizenship (CNDHC), as part of the preparation for PEDS II, conducted workshops with several sectors to mainstream Human Rights and Citizenship issues, including training for NGOs on shadow reporting, addressing the main instruments for the promotion of human rights, particularly CEDAW and, ultimately the recommendations of the CEDAW Committee received by Cabo Verde in 2013 were discussed.

8.In June 2023, as part of the Gender Commission’s workshop, the new governmental and non-governmental gender focal points were briefed on the international commitments that Cabo Verde signed on gender equality, namely CEDAW, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, focusing on SDG 5 and the mainstreaming of gender dimensions in the other SDGs.

9.It was obviously considered appropriate to share with the gender focal points the recommendations received from the CEDAW Committee for the year 2019.

Recommendation 2

Access to justice

10.As part of the expansion of the Legal Information service carried out by the Ministry of Justice, through the General Directorate of Justice Policy, an approach network was established to provide this service, enabling the population to be aware of all the legislation in force in Cabo Verde (National Laws and Conventions), to raise awareness and inform citizens, especially those in situations of greater social vulnerability, for basic and necessary knowledge to defend and enforce their legally protected rights and interests, and thus enabling them to resort to the appropriate defense mechanisms when their rights and interests are violated. interests are violated.

11.In this context, the decentralization of the Legal Information service became a priority, aiming to provide a closer service to citizens, especially in the neighborhoods considered peripheral and with the most vulnerable sections of the population, informing and providing quality services, such as: access to justice; arbitration and mediation as alternative means of conflict resolution; promoting a community and swift alternative justice, therefore contributing to the reduction of litigation and crime within communities, namely GBV and other behavioral deviations associated with alcoholism and other drug consumption.

12.In addition, the partnerships between the Ministry of Justice, Community Associations, and Municipal Councils should be highlighted, as they have facilitated citizens’ access to the Legal Information Service, provided by legal professionals, such as Lawyers, Trainee Lawyers, and Legal Experts. In this regard, we highlight the signing of a Collaboration Protocol between the Ministry of Justice and the Cabo Verdean Association for Combating Gender-Based Violence which, among other objectives, aims to establish collaborative frameworks for the promotion of Human Rights, awareness of rights, and consequently, societal access to justice.

13.Furthermore, it should be noted that the Government has instituted free and open access to the electronic Official Gazette, as a means of allowing mass knowledge of the legislation in force and the country’s official measures.

14.In 2020, the Superior Council of the Judiciary launched the case-law database of the Courts of Cabo Verde (https://jurisprudencia.cv/), which is freely accessible, and which already has hundreds of judgments published on criminal cases, including gender-based violence (GBV) cases, as well as civil, labor and administrative cases, from the Supreme Court of Justice and the Courts of Appeal of Barlavento and Sotavento.

15.To guarantee the right of access to justice for those who do not have the necessary economic resources, the Government of Cabo Verde, through the Ministry of Justice, has ensured the benefit of Legal Aid, which includes a total or partial waiver payment of legal fees, as well as legal aid consisting of the provision of professionals who can technically assist their constituents in court.

16.In this context, the issue of vulnerability of women victims of GBV deserved the Government’s particular attention, and to this end, Decree-Law No. 8/2014, of January 27, was approved, with provisions that specifically regulate the legal assistance to be provided to victims of GBV crime.

17.Several measures were adopted to speed up the prosecution of crimes of violence against women, including the prioritization of GBV cases and the setting of a 180-day deadline for their completion.

18.The issue of discrimination has received special attention in the country. In this regard, the National Commission for Human Rights and Citizenship (CNDHC) submitted to the National Assembly a Special Anti-Discrimination Draft Bill, which proposes a general legal framework to prevent, prohibit and combat all forms of discrimination, namely based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. The proposal, submitted in March 2022, contemplates the development of guidelines and actions that promote equal and effective protection against all types of discrimination, especially based on sexual orientation or gender identity, for entities operating in the justice sector. According to the proposal, these issues should be included in training plans for all law enforcement personnel or in social reintegration policies.

19.With regard to the concern expressed on the need to disaggregate the data of violence by sex, this concern was accepted by the Judicial Bodies, enabling the recent years’ figures on GBV crime to be disaggregated by the sex of the victims, as shown in the table below.

GBV cases – 2021–2022 Judicial Year

		Registered	Completed	Pending	Gender of the victims
Courts		16	15	1	F
Ribeira Grande		16	16	0	F
Porto Novo		8	8	0	F
Paul		13	13	0	F
1 st Criminal Court of SV		10	7	3	F
2 nd Criminal Court of SV
São Nicolau
Criminal Court of Sal
	Ordinary Common Procedure	45	29	16	F
	Abbreviated Process	5	4	1	F
Criminal Court of Boa Vista		5	3	2	F
Maio
1 st Criminal Court of PR
2 nd Criminal Court of PR
3 rd Criminal Court of PR		38	37		F
4 th Criminal Court of PR
Criminal Court of Santa Cruz		25	12	13	F - 24 ; M - 1
Criminal Court of Sta. Catarina		37	13	24	F
São Domingos		5	5	0	F - 3 ; M - 2

	Ordinary Common Procedure	10	8	2	F
	Abbreviated Process	16	12	2	F
Criminal Court of Tarrafal
Criminal Court of São Filipe		33	24	0	F
Mosteiros		8	7	0	F
	Provisional Suspension	1	1
Brava		8	8	0	F

20.Subsequently, training was also provided to various institutions on the care of victims of GBV, with the participation of Magistrates and National Police Officers, highlighting the 2nd Dialog Table for the development of the national action plan, as part of the Participatory Audit for the implementation of the GBV Law - Project “Djuntu pa igualdade” (together for equality).

21.To address the impacts of Covid-19, the Emergency Social Inclusion Income Program was established by Decree-Law No. 33/2022, which establishes a temporary cash benefit, granted to households suffering from poverty and/or social vulnerability, for 3 to 12 months, with special attention to mothers who are heads of household. To date, around 29,000 families have benefited from this allowance.

22.In addition, the Productive Inclusion Program was launched to promote opportunities through income-generating activities, strengthening technical and professional skills, entrepreneurship, financial education, and life skills, especially for women representing households with children up to 15 years old.

23.The Law on Parity (Law No. 68/IX/2019, of November 28) encourages equal representation in leadership positions in Public Administration.

24.The new Basic Law on Public Employment, approved by Law No. 20/X/2023, of March 24, guarantees the principle of equal pay and forbids officials and agents from pressuring, threatening, and/or morally or sexually harassing other officials and agents, as well as subordinates and users.

25.Under Regulatory Decree No. 3/2023, of 17 April 2020, the Statutes of the Autonomous Fund for the Support of Victims of Gender-Based Violence (VBG) were approved, to allow greater operationalization and effectiveness of its mission.

26.In 2021, the country was elected as a full member of the Commission on the Status of Women - CSW for the 2022–2026 period. Thus, it will be focusing on the theme: “Achieving gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental risk, and disaster reduction policies and programs”.

Recommendation 3

National mechanism for the advancement of women

27.The new government members of the 10ᵗʰ Legislature separates the duties of the Ministry of Family and Social Inclusion, which became the Ministry of Family, Inclusion and Social Development from the duties of the Ministry of Education, leaving that ministry with the sole responsibility for gender equality issues in defining and implementing policies aimed at pursuing gender equality objectives and promoting gender mainstreaming in sectoral policies and programs. In this context, the Ministry of Family, Inclusion, and Social Development is the government department whose mission is to define, conduct and implement policies for social development, combating poverty and social exclusion, protecting and supporting the family, children, and adolescents, as well as the elderly and disabled persons. Furthermore, its mission is to promote social security, labor relations, and working conditions, as well as to contribute effectively to gender equality and to the development and implementation of policies for the integration of immigrants.

28.Thus, gender equality becomes a priority and a cross-cutting issue on the governance agenda; the Government Program elects a chapter entitled “More Equality, Gender Equity, and Inclusion”, where it assumes that “the Government will reinforce the mainstreaming of policies to promote gender equality, namely through the principle of positive differentiation in favor of women” (page 36) and the 2nd Strategic Sustainable Development Plan (2022–2026) which states the following: “By 2030, we aim for a Cabo Verde without gender discrimination, which invests in equal opportunities and capitalizes on the contributions of women and men toward the country’s economic growth and sustainable development” (page 126).

29.The Gender Equality and Equity Program, one of the 28 Sectoral Programs that make up PEDS II, arises as a result of an alignment and synchronization between PEDS II and the Government Program. Thus, gender equality gains prominence in Cabo Verde’s vision for the 2030 period – “Cabo Verde Ambition 2030” – and is fundamental to the effective operationalization of this first cycle of Ambition 2030, particularly in this context of post-pandemic economic and social recovery. Therefore, gender equality, in addition to appearing as a specific program, is at the same time a crosscutting axis of all PEDS II programs.

30.In this context, the Cabo Verdean Institute for Gender Equality and Equity - ICIEG, stands out as the entity responsible for drafting and implementing gender public policy measures, which guides its actions along the lines defined as priorities by the PNIG (2022/2026), namely “the full institutionalization of the gender approach, as a strategy for consolidating gains and sustaining progress”. The strategic options for its implementation enable the combination of policy measures, the legal budgetary framework connecting national, sectoral, and local planning processes, and the use of a gender and GSB approach.

31.The actions it promotes are guided by the promotion of women’s autonomy and aligned with the policy measures defined by the 2021-2025 Government Program. It also introduces omitted aspects.

Table 1. Alignment between gender policy and strategy documents (2021 to 2026) and SDG 5.

2021/2025 GOVERNMENT PROGRAM MEASURES	SDG 5	2022–2026 PNIG
Strengthen the mainstreaming of policies to promote gender equality, namely throughthe principle of positive differentiation in favor of women.	5.c Adopt and strengthen sound policies and applicable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels, 5.a Give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to property and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance, and natural resources.	It assigns specific responsibilities to different sectors and prioritizes the development and implementation of actions that contribute directly to the promotion of gender equality.
Strengthen investment aimed at women’s economic empowerment, particularly women in agriculture, fisheries, and trade.	Women ’ s economic empowerment axis It includes the sectors mentioned in the Government Program and introduces the need to strengthen efforts in innovative and strategic areas for the country’s development - energy transition, environmental preservation and rural development, ICTs, and Tourism. Similarly, it considers it necessary to continue the extension of the compulsory social protection system; Implementation of the care system and promotion of shared responsibility in family care.
Adaptation of policies and investments to respond to the demographic burden of an aging population, including responses from the National Health System, Social Security and Protection, and the National Care System.	5.4. Recognize and value unpaid domestic care work through the provision of public services, infrastructure, and social protection policies, as well as the promotion of shared responsibility within the home and family.
Strengthen actions to combat GBV, through prevention, warning, care, assistance, protection, social awareness, and territorial outreach.	5.2. Eliminate all forms of violence in the public and private spheres, including human trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation. 5.3 Eliminate all harmful practices such as early, forced and child marriages and female genital mutilation.	Body autonomy axis the basis of emancipation Strengthen sexual and reproductive health services, but from a gender and generational perspective, and strengthen the fight against GBV. Promote the Rights of LGBTIQ Persons as one of the priority issues.
Continued special attention to Sexual and Reproductive Health, in terms of information and awareness-raising in outreach services in all municipalities of the country.	5.6 Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights.
It commits to good democratic governance but is silent on increasing women’s participation in decision-making processes.	5.5 Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic, and public life.	Axis: Autonomy in decision-making This includes the implementation of actions to promote positive changes in the exercise of power in private and public spheres, and the need to promote, based on the provisions of the Parity Law, an increase of women’s participation at mid-level management in public administration, in decision-making in the private sector and Civil Society Organizations.

