DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

CEDAW A/43/38 (1988)

127. The Committee considered the initial report of the Dominican Republic (CEDAW/C/5/Add.37) at its 106th and 111th meetings, held on 17 and 19 February 1988 (CEDAW/C/SR.106 and 111).

128. In her introduction, the representative of the Dominican Republic emphasized the permanent interest of her Government in the economic and social development of the country and the population aiming at the achievement of full equality between the sexes. The brief overview of the historical events that were presented gave evidence of the vigorous women's movement in that country. She pointed out the progress achieved in the advancement of women over the last 22 years since the inception of democracy, and underlined as an important event the establishment of the Department for the Advancement of Women in 1982 and its Consultative Council in 1985. She also emphasized that her country was the host for the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW).

129. She state that the Chief Public Prosecutor was a woman and that her country had two women ambassadors at the United Nations.

130. Aware of the importance of eliminating any type of traditional stereotypes that could hinder the advancement of women, the Government was trying to educated the population so that women could play an equal role in society with the same rights, responsibilities and opportunities as men.

131. Private universities were planning the introduction of courses on women and development, and she referred to the Government's many production-oriented programmes for rural women. The number of non-governmental organizations working on the promotion of women was higher than in practically any other developing country.

132. The Committee thanked the representative for the comprehensive presentation and commented the frankness of the report which followed the general guidelines. It showed the country's commitment to the cause of equality and to its implementation de jure and de facto. The Committee also paid tribute to the valuable statistics contained in the report. Although the country suffered from many constraints and a lot remained to be done, the women's movement had made big strides. That was all the more noteworthy, as it was a country with economic difficulties and with a Latin tradition and customs where women played a subordinate role. Members were impressed by the many draft laws and wanted to know whether any of them had already been adopted. They also wondered how those laws would get accepted among ordinary people. It was asked what was meant by the expression used in the report "overstated feminist standpoints". Praise was expressed for the high percentage of female university students, the relatively high number of women ambassadors and existence of paid maternity leave.

133. Members inquired about the role of the Department for the Advancement of Women, its status and structure, whether and how it was linked to the Government or non-governmental organizations and about the result of its activities. They also asked about its budget, what its statutes were and whether its actions bore legal force. As the feminist institutions had become stronger after the entry into force of the Convention, it was asked how the Convention was disseminated, how it was dealt with by feminist groups and how it was being implemented in rural areas.

134. Another comment referred to the "vigorous women's movement" mentioned by the representative, which found, however, no reflection in the report.

135. An inquiry was made as to any change in marital relations as a result of the new draft law.

136. It was asked why the rate of economically active female population had risen so considerably, bearing in mind that the data did not reflect the involvement of women in the informal sector.

137. It was commented that normally in other countries more men moved from rural to urban areas. It was asked why in the Dominican Republic more women moved into urban areas and whether those women became domestic servants.

138. Experts inquired whether the Constitution of the Dominican Republic recognized the norms of American law. Positive comments were made on the fact that the Constitution had become part of national law. The absence of racial discrimination in the country was considered an important step.

139. Referring to the marked interest of the country in an increase in its population, it was asked whether that attitude had changed in keeping with the international population policy.

140. It was asked whether guarantees existed to enable women to participate in various areas of social activities. Experts inquired whether Dominican women were aware of their right to access of the courts, about the number of court cases pursued by women and whether free legal aid existed.

141. Information on the existence of temporary special measures was requested.

142. Clarification was sought on the degree of involvement of men in efforts to change their roles and on measures to modify the idea of male superiority. It was asked whether men shared the child-
care activities with women and how paid and unpaid work was distributed between the sexes. Experts wanted to know whether sex discrimination existed in advertising and how big the influence of religious institutions was.

143. Some explanation was sought about the reason for the female predominance in higher education and the marked change in the agricultural sector regarding the involvement of women in productive activities.

144. It was asked whether re-education measures for prostitutes existed, whether prostitutes were in any way protected and whether rape was criminal offence and what the sanctions were.

145. As regards the political participation of women, questions were raised about the role of women deputies, senators, secretaries of State, and ministers. Experts inquired also whether political parties were concerned with women's programmes and whether the Government had any intentions to extend the political participation of women.

146. With reference to the different rights of men and women to confer their nationality on their spouse, it was asked whether the law, which was meant to put an end to that discrimination, had been implemented already, and whether the provision under which the father was given priority in respect of the nationality of the children had been modified already. It was asked whether the only criteria for citizenship were age and marriage and whether it was not open to all persons born in the Dominican Republic.

147. Experts requested statistics on the rate of illiteracy in rural areas, and information on programmes to end illiteracy. Inquiries were made about sex education programmes and about programmes designed to promote the interest of women in non-traditional fields of education. It was asked why the number of women graduates of the Institute of Technical Vocational Training had decreased and what was being done to overcome the sex segregation in the different areas of specialization of vocational training. More information was sought on the drop-out rate of youths, especially girls. It was asked whether young women were well enough informed about education possibilities and whether part-time adult education existed.

