Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2022, published 111st ILC session (2023)

Repetition

Article 1(1)(a) of the Convention. Grounds of discrimination. The Committee notes with concern that the Labour Code has been awaiting adoption for many years. The Committee can only hope that the Government will soon be in a position to report on the adoption of the new Labour Code and requests it to ensure that it contains provisions explicitly prohibiting any direct or indirect discrimination based, as a minimum, on all the grounds enumerated in Article 1(1)(a) of the Convention, including race, colour, national extraction and social origin, at all stages of employment and occupation. The Committee requests the Government to provide a copy of the Labour Code as soon as it has been adopted, and of any implementing texts with respect to non-discrimination and equality in employment and occupation.

Discrimination based on sex and equality of treatment between men and women. The Committee recalls that, in a previous comment, the Government acknowledged that section 9 of Ordinance No. 006/PR/84 of 1984, which gives the husband the right to object to his spouse’s activities, is completely outdated and that it would take measures to repeal this provision, which no longer corresponds to the current situation. The Government also specified that occupational segregation between men and women is due, inter alia, to the high levels of illiteracy and social factors. The Committee previously requested the Government to take the necessary measures in this regard. However, it notes that the Government has confined itself to referring once again to articles 13, 14, 33, 38, 39 and 42 of the Constitution and section 369 of the Penal Code. The Committee therefore urges the Government to take the necessary measures to formally repeal section 9 of the Ordinance of 1984 and to combat actively stereotypes and prejudices concerning the vocational capacities and aspirations of men and women. The Committee also requests the Government to take measures to raise awareness among parents and the population as a whole about the importance of girls and boys attending and remaining in school, and to promote the access of girls and women to a broader range of training courses and occupations, particularly those that are traditionally occupied by men. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on any measures taken in this regard.