Recommendation 4

National human rights institution

32.The National Commission for Human Rights and Citizenship (CNDHC) was established in 2004, through Decree-Law No. 38/2004, of October 11. Since its inception, it has been able to respond favorably to its mandate, with the support of national, international, and regional partners. To this end, the CNDHC has promoted human rights education at the national level, through training, awareness-raising sessions in schools, in communities, publications on its social network and website, and in various contexts, through the production of videos and information spots, in various formats. In addition, it receives complaints of alleged human rights violations and plays the role of handling and forwarding such complaints; it also addresses recommendations to the Government and participates in the definition and implementation of public policies on human rights, including gender equity and women’s rights.

33.The National Commission for Human Rights and Citizenship (CNDHC) submitted to the National Assembly a Special Anti-Discrimination Draft Bill, which proposes a general legal framework to prevent, prohibit and combat all forms of discrimination, namely based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability, to be considered as a legislative initiative. The proposal, which was submitted in March 2022, addresses the development of guidelines and actions that promote equal and effective protection against all forms of discrimination, especially based on sexual orientation or gender identity, for entities operating in the justice sector. According to the proposal, these issues should be included in training plans for all law enforcement personnel or in social reintegration policies.

34.The CNDHC, an institution that has been in existence for almost 19 years, still has a statute that is not in line with the current dynamics and requirements and needs an urgent amendment to ensure institutional compliance with the international guidelines, notably the Paris Principles and, therefore, to be better prepared to respond to current challenges, as well as the adequate and effective performance of its duties as a National Human Rights Institution, through greater investment in financial and human resources.

35.The institutional reality has demonstrated the pressing need for the approval of a new CNDHC staff and the improvement of the working conditions of its technical team. In this sense, the Commission has been discussing with the Government in order to accelerate the compliance process of its Statutes to the Paris Principles, and this issue has received special attention from the Government, which has guaranteed that the process will be completed by 2023.

36.It is also worth mentioning that, along with the CNDHC, the Ombudsman, an independent constitutional body, elected by a two-thirds majority by Parliament, has strong attributions in the field of fundamental rights, especially in the prevention and redress of illegalities and injustices against public authorities, which particularly affect minorities (social, economic, religious and gender) and the most vulnerable citizens.

Recommendation 5

Temporary special measures

37.The State of Cabo Verde is committed to adopting special temporary measures to promote women’s political participation and participation in decision-making on an equal footing with men.

38.In terms of the regulatory framework, several regulatory instruments have been developed, namely:

39.Law No. 68/IX/2019, of November 28, commonly known as the Parity Law, covers both parity in political representation in eligible positions and leadership positions in the Public Administration.

40.The Parity Law in its Chapter IV on “Awareness Raising, Monitoring, and Evaluation”, more specifically in Article 8, establishes that political parties, women’s associations of political parties, and party youth should promote actions to raise awareness, training, and awareness among their militants, supporters, members and, in general, civil society with a view to effective equal participation in elective and decision-making bodies. In this context, several awareness-raising actions were carried out with various target audiences (elected municipal officials, women with disabilities, immigrant women) with the aim of disseminating the Law, promoting the participation and inclusion of these women in public decision-making spaces, contributing to the promotion of gender equality and, consequently, having an increasingly inclusive and participatory democratic representation.

41.Legal instruments supporting social protection, such as the regulation of access to social tariffs for water and electricity, and housing (2018 and 2019), as well as the adoption of positive discrimination criteria in favor of women heads of household.

42.The amendment of the Basic Law on Education System (2018), eliminates the barriers to access and retention of students in the education system, between the ages of 6 and 17, by determining free access and school attendance up to the 12th grade. It also establishes the principle of universal access to preschool education and the implementation of basic education up to the 8th grade.

43.Decree-Law 41/ 2020, establishes the Social Inclusion Income, thus instituting a new social benefit, aimed at guaranteeing a minimum income for households in extreme poverty, which meets positive discrimination criteria for households headed by women.

44.The Basic Law on the State Budget, which since 2019 instituted the use of public assets and resources in an equal manner for both sexes, through the mandatory preparation and execution of gender-sensitive budgets.

45.The Exceptional Regime of Extraordinary Regularization of Foreigners, established by Decree-Law No. 72/2021, of 18 October, allows the submission of an application for regularization in a household, waiving the presentation of proof of the economic situation for the members of the household.

46.Decree-Law No. 79/2021, which defines the terms and conditions for obtaining access to and exercising the profession of childcare, applies to all those who wish to exercise the profession at home, as a self-employed person or as an employee; and in public and private institutions. It also defines the conditions for obtaining a professional license for childcare for children aged 0 to 3 and the minimum conditions to be met in cases of care at the caregiver’s home. The diploma regulates the practice of caregiving, which at first seems traditional, and which falls on the use of unpaid work time provided significantly by women and girls (relatives or neighbors), enabling the improvement of families’ quality of life and the possibility of exercising this profession in a dignified manner.

47.The increase of the NGOs grants by more than 21 thousand escudos, thus expanding the scope of beneficiaries from 10 to 14 NGOs, starting in 2021, with the aim of promoting a policy of autonomy and total integration into society for people with disabilities, by creating all the necessary conditions for the functioning of organizations working with them.

48.The Government announced the amendment of the Labor Code, and made a political commitment to extend maternity and paternity leave to the private sector, resulting in 90 days for women and 10 days for men.

49.The Government, through the Basic Law on Public Employment (Law No. 20/X/2023, of March 24), extended maternity leave from 60 to 90 days and introduced 10 working days of paternity leave, which is now intended to be extended to the private sector.

50.The Government, through MFIDS/ICIEG, in partnership with the local office of the International Labor Organization (ILO), inaugurated awareness-raising workshops on ILO Convention No. 156 on workers with family responsibilities, bringing together social partners, members of parliament, members of the government, members of the diplomatic corps accredited in Cabo Verde, representatives of public and private entities with intervention in this matter, artists, and activists. Among the aspects addressed, the objective is the ratification of Convention No. 156 as well as fostering shared responsibility in care and greater engagement of men, and also, in a pilot phase, the choice by parents for the enjoyment of parental leave, allowing men to also participate in this experience.

51.The country approved, through Law No. 26/X/2023, of May 8 - the Statute of the Elderly Person, which aims to promote the rights and protection of the elderly, in order to guarantee their autonomy, integration, and effective participation in society.

52.The Government approved Resolution No. 35/202 of May 8, 2023, which aims to define the powers, composition, and mode of operation of the National Council for the Environment and Climate Action, hereinafter referred to as CNAAC.

Recommendation 6

Stereotypes and harmful practices

53.The study foreseen in the Second Action Plan on Immigration and Social Inclusion of Immigrants (2018-2020) on cultural practices and gender relations in immigrant communities was not carried out in the planned period due to budgetary constraints and service constraints related to the pandemic period.

54.The High Authority for Immigration, I.P. foresees, during this year, the preparation of a Study on Gender, Immigration, and Harmful Practices in Cabo Verde, with a special focus on Female Genital Mutilation.

55.The Activity Plan of the High Authority for Immigration, I.P. for 2023 sets as one of the objectives the promotion of a gender equality and equity culture within the immigrant communities living in Cabo Verde.

56.In Cabo Verde, legal marriage is not allowed for children under 18, and its practice is “recognized institutionally and internationally as an attack on childhood and adolescence and an obstacle to the empowerment of girls”.

57.According to the Cabo Verdean Civil Code (Decree-Law No. 31 - A/199), the rule is that marriage must be contracted from the age of majority, which is set at 18 years and follows strict criteria in terms of validity, namely, the preliminary verification of legal capacity, so that it can be registered in the civil services, under the terms of 1561 et seq. of the Civil Code. In this sense, the Civil Code itself provides for an exception to the rule, which is the emancipation by marriage of minors, aged between 16 and 17 years, with parental consent, with the effect of giving the minor the full capacity to exercise rights, enabling him/her to freely govern and expose his/her person and property, as established in Articles 141 and 142.

58.Civil partnership is also one of the sources of family legal relations, recognized by the Cabo Verdean legal system, to which certain legal requirements must be respected for its effectiveness, namely the age of majority, since the civil partnership is equivalent to a marriage, under the terms of Articles 1560 and 1710 in conjunction with article 1562 paragraph 5 of the Civil Code.

59.However, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics of Cabo Verde (INECV) Census 2021 - V general census of population and housing - Children and adolescents, it was found that 1.4% of children aged 15 and over lived in a civil partnership. However, in the legal sense, this civil partnership does not meet the legally required conditions.

60.The practice is a concern for the Government at all levels, not only because of the growing trend but especially because of the strong impact they have on children, especially girls, who are the most affected. This practice constitutes a factor of gender inequality and places them in a situation of even greater vulnerability.

61.The internal programs carried out by ICCA play a key role in risk and social vulnerability interventions. Awareness-raising, guidance and communication actions, carried out by the institution’s social workers and psychologists with children and adolescents and their families, are the primary function in this protection sector.

62.It should be noted that under the Community Proactive Outreach and Intervention Project, during the year 2022, 2766 awareness-raising actions were carried out involving about 9326 children and adolescents, 1360 families, and several partners, namely the Ministry of Education (schools), the Ministry of Health, National Police, City Councils, Media, NGOs, and local Associations. The development of these intervention initiatives focused on preventing and combating children’s and adolescents’ risk and vulnerability situations at the national level.

63.Awareness-raising actions with communities, schools and partners, as well as the strengthening of public social policies, was defined and marked as a primary axis in the year 2023.

Recommendation 7

Gender-based Violence Against Women and Girls

The elimination of gender-based violence remains one of the main challenges to gender equality in the country.

64.From 2019 to 2022 there has been an increase in the number of cases of GBV complaints. From 2019 to 2020 there was an increase of 33 cases, that is, in 2019 there were 1634 complaints, and in 2020 1667 complaints. From 2020 to 2021 there was an increase of 445 complaints. From 2020 to 2022 there was an increase of 334 complaints. This can be seen as positive, as it means that people are trusting the authorities more and/or reporting mechanisms are working better. Only with complaints can action be taken, so the increase in complaints makes it possible to know the cases and guarantee the necessary assistance to the victims.

65.In this context, at the national level, awareness-raising workshops were held in partnership with the City Councils, local NGOs, and other State institutions, such as the UGPE, the National Directorate of Education, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where topics such as GBV, dating violence, the GBV Law, reporting mechanisms, sexual crimes (Sexual Exploitation and Abuse), Moral and Sexual Harassment are addressed.