148. Experts requested statistics on employment. They asked for more information on the social security system of the country and about child-care facilities. Concern was expressed about domestic employees, and experts inquired whether domestic servants were covered by medical insurance, whether they had pension rights, paid maternity leave and paid annual leave and whether there were programmes for training and assessing the work of those women. It was asked whether the Community Development Office was training fathers in home economics.

149. Clarification was sought as to whether pregnant women were protected by law when applying for a job or job training and whether they would be accepted in a new job and about the sanctions in case of dismissal of a pregnant woman.

150. Members of the Committee inquired which jobs were still not open to women, which jobs were considered dangerous for women, but not for men, what was meant by work that was not appropriate to the female sex and whether plans existed to do away with job segregation. More details were sought on women's lower wage level compared to that of men. It was asked what was meant by the "labour supply patterns" and whether and how the goal of equal pay for work of equal value was to be achieved.

151. Other questions referred to the unemployment rates and unemployment benefits for men an women, the retirement ages for men and women and the life expectancy of both sexes. It was asked whether sexual harassment occurred at work, and whether paternity leave existed. Experts wanted to know which criteria the informal work-force could be included in the official labour statistics.

152. Experts asked about the influence of trade unions in the country and whether women could get training for self-employment, how women could combine family obligations with participation in the work-force and whether pregnant women were covered by protective measures.

153. A question referred to the percentage of women in the legal profession.

154. Experts asked whether the government policy consisted in reducing the fertility rate, whether the family planning programme was publicized, what the percentage of users was and whether abortion services existed.

155. It was asked whether single women had the same family benefits as married couples.

156. Information was sought about the structure, the functioning, the goals, the personnel of and the results achieved by the Women's Bank.

157. Detailed information was requested on the access of rural women to credit and health services, on their fertility and on literacy rates. It was asked whether programmes existed to extend land ownership to rural women. Clarification was sought on the legal status of the 15 associations for rural women, on the amount of wages and the number of years of services of the women concerned and the number of women who worked in the women's co-operatives.

158. Experts inquired about the contribution of INSTRAW in working out programmes for rural women and asked in what way the Department for the Advancement of Women played an active role for rural women.

159. Clarification was sought as to whether legal advice services were accessible to women and whether women were being duly informed of their rights.

160. Experts asked in what way the legal capacity of married women was restricted and they commented on the discrimination inherent in article 374 of the Civil Code. Another question referred to the compatibility between articles 214 and 215 of the Civil Code.

161. Concerning the reference to concubinage as the predominant marital problem in the country, it was asked why the percentage of concubinage was so high, whether polygamy existed in the country, or whether legal marriage was contracted with only one wife and, in addition, whether a married man was allowed to cohabit with more than one woman, and how that tied in with article 212 of the Civil Code pursuant to which the spouses owed each other mutual fidelity. It was asked whether the Government was more in favour of concubinage or of marriage. Another question concerned the reason for the high percentage of women as heads of households of married or cohabiting couples.

162. Questions were raised about the legal management of the community of property régime during marriage and the distribution of property on the death of one spouse. It was asked whether women were aware of possibility of renouncing that régime. Clarification was also sought as to the meaning of the free disposal of each spouse's income "after having discharged the obligation of the marriage".

163. Information was requested on the grounds for divorce, on the time period necessary for obtaining a divorce and on the responsibilities of the faulty partner in a divorce case.

164. Experts wanted to know about the property situation of cohabiting couples and their children and whether cohabitation was legally recognized. They requested statistical data about the connection between cohabitation and social level.

165. More clarification was sought on the right of women to choose their family name and on the name of children.

166. Experts wanted to know the reasons for the difference in marriageable age between girls and boys, and whether single women could adopt children. A question referred to the reason why adultery was no longer to be regarded as a punishable crime and had been eliminated as grounds for divorce.

167. The representative of the Dominican Republic indicated that, before replying to questions posed by members of the Committee, she needed to clarify certain issues. Firstly a number of provisions which had been introduced to revise the laws on women and the family had been promulgated as law No. 855 of 1978. Further revisions introduced in 1986 were pending approval by Congress owing to the economic emergency facing the Dominican Republic because of the external debt.

168. Regarding questions about the activities of national institutions to improve the status of women, she stated that the Centro de Integración Femenina para el Desarrollo had been created in 1975 as a temporary measure in order to implement the policies of the country's development plan.

169. The General Directorate for Women's Promotion created in 1982 under the Prime Minister had three divisions and played the main co-ordinating role at the national level on women's affairs. It also carried out projects in both rural and urban areas. Non-governmental organizations maintained continuous contact with that office and also provided both legal and social services free of charge to women.

