Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2004, published 93rd ILC session (2005)

The Committee notes that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which read as follows:

1. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that the Ministry of Education runs an advocacy programme to dispel any stereotypes that exist in respect of occupational guidance and counselling. It asks the Government to provide more detailed information on this programme, including copies of publications and educational materials produced under its auspices. Referring to its previous comments on the extremely low participation of girls and women in technical and vocational training institutes, the Committee requests the Government to also keep it informed of the results secured by the said advocacy programme in promoting women’s equal access to vocational training and occupational guidance, including access to non-traditional occupations.

2. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that entry into pre-service training for the public sector is non-discriminatory. It notes as well the information provided regarding the number of women and men enrolled in these courses; the figures supplied indicate that, of the trainees for the year 1999 at the Swaziland Institute of Management and Public Administration (SIMPA), 450 were men and 479 were women. It asks the Government to provide statistical information respecting the number of women and men trainees enrolled in each of SIMPA’s different occupational training categories. Further, with reference to its previous request, the Committee asks the Government to supply a copy of the report outlining pre-service training for the public sector.

3. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that the draft public service legislation was expected to have been completed by 2001. It trusts the legislation will promote application of the Convention and requests the Government to provide a copy of the said legislation when it has been enacted.

4. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that, to address any cultural barriers preventing women from attaining positions of decision-making, the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs has commissioned a research study that may ultimately result in the codification of Swazi law and custom. It notes that the Gender Unit of the Ministry of Home Affairs has similarly commissioned a research study on Swazi tradition and custom. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would indicate in its next report what specific measures have been taken or envisaged, on the basis of the studies’ findings, to eliminate discrimination and to implement the principle of equality in employment.

5. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that there has been an ongoing sensitization of various sectors of society through workshops on gender issues. It asks the Government to indicate the progress achieved by this initiative in promoting the principle of non-discrimination contained in the Convention. Further, the Committee notes that a copy of the Gender and Women’s Issues Position Paper, issued by the Swaziland Committee on Gender and Women’s Affairs (SCOGWA), has not been received as previously requested. In this regard, the Committee again asks the Government to provide a copy of the said document.

6. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that all the people in Swaziland are Swazis and the country therefore experiences no ethnicity problems at all. The Committee points out, however, that this statement contradicts the comments of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination concerning new forms of racism against ethnic minorities in Swaziland (CERD/C/SR.1209), which the Committee had noted in its previous comments. The Committee expresses its hope that the Government would engage in meaningful dialogue on this point of the application of the Convention. It therefore repeats its request to the Government to supply information, including statistical data, on the labour market and employment situation of ethnic minorities in Swaziland, particularly the Zulu from the former KwaZulu-Natal and the Tonga.