66.Since 2022, the gender equality module has been introduced in vocational education; 8 training sessions have been held in the various courses of CERMI and IEFP, several trainings have been provided at the national level covering about 5,000 people among secondary school students, teachers, women beneficiaries of the Inclusive Social Income, technicians of the financial ecosystem, vocational education students, Legal Experts, Armed Forces Recruits, Teachers belonging to the Unions (SINPROF). Likewise, trainings were held in Praia and Mindelo with health professionals who deal with the problem of HIV - AIDS, with three (3) been held in Praia and two (2) in Mindelo. Training sessions were also held with students of Journalism and International Relations. From 2019 to date, annual trainings have been held for the National Police and Magistrates, in the context of the application of the GBV Law, throughout the national territory. Awareness-raising actions were also carried out in schools under the theme “Dating Violence” and “cyberbullying”.

67.Similarly, in order to disseminate information on GBV, a TV spot was released, as well as awareness-raising actions in the communities on “Gender and GBV”.

68.The subject “gender equality” was introduced in vocational education and a Training of Trainers on Gender Equality and GBV for vocational education was held.

69.Regarding LGBTIQ+ people. Thus, a framework of actions is being worked on promoting awareness and prevention actions aimed at contributing to the reduction of prejudices and stigmas and to the construction of an inclusive world, where all people who are born free and equal can effectively be free and equal in dignity and rights, regardless of who they are. In this context, a number of activities were carried out, including: i) Signing of a memorandum of understanding in partnership with the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training - IEFP with the aim of offering professional training to people from the LGBTI community in Cabo Verde, in order to provide the community with tools capable of empowering them in the search for decent employment; ii)Signing of a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Tourism and Transport with the aim of working towards a more inclusive Cabo Verde and Awareness Days with tour operators and technical staff of the Ministry; iii) Holding of a Conference on Gender and Human Rights of the LGBTIQ+ population, in partnership with the National Commission for Human Rights and Citizenship - CNDHC; Signing of the joint work plan with LGBTI associations and activists in Cabo Verde, with the aim of promoting the human rights of the LGBTI community in Cabo Verde; iv) Capacity assessment of the LGBTI community organizations and activists in several islands of the country. Travel and focus group meetings were held on the Islands of Sal, Boavista, Fogo, São Vicente, and Santiago, with the aim of knowing the real capacity of Cabo Verdean organizations and activists in order to find the best way to empower them; Baseline on the socio-economic conditions of people from the LGBTI community in Cabo Verde; v) World Day against homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia. Awareness-raising activities in the central square of Plateau, in Praia, the capital of the country, in partnership with the LGBTI Association of Praia, Spanish Cooperation, and the European Union to mark “May, Month of Europe”. Awareness-raising activity at the Liceu de Várzea, in Praia, at the request of the high school, with students from tenth to twelfth grade. Training week for LGBTI associations and activists in Cabo Verde, with the aim of empowering associations and activists by empowering them to develop funding applications and project independently. Celebration of June, with a focus on International Gay Pride Day, aimed to raise awareness about the importance of combating homophobia for the construction of a society free of prejudice and equitable, regardless of sexual gender.

70.The existence of a computerized reporting system in the National Police called IOMS - Integrated Reporting System, which was developed to provide a timely response to the processes related to the cases and consequent statistical results, has a specific questionnaire directed to the cases involving reports of GBV, allowing to assess the level of danger that the victims are in and to take immediate action, according to the information obtained. The platform also allows you to enter and check the cases in the centralized system, as well as view updated statistical data, in real-time and anywhere, through controlled access. The system promotes greater and better information sharing between all police stations and Regional Commands in the country, regardless of geographical location.

71.In 2023, the Council of Ministers approved and published in the Official Gazette, the Statute of the Support Fund for Victims of GBV to guarantee, in the shortest period, a pecuniary amount that allows the victim of GBV to cover urgent expenses resulting from the aggression, in addition to financing the maintenance of Victim Support Centers and Shelter Homes, as well as the implementation of recovery programs, psychological and psychiatric support, education and prevention of GBV. The approval of the Fund will: i) Guarantee material, social, psychological, psychiatric, and legal assistance to victims of gender-based violence crime and their dependents; ii) Guarantee medical and medication support to victims; iii) Guarantee a pecuniary amount to cover urgent expenses incurred by victims and their dependents as a result of aggression; iv) Guarantee the implementation and maintenance of Shelter Houses, Victim Support Centers and the technicians assigned to them; v) Cover the costs of publishing notices in newspapers of procedural acts arising from civil proceedings that are directly or indirectly related to the situation of GBV; vi) Finance education and awareness programs for aggressors; vii) Finance programs for the prevention, training and early detection of gender-based violence; viii) Ensure the production/updating of support materials on this issue.

72.Currently, the country has shelter houses in the municipalities where there is a higher incidence of cases of GBV, and protocols for the implementation of transitional facilities with hotel units, as foreseen in the GBV Law, namely: 2 houses in Praia, 1 in São Vicente, 1 in Fogo, and 1 in Sal Island. However, victims of GBV are ensured full rights on all islands.

73.In addition, the protection measures and inter-institutional protocols signed stand out as alternative partnership instruments, which aim to ensure reinforced responses to victims. In this context, a protocol was established with the Center for Psychological Support (CAP) to provide psychotherapeutic, psychiatric, and neurological care for victims of GBV and their children at the national level; and two others, with the Association of Women Lawyers to ensure legal assistance and with the Chã de Matias Association for the implementation of a shelter house.

74.The Freephone Line 800 18 18 was reactivated, with additional features that apart from reporting cases of GBV, serve as a support, referral, and information service, and is intended for specialized assistance to victims of Gender-Based Violence. It is intended to respond to all those seeking psychological support, counseling, information, and guidance regarding the crime of Gender-Based Violence, whether they are victims, family members, acquaintances, or interested in this issue. It is a free, confidential line, accessible from all national fixed and mobile networks, working from 8:00 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, in an experimental phase.

Recommendation 8

Trafficking and exploitation of prostitution

75.One of the actions of the 1ˢᵗ National Plan Against Trafficking in Persons was the creation of the Observatory on Trafficking in Persons comprised of State institutions and organized civil society with intervention in the matter (see below). The Directorate General for Justice Policy, under the Ministry of Justice, is the body responsible for coordinating the Observatory, as well as guiding, evaluating and implementing the National Plans against Trafficking in Persons.

76.Likewise, an Operational Procedure Manual against Trafficking in Persons in Cabo Verde was developed. This Operational Procedure Manual is a strategic document for all stakeholders combating trafficking in persons in Cabo Verde, with an emphasis on child trafficking. It aims to improve the efficiency of all governmental and non-governmental partners to protect victims of trafficking in persons.

77.Concerning Trafficking in Persons, Resolution No. 40/2018 of 9 May 2018 established the Observatory for Monitoring and Rapid Identification of Situations of Trafficking in Persons, which integrates several institutions of the State and organized civil society. In addition to acting preventively in the identification and monitoring of suspicious manifestations that may, in some way, indicate the practice of trafficking, it is an institutional and formal mechanism that assumes the objectives of promoting the efficient and effective sharing and management of information and/or data, with the possibility of promoting and facilitating the articulation and coordination between the different actors with responsibility for the implementation and management of plans against trafficking in persons.

78.The Observatory for Monitoring and Rapid Identification of Situations of Trafficking in persons has established a bilateral and cooperation agreement with the Observatory for Trafficking in Persons in Portugal. In this context, a study visit was carried out in which some members of the Cabo Verde Observatory participated.

79.The Government has already drafted the 2nd National Plan against Trafficking in Persons, and its approval is still pending.

Recommendation 9

Participation in political and public life

80.In 2019, Cabo Verde adopted the principle of parity democracy in the exercise of formal political power, which assumes the need for a balanced representation of both genders in the decision-making functions of politics as a precondition for the full and equal enjoyment of citizenship.

81.In November 2019, the Parity Law was approved, which “aims to guarantee effective equal rights and duties between men and women, with a view to eliminating all forms of discrimination and providing the same opportunities, namely for political participation and the holding of decision-making positions, in order to achieve a more fairer, and balanced society.”

82.The law established a minimum representation of 40% for each of the sexes on the lists of candidates for the collegiate bodies of political power, thus pointing to a new scenario in the political arena in Cabo Verde. Article 4 of the respective law, states the following: i) “(...) a minimum representation of 40% of each sex on the lists of candidates for collegiate bodies of political power, namely, the National Assembly, the City Council, the Municipal Assembly, and other supra-municipal or infra‑municipal bodies”; ii) To comply with the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the first two positions on the lists of nominees submitted shall be occupied by candidates of different sexes, and no more than two candidates of the same sex may be placed consecutively in the list of the remaining positions”;

83.With the elections held in 2020, parity was achieved both in the executive bodies, of which 56 women (41%) and 82 men (59%) were elected and in the Legislative Power, which comprise 143 women (42%) and 199 men (58%). For the Presidency of the Municipal Assemblies, 9 (40.9%) women and 13 men (59.1%) were elected. No woman has ever been elected to the presidency of the City Councils, although one holds this position due to the death of the incumbent.

84.In the 2021 legislative elections, the results were positive, but the target was not achieved. 27 female deputies (37.5%) and 45 male deputies (62.5%) were elected to the National Assembly. However, the current government composition is not gender balanced (0.563) - it is composed of 9 women (5 Ministers and 4 Secretaries of State) and 16 men (11 Ministers and 5 Secretaries of State).

85.Article 7, on the other hand, provides that the Boards of Directors and other appointment positions at Public Administration, Public Enterprises, State-owned Enterprises, and Public Institutes shall have equal representation. Article 9 of the law elects a follow-up committee with the task of evaluating and reviewing the impact of the law in promoting gender parity.

86.In this context, and as stipulated in Article 8, it was essential to carry out training and continuous awareness-raising actions aimed at stakeholders with responsibilities in the context of the implementation of the Parity Law (political parties, women’s associations of political parties, youth parties, CSOs promoting gender equality, universities), in order to ensure a good understanding of the importance of women’s participation in political life and decision-making. In this context, awareness-raising actions were carried out with various target audiences to better understand the law and the intricacies of its applicability, among which the following stand out: i) An awareness-raising action in partnership with the National Association of Municipalities aimed at the elected representatives of the municipalities of Santiago Norte and Sul in a first phase, leaving the Barlavento Region for a second phase. In this session, 9 (nine) Municipal Councils (Executive and Municipal Assemblies) were represented with the representation of all political parties, totaling 4 (four) representatives (men and women) for each Council, 2 (two) representing the Councils, and 2 (two) representing the Municipal Assemblies; ii) In partnership with the Cabo Verdean Association for the Promotion and Inclusion of Women with Disabilities (APIMUD), a workshop on “The role of Leadership and the Parity Law in promoting women’s political participation” was held for women with disabilities, which allowed this group to acquire knowledge about legal tools that enable women’s participation in politics, with a focus on the parity law. It should also be noted that the Parity Law was translated into the Braille system to ensure the inclusion of people with visual impairments, allowing their access and better use of the document; iii) Conducting two workshops on “Rights, Duties, and Tools for Democratic Participation”, aimed at immigrant women from Santiago island residing in Praia and the other for immigrant women from the island of Sal, who come from Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Brazil and Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, and São Tomé and Príncipe. The events aimed to foster the participation and inclusion of these women in public decision-making spheres and contribute to the promotion of gender equality and, by extension, inclusive and participatory democratic representation. It also served to address key concepts and knowledge on rights and important legal tools and skills in the process of political participation, such as, the rights and duties that allow/enable the participation of immigrants; the means of democratic participation for immigrants; the importance of associations in the decision-making process in public spaces; the importance of advocacy in the fight for the cause of immigrant women and the role of the Parity Law in promoting the active participation of women in politics.

Recommendation 10

Nationality

87.Although Cabo Verde has not ratified the Conventions mentioned above, it has a legal framework that explicitly prevents and combats Statelessness with provisions that try to respond to these cases and situations.

88.The law on nationality (Law 80/III/1990 of June 29) in its Article 7, paragraphs c and d, when establishing the nationality of origin, provides as Cabo Verdean of origin: a) Individuals born in Cabo Verde and who have no other nationality; b) Individuals born in Cabo Verde to a stateless father and mother or of unknown nationality residing in Cabo Verde.

89.The cases considered as ‘stateless’ in official statistics refer to persons who, at the time of data collection, had not yet acquired a nationality but who, in practice, are entitled to one.

90.If we consider the definition used in Art. 1 of the 1954 UN Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons, which defines a stateless person as ‘a person who is not regarded by any State under its law as its national’, these cases would not actually be considered stateless because they are entitled to a nationality, but have not yet acquired it for various reasons (Embassy and Consulates in other countries, etc).

Recommendation 11

Education

91.The vision of “Cabo Verde Ambition 2030” points out that the development of human capital is one of the main accelerators of sustainable development, focusing on Education of Excellence.

92.Education stands out as one of the major pillars of human capital development and an important tool for fighting poverty, promoting healthy living, strengthening democracy and citizen participation in the development process. In fact, in these 45 years of independence, education has been one of the most successful sectors and one of the greatest vectors of human development.

93.The National Education System consists of an important public network of establishments, comprising 398 Primary Schools and 44 Secondary Schools, distributed across Cabo Verde and 10 Higher Education Institutions, the latter based on the islands of Santiago and São Vicente. The majority of primary and secondary schools (78.7%) are connected to the public electricity network, which facilitates access to and use of ICT, ensuring access in 46% of schools, mainly for educational purposes.

94.As a result of this remarkable journey, the country has today a coverage of about 80.2% of children in preschool, a literacy rate of over 90%, a net enrollment rate of 92.3% in compulsory basic education, and 53.7% in secondary education.

95.“Free education and exemption from tuition fees in Secondary Education respond directly to one of the most commonly reported causes of dropout, which is financial difficulties. The curricular reform of basic education and the ongoing curricular reform process for secondary education has contributed to the reduction of school failure, another cause of school dropout.”

96.The Social Support Plan for Education and Training of Adolescents and Young People (2023-2026), aims to contribute to the enrollment, attendance, and completion of secondary and vocational education of adolescents and young people belonging to households in poverty, in its axis 2 entitled “specific measures to support pregnant students states that, “...it must ensure that girls who are in secondary education do not drop out due to pregnancy”. And to ensure the implementation of social and school support measures for pregnant adolescents and mothers under the Decree-Law (Decree-Law 47/2017), the Plan elects the following actions, namely: i) Establish a system of signaling and monitoring of pregnant students, according to the procedures established by law and the recommendations of the study “she studies for two. “; ii) Prepare a plan for the recovery/replacement of classes for students who have gone on maternity leave; iii) Ensure access to care facilities (nurseries and kindergartens) for adolescent mothers and fathers and their children; Sensitize adolescents and their families on the importance of education and completion of education to ensure access to decent employment; iv) Inform and refer pregnant adolescents to the sexual and reproductive health care service and adolescent care for follow-up.

97.The inclusion of children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) has gained greater prominence in the education policy framework, with the implementation of the policy measure for free access and retention in education for students with disabilities at all levels of education, the mapping of students with signs and implementation of resource centers in delegations and the creation of multidisciplinary teams to support inclusive education in the headquarters of school groupings.

98.In the formal education sector, in preschool and primary schools, there is gender parity and the country is very close to achieving the universality of compulsory basic education. In secondary education, there is a gap to the disadvantage of boys and the trend continues in higher education, where the gross rate favors girls. There are disparities in technical and vocational training, as can be seen from the data described below.

99.In 2019/2020, in Preschool Education (4–5 years old), the total intake rate was 81.2%, (84.4% for females and 78.1% for males. In Compulsory Primary School (1st–8th grade), the net enrollment rate (6–13 years) was 91.4%, (90.4% for females and 92.3% for males). That year, the success rates were 90.9%, (93.8% among girls, and 88.2% among boys). The dropout rate was 1.4%, (1.2% female and 1.6% male).

100.In secondary education, including technical education, the net enrollment rate in the population 14–17 years old 54.4%, indicates a gender gap unfavorable for boys (62.0% for girls and 46.8% for boys). Regarding success, 75.2% of the enrolled youth passed, (77.9% were girls and 71.9% were boys). The gross enrollment rate is 72.2% (78.8% for females and 65.6% for males). The dropout percentage represented 1.8%, corresponding 1.7% girls and 1.9% boys.

101.Technical education enrollment, on the other hand, reflects a marked imbalance, (38.1% girls and 61.9% boys).

102.Vocational training courses were attended in 2020 by 3,241 young people, of which 1,366 (42.1%) were male and 1,875 (57.8%) were female. Young women are the majority in the courses offered by the EHTCV (70%) and in some areas of the courses offered by the IFP (57.2%). At CERMI, the enrollment is mostly male, 74%.

103.In this context, the government has in progress and under development, the “Program of Technical and Vocational Education for Young People and Adults” which in addition to the National Strategy for the Eradication of Extreme Poverty (ENEPE), aims to enable young people and adults, who have not completed a certain training cycle, to have access to technical education, thus creating basic conditions for insertion into the job market. The program aims to be a means of professional reintegration of young people who, under certain circumstances, have been in conflict with the law, as well as to cover young people who have dropped out of school for various reasons, including teenage pregnancy. Participation in the program gives young people and adults a diploma or certificate equivalent to those awarded in formal, school, and vocational education.

104.The use of correctional corporal punishment against children is still practiced in the country, despite a legal prohibition against it. The Civil Code prohibits corporal punishment (Article 128) and the Penal Code prohibits and punishes it (Article 133), including both punishment at home and at school. With regard to corporal punishment and parental power of correction, the Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA) states that parents must always bear in mind the right of the child and the adolescent to an upbringing free from violence, corporal punishment, psychological harm and other measures against dignity, which are inadmissible (Article 31). In turn, it guarantees children who have suffered harm to their physical integrity to benefit from institutional care programs (Article 124).

105.As regards corporal punishment in schools, the ECA establishes that schools’ disciplinary policies and regulations must have a primarily pedagogical function, and the application of physical or humiliating sanctions against children or adolescents is expressly prohibited, including in the case of students who have become pregnant (Articles 17 and 51).

Recommendation 12

Employment

106.According to data from INE’s Continuous Multi-Objective Survey 2022, the labor market in Cabo Verde is essentially characterized by informality. At the time of the survey, there were 95,708 people in Cabo Verde working in the informal sector (including agriculture and fisheries), representing 53.8% of jobs nationally (57.2% male and 49.6% female).

107.Informal economic activity is still the largest employment niche in the rural sector, where it hosts 73.3% of employees (67.6% female and 76.8% male). The urban environment, however, hosts 48.7% (45.9% female and 51.3% male) of the employed population.

108.The data on informality show that women are the majority in informal activities, which they carry out independently and without people at their service, which makes them extremely vulnerable – their income depends solely and exclusively on their initiative and constant activity – precisely because they are not registered with social security and when they are registered, the costs are higher due to the “self-employed” modality, which attributes a contribution of 19.5%.

109.The branches of activity with the highest representation of female workers are Trade, Hotels and Restaurants, Public Administration and Defense, Social security, Education and Domestic Employment, which together represent 69.3% of the female employed population. Trade is the sector that provides the most employment in Cabo Verde and absorbs 16.5% of the employed workforce, representing 22.3% of the female employed population and only 11.6% male. Domestic Employment, on the other hand, covers 12.9% of women and only 0.3% of men. Education employs 10.4% of female workers and only 4.2% of male workers. In the 2019/20 school year, the Ministry of Education Yearbook indicates that there were 2,834 female and 1,353 male teachers in Primary Education and 964 female and 1,057 male teachers in Secondary Education. In Higher Education, there were 571 female and 890 male teachers.

110.This information indicates that the labor market reproduces gender occupational stereotypes — women have a greater presence in areas of activity linked to social reproduction — domestic care, education and health. It also shows that trade also represents an important niche in the labor market for women, and that this trade is generally informal.

Recommendation 13

Female domestic workers

111.The Improvement of the access conditions to decent employment and social protection system for female domestic workers is the second result of the project “Promoting Women’s Empowerment and Economic Autonomy”, which is funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). It should be noted that during the diagnostic preparation phase in the the project design, there were several meetings with the Association of Domestic Workers of Cabo Verde and, more recently, this contact has increased considerably, having met with the Ministry of Family, Inclusion and Social Development itself, which oversees ICIEG, taking into account the measures implemented and other complementary policy reforms to respond to CEDAW and ILO guidelines.

112.A series of activities are already in progress with the aim of improving the working conditions of female domestic workers, which in general fall on: i) strengthening their skills and professional qualification; ii) regulating the work practice of female domestic workers; iii) designing the profile of female domestic workers, which are embodied in the following activities; iv) awareness-raising actions on the rights and duties of female domestic workers, as well as measures for access and permanence to social security. The above-mentioned project will ensure the following results by 2024: a) Creation of a profile proposal for female domestic workers with the National Qualifications System and DGIS and its public presentation; b) Regulation of the work of female domestic workers; c) Technical training (150h) actions on hygiene, care of dependent persons, labor safety and basic digital skills; d) Creation, implementation, and dissemination of an awareness campaign on the rights and duties of female domestic workers and socialization of the Association of Female Domestic Workers; e) Development and implementation of an Online Platform for Employment Placement for domestic workers in partnership with the National Directorate for Social Inclusion (DGIS); f) Training (75h) actions with the association of domestic workers in strategic planning, legal and employment advice.

113.In this context, some activities have already been carried out, such as: i) Working meetings with partners, namely, the National Qualifications System; the General Directorate of Employment; the General Inspectorate of Labor, the Institute of Employment and Vocational Training, the Organization of Cabo Verdean Women, the Association of Support for the Self-Promotion of Women in Development, the General Directorate of Social Inclusion, the Association of Domestic Workers and the National Union of Trade, Domestic and Services Workers (SNTDS), for the constitution of a working group for the revision of the domestic worker guide; ii) Exclusive working meetings with the National Qualifications System for the design of the Profile of Female Domestic Workers and the design of training for capacity building, having already prepared the Terms of Reference and in the process of forming a Working and Follow-up Committee; iii) Working meetings with a Lawyer is ongoing to start the process of the proposal for the regulation of the work of female domestic workers; iv) Working meetings with the National Institute of Social Security to sign a memorandum of understanding for the development of awareness-raising actions on access and permanence to the contributory social security scheme, design and implementation of a campaign on rights and duties of domestic workers and also training for multipliers at the national level with local communities; v) Working meetings with the Institute of Employment and Vocational Training and the Association of Domestic Workers with the aim of accelerating the process of preparing the 150h training on hygiene, care of dependent persons, safety at work and basic digital skills for female domestic workers, scheduled to start in August in Praia, Santa Catarina, Santa Cruz, and in the islands of São Vicente and Santo Antão.

114.In this context, political measures have already been taken, which we will now point out: a) The exclusive creation of the Domestic Service Scheme by the National Institute of Social Security, whose monthly contribution is set at 23% which must be distributed: 15% is the employers’ share (contributors); 8% is the employees’ share (insured). Thus, with the right of retirement; b) Increase of the Minimum Wage to 14 thousand Cabo Verdean escudos, ensured in article 13 of Law No. 16/X/2022, which approves the State budget, amending Article 4 on the value of the guaranteed minimum monthly wage of Decree-Law No. 6 /2014, January 29, which creates and regulates the minimum monthly wage for employees, subject to the Labor Code regime; c) Revision of the Labor Code (ongoing). d) Ongoing discussion to extend the national coverage of the social security contribution system itself and, consequently, unemployment benefits for female domestic workers; e) Declaration and political commitment of the Government to extend the extension of maternity leave from 60 days to 90 days and introduction of paternity leave to 10 working days upon the birth of the child to the private sector and self-employed, including coverage for female domestic workers.

115.Despite these (ongoing) reforms and measures introduced, the ICIEG had already developed a project called “Strengthening national capacities for the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment”, funded by the European Union, which aimed to strengthen the capacities of female domestic workers to promote decent work. As a result, the project allowed to raise awareness and strengthen skills on the rights and duties of 87 female domestic workers, as well as on female entrepreneurship, covering the municipalities of Praia, São Domingos, Assomada and Mindelo.

Recommendation 14

Health

116.The National Directorate of Health, through the Adolescent Health Program, has been working to expand specific spaces for comprehensive adolescent health care, including Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) care, to all municipalities in the Country (20 spaces/34 health centers, in most municipalities), and where there are no specific spaces, SRH services guarantee care for adolescents.

117.Several trainings have been carried out for health professionals on comprehensive adolescent health care, with emphasis on: a) ensuring adolescents’ access to information on SRH rights and care, with distribution of information materials and training actions for adolescent peers, lectures in schools for teachers and adolescents on contraception and prevention of unwanted teenage pregnancy, prevention of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), GBV, dating violence, promotion of mental health, healthy lifestyles, assertive and safe choices, etc.; b) Access to post-abortion care provided free of charge in health facilities. However, the service of voluntary interruption of pregnancy is still not free and continues to be carried out in central and regional hospitals in order to safeguard its safe performance and treat complications that may occur eventually, c) ensuring access of women living in rural areas to SRH care, modern and free contraceptives, through decentralization of care by health centers and health posts, including women with disabilities.

118.Similarly, the reinforcement of STI-HIV/AIDS prevention actions by health structures is ensured, with the distribution of male and female condoms, with partner institutions that work in this field, namely VERDEFAM, MORABI, community associations, among others; the country’s effort to continue the response to obtain certification of vertical elimination of HIV; diagnose and treat all people living with HIV; strengthen psychosocial support to eligible people living with HIV (PLHIV); strengthen the social skills of children and adolescents in Cabo Verde in health promotion versus HIV; increase interventions that mitigate stigma and discrimination and promote human rights in the care of PLHIV and key populations;

119.The approval and dissemination of Law No. 7/X/22 on comprehensive HIV care, which removes barriers to access to services for key and vulnerable populations.

120.Despite the advances, there are still challenges that fall on the increase of human resources for health promotion and disease prevention; the empowerment and motivation of health providers; the autonomy of the population in order to mitigate socioeconomic vulnerability with a direct impact on health, especially in women; the representation of women in health decision-making, in the prevention and management of health epidemics, especially those transmitted by vectors, is guaranteed by the Ministry of Health – National Directorate of Health, the respective programs and health delegations.

121.The Ministry of Health has made efforts to make the National Health System (SNS) more inclusive and accessible to women with disabilities in terms of SRH health and rights. There has been investment in access to information for the population with disabilities, through the production and dissemination of audiovisual spots with sign language and graphic materials in the Braille System. On Gender-Based Violence (GBV), the Ministry of Health has ensured the training of gender equality technicians, the dissemination of the Law on GBV, the prevention of GBV and the care of victims, safeguarding the protection of the rights of women and girls. Sterilization procedures for women, especially those with disabilities, are carried out with free, informed and signed consent and are a standard procedure in health institutions.

122.The Ministry of Health held the 2nd edition of the International Conference of Partners for Development, which aimed to mobilize resources for the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Sustainable Development (PEDS II 2022–2026) within the scope of “Health in all policies — a path in Cabo Verde”.

123.Finally, in 2022, a study on the exercise of Citizenship in Health in Cabo Verde was developed.

Recommendation 15

Climate change and natural disasters

124.The Republic of Cabo Verde ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on March 29, 1995. The Convention entered into force on June 22, 1995.

125.The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAA) is tasked with coordinating climate change issues and activities and is the Focal Point of the UNFCCC and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Since then, considerable efforts have been made to promote the fight against climate change, with the aim of meeting the requirements of the Convention and improving cross-sectoral cooperation in order to ensure the integration of climate change issues into sector strategy documents and national development objectives.

126.The Government is aware of the state of climate emergency in which the world finds itself and advocates a responsible and respectful attitude towards current and future generations. Cabo Verde must continue to prepare itself, building resilience to cope with the phenomena associated with these changes (Government Program of the 10th legislature). The Government also establishes the powers, composition and mode of operation of the National Council for the Environment and Climate Action, hereinafter referred to as CNAAC.

127.Regarding the Gender and climate change nexus, in Cabo Verde, similar to other SIDS, climate change is more likely to impact women and men differently, namely for biological reasons, social and behavioral norms and the lack of basic resources after a disaster. Cabo Verdean women, especially those living in rural areas, are more likely to be overexposed to climate change risks due to multiple factors linked to cultural norms that perpetuate gender inequality, including: (1) Disparities in income and productivity; (2) Disparities in access to policy formulation and decision-making processes; (3) Limited access to information and capacity building, including activities that can enable the substitution of unsustainable practices (e.g. sand collection, firewood collection); (4) Non-recognition or underestimation of women’s traditional knowledge and practices about their surroundings and natural resource management; and (5) Lack of disaggregated data and related underestimation of women’s role and contributions in mitigating and adapting to climate change hazards (REFLOR).

128.Regarding Participation, women are still disadvantaged in terms of participation in influential positions and decision-making processes. Only 11% of NGOs and community-based associations are headed by women, while women in ministerial positions represent only 14.3% (DSG-REFLOR).

129.Several projects, plans and programs have been implemented to address climate change and have contributed to the implementation of measures that contribute to gender equality. It should be noted that there is a greater sensitivity to gender issues and many projects have internalized the concern for gender mainstreaming. Below, we list some results or proposals for measures suggested by these projects: it should be noted that with the implementation of the Project to Strengthen the Adaptation and Mitigation Capacity of the Forestry Sector in Cabo Verde (REFLOR), a Social and Gender Diagnosis (DSG) was prepared, and important social and gender biases were identified in the beneficiary communities. In addition, it is important to underline that the project intervened in a context of extreme water shortage, derived from the effects of 4 cumulative years of drought, since 2017, aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Although Cabo Verde’s population compared to other African countries is well positioned in terms of access to energy, water and education, the pandemic has shown that economic and health emergencies have been exacerbated further and deeper by the triple crisis of resource scarcity, climate change and biodiversity loss, particularly for Cabo Verde’s rural society. This project had as one of its objectives a better understanding of (i) women’s and men’s roles as users of forest resources, (ii) gendered social dynamics in access to productive resources, services (in particular forestry) and local institutions, the ability of men/women to influence decision-making (voice) and benefit from natural resources and economic opportunities to improve their individual and household well-being (agency), and (iii) the needs, rights and interests of men/women and all stakeholders in forest management. Through the aforementioned DSG, important social and gender biases were identified in the beneficiary communities, particularly in terms of access to water, access to and control over land. They are biases which have a significant gender dimension, especially in the documentation of ownership, including by the State (Long-Term Agreements), which tends to be attributed to men who are considered heads of household. Tenure issues have been found to impact the investments that women and men can make, but particularly women, who are less likely to be holders than men. Gender biases in participation and decision-making were also identified. An aspect that should continue to deserve the attention of the different institutions of the country, despite the publication of Law No. 68/IX/2019 on Parity, is the issue of participation, especially participation at the community level, constituting a challenge that conditions greater autonomy for women.

130.At the level of the Drought and Bad Agricultural Year Emergency and Mitigation Programs implemented during the four years of drought (2017–2021), a positive discrimination measure was introduced, prioritizing female heads of households in terms of job creation for affected families. In this framework, among the measures taken, the Strengthening of the resilience of families and communities stands out, whose objective was the creation of public employment to improve accessibility, streets and soil conservation. In this measure, 14 602 jobs were created, of which 6 279 (43%) were for female heads of household (jobs created until December 31, 2020). Several Income Generating Activities were also promoted at the level of processing and irrigated production, benefiting 25 heads of households women. In 2021/2022, there was a strong commitment to the creation of public work in 18 municipalities, which allowed the creation of 5,581 jobs (4800 jobs planned) of which 2,846 (51% of employment) are women heads of household, through the construction of public utility infrastructures, durable and with a very positive impact on the quality of the environment and the well-being of the population.

131.At the level of the Program for Economic Opportunities in the Rural Environment (POSER), a component was implemented that worked to Support Small Farmers in Adapting to Climate Change. In order to strengthen the country’s resilience to climate change and that of small farmers to the effect of climate change in the program’s intervention areas, additional funding strengthened activities aimed at improving water mobilization and management for agricultural use; watershed protection; and improving soil water infiltration. In addition, the program installed and improved the water distribution network of wells and reservoirs on farmers’ plots. The program development objective was to improve the income of small farmers, including women, and create sustainable jobs for the rural poor, especially women and youth in the context of climate change.

132.During the 2020-2021 period, 48 projects were implemented, of which 31 were considered structuring projects, 17 considered job creation projects and 10 projects for soil and water conservation. The islands of Brava (9 projects), Fogo (8), S. Nicolau (3) and Santiago (28) were covered. A total of 1,537 people benefited, 1,079 households, of which 655 were headed by men and 424 by women. The total number of female beneficiaries is 638 (42%).

133.From 2019 to 2023, ICIEG, in partnership with the Program for the Promotion of Rural Socioeconomic Opportunities (POSER) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, which is funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), has been strengthening its training and awareness-raising activities with women and young people in rural areas, contributing significantly to the economic empowerment of women and young people – in rural areas – and to the constitution of a more equal and equitable society. The priority areas of intervention are economic autonomy, participation and decision-making processes and, in the last two years, integrating in the activity plan, body autonomy, with a focus on GBV and positive masculinities that aims to raise awareness and create favorable conditions for the promotion of equality in order to change gender relations and power relations within communities.

134.Thus, among the training and awareness-raising actions, the following stand out: capacity building and skills reinforcement in the areas of financial education and digital literacy; training in Get Ahead – A Step Forward – a methodology developed by the ILO that is especially targeted at women’s entrepreneurship and aims to develop women’s self-confidence, enhancing their entrepreneurial and personal skills and strengthening their management skills; GERME – Managing Your Business Better – is a management training program designed by the ILO, focused on starting and improving small businesses as a strategy to create more quality employment for women and men, particularly in emerging economies.

135.We emphasize that the mainstreaming of gender-sensitive issues in POSER, which works in the blue and green economy sectors intending to strengthen their value chains, is the key theme of ICIEG’s to date. In fact, this is why the most recent work plan (2022-2023) actions focused on gender mainstreaming: (i) both in the strengthening of skills that improve the conditions for women’s participation in decision-making positions in their communities on the islands of Fogo, Santo Antão, Santiago, São Nicolau and São Vicente, with a focus on leadership and communication skills; (ii) and the strengthening of the capacity of the Delegations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAA), the POSER Technical Units and the beneficiaries in the field of gender equality and equity, as a way of ensuring durability in the MAA itself.

136.The participation of women and young people in decision-making processes and gender-balanced representation in public and also private spaces was one of the dimensions worked on, in complementarity with the economic and emotional autonomy of women and young women, despite some challenges still in terms of the representativeness of women in the decision-making bodies of CBAs and, in general, in public decision-making spaces. This challenge is evident in almost all sectors of Cabo Verdean society due to a set of social and cultural factors that are being deconstructed.

137. Between 2019 and 2023, the partnership between ICIEG and POSER enabled training and awareness-raising actions focused on gender mainstreaming to benefit 1,685 women (especially mothers and heads of household) and young people, covering the islands of Santiago, Fogo, Brava, São Nicolau and Santo Antão.

138.In the context of the preparation of the Nationally Determined Communication (NDC), the Commission is informed that the document was updated in 2020. The update deepens and goes beyond the initial set of actions and commitments with regard to sectoral ambition, balance of mitigation and adaptation actions, climate justice. In this updated version there are many commitments related to gender equality. NDC indicates that the definition of vulnerable groups in the face of climate change, as well as the links between gender and climate policy and planning are not yet sufficiently established or institutionalized in Cabo Verde. It is clear that disasters can take on considerable proportions across the country. It is also noted that Cabo Verde needs inclusive and gender-sensitive strategies to increase the adaptive capacity of all its communities and economic sectors, including food production and tourism. The NDC recognizes that women and young people are under-represented in decision-making bodies, over-represented in unemployment and emigration, and have fewer assets or financial resources. For this NDC the sectors of energy, water, land use/agriculture, blue economy and tourism should be the focus of gender equality. While many gender equality targets have been achieved by Cabo Verde, gender roles continue to deny women full equality and access to resources. The key issues that lock most women into poverty and low productivity are their lack of time and funding. The key to the next major progress in gender equality in Cabo Verde is women’s economic empowerment and participation at different levels of decision-making.

139.Therefore, there is an increasing sensitivity to the inclusion of the gender approach in the different measures foreseen in the implementation of the National Adaptation Plan (NAP). Since its diagnosis, the NAP reveals the use of economic and social data indicating that climate change particularly affects women and single-parent families represented by women, children and the elderly in unfavorable situations, such as people with disabilities, who have less adaptive capacity, as they have more difficulties in accessing financing, the market and assistance services related to entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship, access to information, and others. In the case of women, the jobs they hold also tend to be more precarious. The NAP is based on the NDC and the Sendai Framework for Risk Reduction and it includes, among others, the principles of Social Equity, Equal Rights, and Parity to ensure women’s representation in climate change decision-making and management bodies.

140.The Climate Action Program (CAP), funded by Luxembourg Cooperation, recognizes in its project document that climate change increases already existing inequalities and vulnerabilities related to gender, socio-economic and geophysical issues, while adaptive capacities and response mechanisms are not evenly distributed. The objective of the CAP intervention is to contribute to increasing Cabo Verde’s climate resilience. Given the special circumstances of Cabo Verde, most of the intervention resources are dedicated to adaptation. Men and women, old and young, families and communities face different effects based on their level of vulnerability, preparedness, and resilience to climate risks.

141.Livelihood, socio-economic status, geographical location, religion and gender can all affect your vulnerability to climate change. As far as women and girls are concerned, socio-cultural mores are responsible for gender inequalities in several areas, causing disparities in income, employment opportunities and access to essential services to persist. The “feminization” of poverty in urban and rural areas, especially in female-headed households, thus widens the poverty gap.

142.The poverty experienced by women and the pursuit of livelihood often leads them to make intensive and irrational use of natural resources, such as inert materials, firewood, and others, because they are often the only resources that guarantee the survival of these women and their families, often putting their health and lives at risk.

143.It is important to note that the social and economic vulnerabilities of the most vulnerable groups and their low participation in decision-making at different levels, with emphasis on the definition and implementation of public policies in terms of climate change mitigation, often means that the measures defined do not correspond to the reality experienced by a large part of the population, thus compromising their success in increasing climate and social resilience.

144.Hence, the CAP intervention will also support the national counterpart in the implementation of gender specific measures present in the NDC and NAP and in line with the national gender policy. This is intended to be done under the leadership of the Climate Department, recently created in the MAA and the Ministry of Family, Inclusion and Social Development, with the support of the National Institute of Statistics (INE) and ICIEG. These measures aim to empower women on climate issues in order to reduce their vulnerabilities.

145.The Fourth National Communication and First Biennial Update for the Republic of Cabo Verde project foresees the preparation of a Gender and Climate Change Action Plan and an in-depth Study on the different roles of men and women in adaptation and mitigation interventions at the community level, in policy development and decision-making.

146.The National Civil Protection System (Risk and Disaster Reduction Component) the directorate that has responsibility for Risk and Disaster Reduction (DRR) is composed of a single male person, who is also the director of the service. This board has had three members, two male and one female. Taking into account that DRR works require expertise from various areas and sectors, the work teams are assembled according to the specificity of the work to be carried out and involving various institutions (taking into account that there is not all technical capacity in management), always taking into account the National Civil Protection System. Women have always been part of the working groups, which can be proven by checking the fact sheet of the collaborators who participated in the drafting of the national strategy for disaster risk reduction. Furthermore, in the Civil Protection field, a national consultancy called “Preparation of gender analysis and mainstreaming project” was carried out followed by a training action for civil protection staff. Training and awareness-raising actions were also carried out in municipalities and schools, among others.

Recommendation 16

Women and economic empowerment

147.The PNIG 2022–2026 assigns specific responsibilities to the different sectors and prioritizes the design and implementation of actions that directly contribute to the promotion of gender equality. The Women’s Economic Empowerment Axis includes: a) the sectors outlined in the Government Program and introduces the need to strengthen efforts in innovative and strategic areas for the country’s development – energy transition, environmental preservation, and rural development, ICTs, and Tourism; b) It also considers it necessary to continue the extension of the mandatory social protection system; c) Implementation of the care system and promotion of shared responsibility in family care.

148.The Government has taken a number of initiatives, which we list below: a) The approval of the National Strategy for the Eradication of Extreme Poverty 2022–2026, by Resolution No. 4/2023; b) The creation of the Integrated Family Support Program, which aims at family monitoring and the provision of social assistance to the population at risk, through the transfer of financial resources to guarantee access to minimum services (health, food, income-generating activities, vocational training) – 42,000,000 CVE; c) The implementation of the project “Economic Empowerment – Promotion of Women” by ICIEG and POSER, which aims to: contribute to increasing the social and economic empowerment of women and youth in rural areas and create the conditions for changing gender relations and power relations within communities, as well as strengthening the capacity of the Delegations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, POSER Technical Units and beneficiaries in the field of gender equality and equity. As achieved results we highlight: 1,685 beneficiaries, between 2019 and 2023, covering the islands of Santiago, Fogo, Brava, São Nicolau and Santo Antão.

149.The implementation of the Project “Promoting Empowerment and Economic Autonomy of Women” promoted by ICIEG, which aims to contribute to increasing the access of women in vulnerable situations to decent employment, promoting income-generating activities and favoring access to the formal economy had as Results: 111 beneficiaries, being 103 women and 8 men, aged between 18 and 56 years. The project covers 8 municipalities, having covered 6 municipalities so far, namely: Praia, Santa Cruz, Santa Catarina de Santiago, Ribeira Grande de Santo Antão, and São Vicente; The implementation of the project “Strengthening national capacities for the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment”, which has the Objective of strengthening the capacities of female domestic workers to promote decent work, having benefited 87 female domestic workers who were sensitized about their rights and trained on female entrepreneurship, and, covering the municipalities of Praia, São Domingos, Assomada and Mindelo; The implementation of the project “Reconversion of the Mining Activity of Ribeira da Barca Women”, implemented by the Municipality of Santa Catarina and ICIEG, which aimed to promote alternatives to women heads of household to help them change their “line of life” (sand harvesting). The following results were obtained: 20 women trained in “Small Business Management and Environmental Preservation”; The implementation of the project “50 million women have their say”, implemented by ICIEG and aimed at providing crucial information on business creation and management to Cabo Verdean women entrepreneurs by enrolling them in a digital platform, which is specifically targeted at women from the African continent. This project benefited 140 women, of which 50 had the training in Get-ahead: creation and management of small businesses; 40 participated in the Café Empreende Workshop and 50 participated in the “Youth Speak Forum”; The implementation of the project “Contributing to the creation and access to decent work for women”, implemented by ICIEG with the aim of creating and improving access to work in the area of care services, for women in the Municipalities of Porto Novo, Paul, Boa Vista and Sal. As a result, it reached 166 people trained as child and dependent caregivers; professionalization of care work by Decree-Law No. 63/2020; Ludo pedagogical Guide for Nurseries and prepared and updated the Social Charter.

150.In 2022, a protocol was established to support the implementation of the Gender Strategy in Fisheries (2022–2026), implemented by ICIEG in partnership with FAO and the Ministry of the Sea, with the aim of developing and implementing at least one gender equality plan in companies in the sector, promote the formalization of work and social protection in the small-scale fisheries subsector and the production of knowledge and information management of the gender-sensitive fisheries sector, through the elaboration of an awareness campaign for the visibility and professional recognition of women in the value chain of small-scale fishery products to ensure food and nutritional security in Cabo Verde. As a result, 6 companies have already been sensitized and have shown a willingness to have an Equality Plan, and its development and subsequent implementation are currently in progress.

151.According to the Statistical Bulletin of the Social Protection System 2016–2020 of Cabo Verde, since 2014 there has been a significant increase in Social Protection coverage, which is also due to the integration of domestic workers from the REMPE regime, through the formalization of their activity and access to the social security system of vulnerable workers. In 2020, more than 50% of Cabo Verdeans were covered by at least one social protection scheme – in the Public Administration, 50% are men and 50% are women; among workers in the REMPE scheme, 51% are men and 49% are women; among employees, 57% are men and 43% are women; among domestic workers, 95% are women and 5% are men.

152.The contributory social security system has expanded significantly in recent years, from 39.5% coverage in 2015 to 58.9% in 2022 (+19.4 p.p.). The existing legal and institutional framework is favorable in that it covers the main segments considered difficult to cover, in particular Micro and Small Enterprises, domestic workers, and the self-employed. Social benefits, especially at the level of the safety net, play an important role in fighting poverty, but also in extending it to groups that do not have the contributory capacity to be in the contributory system. Complementary social protection schemes play an important role in covering a poorer layer and can be transitional mechanisms, complementing conventional social security schemes (Micro-Finance and Micro-Insurance; Mutuals and Private Insurance).

153.The current institutional framework on gender allows for the combination of policy measures, such as the budget legal framework linking national, sectoral and local planning processes, the use of a gender approach and Gender Sensitive Budgeting (GSB). The actions it promotes are guided by the promotion of women’s autonomy and aligned with the policy measures defined by the 2021-2025 Government Program. The general legal framework is favorable to the promotion of equal opportunities for men and women and the instruments defining national policy measures make extensive reference to the promotion of gender equality. They also refer to the extension of compulsory social security as one of the pillars of social economic intervention, which is referenced in the Government Program, PEDS II and PNIG.

Recommendation 17

Rural women

154.In 2015, according to data from the Family Expenditure and Income Survey (IDRF), the extreme poverty threshold in Cabo Verde was 49,699 and 49,205 escudos per year in urban and rural areas, equivalent to 136 escudos per day or less than 135 escudos per day in rural areas and less than 452 and 447 dollars per year, respectively. Some 54,395 people (10.6% of the population) lived in extremely poor households, i.e. with consumption levels below these thresholds. Extreme poverty is an essentially rural phenomenon and particularly affects women. About 68.1% of the population in extreme poverty lives in rural areas where this situation of deprivation affects 20.3% of the population, compared to 5.3% of the urban population. The municipalities of Santa Cruz and Praia were the municipalities with the highest incidence of extreme poverty, with 14.6% and 11.9%, respectively, followed by the municipalities of São Filipe and Santa Catarina, with about 11% of the population in this situation of deprivation.

155.In most municipalities, women made up the majority (53.6%) of the population in extreme poverty, except for the municipalities of Paul, Ribeira Brava, Sal, Maio, São Domingos, São Lourenço dos Órgãos, Mosteiros and Ribeira Grande de Santiago. In addition, about 42% of the very poor population were children, under 15 years of age, with 14.5% under 5 years of age, and about 5% of the population in this situation were elderly, aged 65 or over.

156.The eradication of extreme poverty is a priority and a challenge for the country, and it is necessary to build more flexible mechanisms that respond to the demands of the reality of the different groups/profiles of the poor population. The focus on the poorest as priority segments of the attention of the non-contributory social protection policy has been a bet, especially with the operationalization of the Single Social Registry.

157.The Government has set as a major challenge the fight against impoverishment and the eradication of extreme poverty by 2026, through the 2022–2026 Compact for the Transition of Families in Extreme Poverty, operationalized, at the central level, by the Social Protection Program of PEDS II; at the sectoral level, by the Strategic Plan for Social Protection 2022–2026 and at local level, by the Municipal Strategic Plans for Sustainable Development (PEMDS). The compact for the transition of households in extreme poverty 2022–2026 will be a territorially based mechanism targeting households, as very poor people live in households in extreme poverty.

158.In this context, the government prepared the ENEPE — National Strategy for the Eradication of Extreme Poverty in Cabo Verde, a document that defines the strategic actions necessary to fight extreme poverty to be implemented within the scope of the new PEDS 2022–2026, bringing new evidence on data on extreme poverty in Cabo Verde. This document assumes as a baseline scenario the most recent INE data in which extreme poverty was 13.1% in 2020, corresponding to about 12,184 households and 63,355 individuals. In this context and from the analysis of the tables of the Single Social Registry, it appears that, among adults, there are more women affected by poverty conditions because they represent 85% of Group 1 households. These women usually have informal jobs, which constitute the only source of income for the family. In particular, they often engage in unpaid and unappreciated domestic work, rainfed agriculture, or informal trade, especially in rural areas. The 2022–2026 ENEPE, has a very well-identified focus on this group 1 target of the Single Social Registry, namely children, people with disabilities, the elderly, and unemployed young people, neither in the education system nor in vocational training. The intervention proposed by this Strategy identifies three axes of intervention, namely, the Expansion of Income Transfer Programs with a focus on combating extreme poverty, Institutional Articulation and Integrated Intervention of the Different Social Protection Measures and finally, strengthening institutional, technical and financial capacity to enable, monitor and evaluate ENEPE. It must also ensure two indispensable factors: a) Extension of social protection measures to all families in extreme poverty; and b) Increase in the income level of these families – either through employment, informal activities, and/or social benefits ensuring that they are above the defined poverty line. The Government believes that the integrated intervention between the three axes described should have results that will translate into the gradual reduction of extreme poverty as the income and living conditions of these families improve and reiterates the commitment to eradicate extreme poverty by 2026.

159.Furthermore, in the context of the fight against rural poverty, the Program for the Promotion of Rural Socio-economic Opportunities - POSER signed a cooperation protocol with ICIEG, to deepen the fight against gender stereotypes and promote greater and better participation of women in decision-making and income-generating activities. Within the scope of this protocol, ICIEG provided training to women beneficiaries of the program in 2 aspects: to (i) strengthen their entrepreneurial skills and small business management, and regarding (ii) gender and self-esteem, with a focus on participation in Community Development Associations and Regional Commissions of Partners.

Recommendation 18

Women with disabilities

160.According to data from the 2021 Census of the National Institute of Statistics of Cabo Verde (INE-CV), the majority of the population aged 5 and over with disabilities are women (of the total 10.6% of the population with disabilities, about 62.5% against 37.5% in urban areas and 60.1% against 39.9 in rural areas). Women constitute a majority in all types of disability or functional domains: vision (19054 women versus 9751 men), hearing (4522 women versus 3293 men), mobility (7765 women versus 5183 men), cognition (5920 women versus 3612 men), self-care (3235 women versus 2265 men) and communication (1855 women versus 1833 men).

161.Women with disabilities, face multiple discrimination – due to gender, the social stigma associated with disability, and the consequences of this condition – low educational level and low income. The Bio Behavioral Study on the Vulnerability of People with Disabilities to HIV/AIDS (2018), indicates that 45% of men and women with disabilities have experienced some form of violence, of which 14.4% verbal, 10.4% physical, and 4.7% economic. Cases of violence happen predominantly in the neighborhood (31.2%), in the household (28%), and in the street (17.2%). More than half of people with disabilities who have experienced violence do not report it (seek help, complain, etc.). The qualitative component of the study confirms that they suffer mainly from physical, psychological, and sexual violence.

162.ICIEG’s work is based on efforts to mainstream the gender approach at the sectoral level and on working with a wide network of partnerships, with civil society organizations engaged in promoting equality (OMCV, MORABI), including those representing specific groups (women with disabilities, immigrant women, women with HIV/AIDS, LGBTI people’s association, etc.), men (White Ribbon Network) or specific professional groups (women lawyers, women entrepreneurs, women domestic workers, women parliamentarians); institutional development partners (ICCA, CIGEF, CIGEF, and CNDHC), including bilateral and multilateral cooperation; trade union groups, in particular those representing women workers, such as the Domestic Workers’ Union.

163.In this context, ICIEG in partnership with the Cabo Verdean Association for the Promotion and Inclusion of Women with Disabilities (APIMUD), held a workshop for women with disabilities, in which the objective was to foster the participation and inclusion of these women in public decision-making spaces and contribute to the promotion of gender equality, inclusive and participatory political representation. The workshop allowed this group to gain knowledge about legal tools and skills important in the process of political participation, such as: the role of leadership and the Parity Law in promoting women’s active participation in politics.

Recommendation 19

Migrant women

164.The issues of migrant women have always deserved special attention from the State, through the High Authority for Immigration, I.P (former Directorate General for Immigration), especially concerning regularization, as essential for the integration process.

165.Taking into account the difficulties faced by immigrants, in particular immigrant women in regularization, which falls on proving the economic conditions of subsistence in the country and the fact that many do not have a stable employment relationship, an Exceptional Regime of Extraordinary Regularization of foreigners was established in 2021 by Decree-Law No. 72/2021 of 18 October, which allowed the submission of an application for regularization in a household, dispensing with the presentation of proof of the economic situation for household members.

166.Regarding the difficulties faced by immigrant women in accessing education and health services, due to language barriers, it is reported that the High Authority for Immigration, I.P. is in the process of implementing an integrated system of care for immigrants, at the national level, with local service stations and units, complemented by a telephone interpretation service, whose implementation has also begun. The telephone interpretation system will overcome language barriers and facilitate communication between immigrants and Cabo Verdean institutions by providing interpretation in the five main languages spoken by immigrants in Cabo Verde (Guinea-Bissau Creole, English, Wolof, French, and Mandarin). Moreover, it should be noted that the Activity Plan of the High Authority for Immigration, I.P for 2023, also foresees the implementation of a Portuguese Language Course, aiming to facilitate the access of immigrants to education and training.

167.Regarding the difficulties in accessing education and health services, for reasons of cost, it is noted that under Article 68 of the Foreigners Law of Cabo Verde (Law No. 19/IX/2017, of 13 December 2017), foreigners holding a residence permit are entitled to education and access to health, without the need for special authorization and under the same conditions guaranteed to Cabo Verdeans. The latter right, under the combined terms of paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 5 of the Basic Law of the National Health Service (Law no. 41/VI/2004, of April 5, as amended by Law No. 76/IX/2020, of May 2, 2020) is guaranteed to all, including foreigners, regardless of their economic condition.

168.Female genital mutilation in Cabo Verde was criminalized (introduced in the Penal Code Law No. 117/IX/2021 of 11 February) in 2021, punishable by a sentence of 4 to 10 years in prison, and its preparation is also punishable. Aware that criminalization alone is not enough to eliminate this practice, the High Authority for Immigration, I.P. has been developing awareness-raising activities against female genital mutilation among immigrant communities, with emphasis on the lecture held in August 2022 on the theme “Immigration, Gender, and Harmful Practices”: Why talk about Female Genital Mutilation in Cabo Verde?”.

169.In 2021, AAI, I.P. promoted a series of conversations around Immigration in Cabo Verde to discuss the topic of Female Genital Mutilation, aiming to be an information and/or awareness-raising strategy for civil society and to promote reflections and debates on the subject.

170.In addition, as part of information dissemination, AAI created monthly information spaces on Community Radios, in Praia and Sal (Santa Maria), to inform immigrants about their rights, duties, and relevant services for their stay and integration into Cabo Verdean society, to promote intercultural dialog, mutual respect and prevent discrimination. In February 2022 and February 2023, the programs developed in Praia focused on the impact of female genital mutilation on women’s health and the framework of genital mutilation in Cabo Verdean legislation, respectively, as a way to inform and raise awareness about this practice.

171.Furthermore, the Activity Plan of the High Authority for Immigration, I.P in order to continue raising awareness about female genital mutilation during the year 2023, sets among the main objectives, to promote a culture of equality and gender equity within the immigrant communities residing in Cabo Verde, in which it foresees the completion of the elaboration of the project on female genital mutilation and mobilization of partnerships for its implementation.

172.It is also foreseen, during 2023, the elaboration of a study on Gender, Immigration, and Harmful Practices (especially Female Genital Mutilation) in Cabo Verde, inserted into a larger Project, which, in addition to improving knowledge about this phenomenon, it is foreseen the information, sensitization, and training of representatives of institutions, from various areas, especially in the health area.

Recommendation 20

Marriage and family relations

173.In relation to polygamy itself, changing attitudes and practices is a long-term effort, which implies continued attention to equality education initiatives, whether in the educational context or at the community level, efforts that are underway, including with immigrant communities, as already mentioned. Although there are no studies quantifying the extent of polygamy, it is clear that it has been decreasing over the years in the country. It is important to note that the progress Cabo Verde has made in terms of women’s empowerment (educational levels, access to information about their rights, economic autonomy, etc.) has led to changing attitudes towards polygamy, reducing its social acceptability. The situation tends to fall equally to the practice of Polyandry, configuring in practices harmful to family stability.

174.The rights and responsibilities of married persons, and the economic implications of marriage, as well as inheritance issues, are governed by the Civil Code (Book IV - Family Law), which gives women and men equal legal capacity. In the section on marriage, Chapter VIII deals with the Effects of Marriage. The effects on persons (Section 1) are governed by the principle of equality, and marriage is based on the full equality of rights and duties of the spouses (Article 1624); the management and representation of the family shall be vested in both spouses, who shall agree on the direction of their life together, with a view to the well-being of the family and the defense and promotion of their mutual interests and those of their children (Article 1625); the domestic government shall be vested in both spouses, who may agree on the assignment of domestic government to one of them, according to their habits and condition (Article 1626); subparagraph 3 of the same article stipulates that both spouses must contribute, in proportion to their income or earnings, to the costs of family life corresponding to the economic and social condition of the family and, subparagraph 4, that the contribution to the costs of family life may be provided by the work spent in the home or in the maintenance and education of the children (meaning so-called reproductive work, of an unpaid nature). The following articles stipulate, based on the principle of equality between husband and wife, the right to a name, the right to freedom of choice and exercise of the profession, the right to freedom to establish and operate bank deposits, and the reciprocity of duties. The property regime (Section IV) can be chosen by the couple at the time of marriage, namely the community of acquired property regime, the general community regime, and the separation of property regime. The supplementary regime, which applies in the absence of a choice on the part of the couple, is the community of acquisitions regime. With some exceptions, marriages in Cabo Verde are celebrated under this regime. Article 1682 defines the common property, which forms part of the community: a) the proceeds of the spouses’ work; and b) property acquired by the spouses during the marriage, which is not excepted by law (essentially former property of one of the spouses, donated or inherited property, among others). Article 1688 on the participation of the spouses in the community property stipulates that the spouses participate half in the assets and liabilities of the community, and any stipulation to the contrary is void. Article 1642, on dispositions after death, stipulates that each spouse is entitled to dispose of, after death, his/her property and his/her share in the common property. With regard to separation and divorce, either spouse may apply for divorce and the grounds do not alter the rights and duties of each spouse in this context, and separation of persons and property is provided for on an equal footing between men and women. On the administration and disposal of property, Section II on the effects of marriage on the property of the spouses provides that: that each spouse administers his/her property and, if the other spouse has formally conferred this power on him/her, the other spouse’s property, each spouse is entitled to perform acts of ordinary administration in relation to the common property of the couple, but the consent of both spouses being required for other acts (Article 1635), such as the disposal of movable property (Article 1638) or the disposal/lease of immovable property (Article 1639); it is also up to each spouse to administer the income received from his/her work (Article 1635(2)(a)).

175.The difficulties that arise in Cabo Verde do not concern the legal framework regarding inheritance or clarity regarding matrimonial property, but rather the culture of informality that exists in the country in the transfer of assets, in particular real estate, including in cases of succession by death, largely due to excessive bureaucracy and burdens in terms of fees and taxes, as well as ignorance of the applicable legal framework. It should be noted that there is no evidence to suggest that this informality affects women and men differently.

176.There is no systematic survey of the difficulties that women face in separation and divorce situations, but everyday practice points to difficulties linked to socio-economic status: it is common for separated couples to keep the same house, avoiding the division of assets and the award of pension, due to economic impossibility; there are often no resources for a lawyer to accompany the division of assets, which would help to ensure that the division is fair; only people with an income below 20,000 CVE will be eligible for legal aid, those with higher but modest incomes will have to pay for a lawyer and court, both of which are expensive. It is possible that these difficulties affect women more than men, given their greater degree of economic dependence.

177.The Civil Code defines a civil partnership as the stable, singular and serious cohabitation of bed, table and house between two persons of different sexes with legal capacity to enter into marriage, for a period of at least three years, who intend to form a family through a full communion of life (Article 1560). Article 1562, on the formalization of marriage, states in paragraph 5) that the recognition of a civil partnership is equivalent to the formalization of marriage. The recognition of a civil partnership is a notarized recognition (Article 1711), made in the presence of the registrar, provided that the cohabitation between the man and the woman meets the necessary requirements, which are basically the same as those that apply to marriage (with both applicants in full possession of their mental faculties and without any matrimonial impediments between the applicants), that both applicants are over 19 years of age, and that it is concluded that the common life of the applicants guarantees the stability, uniqueness and seriousness proper to marriage. Paragraph 2) of this same article also introduces the possibility of recognizing the civil partnership, regardless of the period of cohabitation, when there are one or more common descendants of the couple (i.e. before 3 years of cohabitation in such cases). Therefore, in line with Article 1716, a recognized civil partnership is equivalent to a marriage for all legal purposes, taking effect from the date of the beginning of the union. Thus, the legal framework set out above applies, which recognizes the same rights and duties for both partners (women and men), the same economic and property consequences, and when they unite the two partners can choose the property regime of the union, as in the case of marriage. In situations of divorce from a recognized union, the provisions regarding child custody, child support and property sharing are the same as for marriage, as they are legally equivalent situations.

178.However, the vast majority of unions in Cabo Verde are not recognized, given the informal nature of this form of relationship, as well as the lack of knowledge of the legal framework applicable to civil partnerships. The Civil Code includes several provisions to respond to the sociocultural reality of informal unions. Namely, Article 1719 introduces the notion of a recognizable civil partnership, even if not recognized, and, in the event of termination of a civil partnership that meets the requirements for recognition (recognizable union), either party may apply to the court to be guaranteed the right to maintenance; the right to their share of the joint property, as if it were a divorce (in which case the supplementary property regime applies, i.e. the community of acquisitions regime); the right to live in the family home if the couple’s minor children are dependent on them. Paragraph 2 of the same article provides that in the event of the death of one of the cohabitants, the share in the common property may be claimed by the legitimate heirs, who in Cabo Verde are generally the children; and paragraph 5 establishes a period of 3 years, from the assignment of the unrecognized but recognizable civil partnership, for the former cohabitants to claim their rights. There is also the possibility of termination of the civil partnership recognizable by mutual consent, which does not require court proceedings: the former cohabitants may establish, within one year of the termination, by public deed or by private writing approved by the judge by a simple term drawn up therein, agreements regarding the exercise of parental authority over the couple’s minor children, the assets acquired during the union and the family home, applying in everything, with the necessary adaptations, the rules governing divorce by mutual consent (Article 1721).

179.Regarding the resources available to women after the dissolution of a civil partnership, these are legal information and legal aid. Legal representation is guaranteed by the Cabo Verde Bar Association (OACV) for people without economic conditions, requiring only a copy of an identification document and proof of economic insufficiency. Legal information is provided by NGOs and the 22 municipalities under protocols signed with the Ministry of Justice.

Recommendation 21

Data collection

180.The National Institute of Statistics, in all its operations, collects and publishes data disaggregated by sex, age, municipality, and area of residence (urban and rural). To respond to national and international commitments (PEDS, SDG 2030, and the African Agenda 2063) and the objective of “leaving no one behind” in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 2030). On the other hand, to eradicate all types of disadvantages worldwide, INE, within the scope of the General Population and Housing Census 2021 (V RGPH), similarly to the IV RGPH of 2010, collected, analyzed, and published data on disability. National Institute of Statistics, within the scope of its duties and responsibilities, has prioritized and designed statistical operations to respond to this and other issues, thus, the Family Expenditure and Income Survey 2022 (IV IDRF) in progress, is collecting data on the subject.

Recommendation 22

Technical assistance

181.Cabo Verde, over the years, has excelled in strengthening national technical capacities and, in recent years, has drawn on these skills for the design of national strategies and policies concerning gender equality and, of course, concerning the implementation of the Conventions.

182.However, in parallel and as part of the implementation of a range of actions, the State has also resorted to international technical assistance that works together with national expertise.

Recommendation 23

Ratification of other treaties

183.In 2021, Cabo Verde adopted the resolution approving the ratification of the Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. In 2022 Cabo Verde approved the Resolutions: a) Resolution No. 56/X/2022, which approves, that the Convention on Jurisdiction, Applicable Law, Recognition, Enforcement and Cooperation in Respect of Parental Responsibility and Measures for the Protection of Children, of October 19, 1996, be adhered to; b) Resolution No. 57/X/2022, which approves, that the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York on December 20, 2006, be ratified; c) Resolution No. 58/X/2022, approving, for accession, the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education, adopted on 25 November 2019, by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), meeting in Paris, from 12 to 27 November 2019 - all in Official Gazette No. 50 I Series 25 May 2022.

Recommendation 24

Follow-up to concluding observations

184.One of the constraints experienced by Cabo Verde in the period under review and which led to the country’s failure in submitting written information on the measures taken to implement the recommendations set out in paragraphs 22 (a), 26 (a), 29 (c) and 33 (a) of the Committee’s concluding observations (CEDAW/C/CPV/CO/R.9 ), relates to the country’s lockdown in 2020, due to the COVID pandemic, which led the country to redefine the programmatic action framework that became emergency assistance to populations, especially the most deprived and vulnerable.

185.The requested information is provided in this report under recommendations 7, 9, 21 and, 13 respectively.