170. Many of the laws dating back to 1940 had been repealed when the country overcame the dictatorship. In the Dominican Republic all laws were based on the Napoleonic Code. Access to due process was open to all citizens regardless of their sex, and official legal advice was provided when necessary by the Public Ministry. No positive action measures of targets had been considered necessary so far by the Government.

171. In her reply regarding article 5 of the Convention, she explained that it was difficult to assess men's participation in household duties since economic factors played a role in that area as did cultural and traditional habits. There had been changes in the latter. Religious institutions had not presented obstacles to social change.

172. Prostitution occurred because of economic factors. Although the law did not punish the practice it punished its commerce. Rape was also punished under the Penal Code.

173. Women's political involvement was high considering the difficulties encountered. There was 1 woman senator, 10 deputies, 40 per cent of the heads of General Directorates were women, and 50 per cent of governors were women.

174. Family education, family planning and sex education were all programmes of the highest priority for the Government and considerable training had been developed at university level in those disciplines. Non-governmental organizations had played a major role in all such activities and also in extension and continued education projects as well as correspondence courses for adults.

175. Article 211 of the Labour Code established that during pregnancy a woman could not be obliged to work in situations requiring physical effort which could be incompatible with her state. It also obliged managers to facilitate transfer out of any job when the latter was considered prejudicial to women. Should a transfer be impossible, a woman had the right to a leave of absence. That article also forbade the firing of women owing to pregnancy.

176. Domestic servants were not covered by existing labour legislation. The Labour Code regulated which occupations were not suitable for women for either danger or health reasons. The Government had ratified ILO Convention 100 regarding the principle of equal pay for work of equal value.

177. The Woman's Bank of the Dominican Republic was a branch of the Women's Association for Development which was a non-governmental group run by volunteers. It provided 3,000 women with loans ranging from $RD 300 to $RD 10,000. The State Bank for Agriculture also provided credit to rural women.

178. Married women's legal capacity was still restricted by marriage regulations, which established that the husband was the administrator of the couple's property, that he could sell it and without the consent of the wife, but joint administration was proposed in the pending draft family law.

179. In answering questions about the distribution of property upon the death of a spouse, she explained that women could choose at the time of marriage which scheme they preferred, separate or common property. The laws governing divorce for reasons of adultery discriminated against women and amendments had been proposed to eliminate the anomalies. Women could choose their name upon marriage and there was no discrimination regarding child adoption by either men or women.

180. She explained that the citizenship rights which were acquired at the age of 18 referred to the capacity to exercise civil or political rights while nationality was acquired at birth.

181. Finally, she assured members of the Committee that the Government of the Dominican Republic had the full commitment and political will to move from theory to practice, from law to action, and that more information would be provided in the subsequent State party report.

CEDAW A/53/38/Rev.1 (1998)

312. The Committee considered the second, third and fourth periodic reports of the Dominican Republic (CEDAW/C/DOM/2-3 and CEDAW/C/DOM/4) at its 379th and 380th meetings, on 3 February 1998 (see CEDAW/C/SR.379 and 380).

313. In introducing the reports, the representative of the Dominican Republic noted that, since its ratification by the Government in 1982, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women had been an instrument for Dominican women to overcome their subordination and to change the patriarchal order.

314. Referring in particular to the fourth periodic report, the representative described it as an instrument of self-assessment and stocktaking. It provided an opportunity for assessing developments that had occurred in various governmental and societal sectors, but also for identifying obstacles and areas for further change.

315. Among progress achieved in the legal sphere, the representative noted in particular the adoption of a law against domestic violence (Ley contra la Violencia Intrafamilial). She referred to the Government's ongoing efforts to put in place practical measures to ensure compliance with the new law, such as awareness and information campaigns, training for law-enforcement officers and the creation of special units to handle violence complaints.

316. Other legal measures included the adoption of an education bill establishing the principle of equality of opportunity between the sexes, the revision of the electoral law establishing a quota of 25 per cent for women candidates in municipal and congressional elections and the revision of the agrarian reform law. The representative also noted that there was widespread support, especially among the women's movement, for further legal reform aimed at the elimination of discriminatory provisions particularly in the civil code, and for the inclusion of the principle of equality in the constitution.

317. The representative pointed to the creation of several mechanisms to ensure implementation of the legal and normative framework for women. She noted in particular the strengthening of the Dirección General de Promoción de la Mujer through a substantial increase in human and financial resources, combined with a commitment in principle to elevate the Directorate to a secretariat of state or ministry for women's affairs. She also pointed to the establishment of an intersectoral committee for the follow-up to, and implementation of, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

318. While there had been progress in women's political and social participation, this was an area where further progress was needed. Most notably, 31 per cent of the judges of the Supreme Court of Justice were women. There had also been an increase in women in the Foreign Service. While important changes had also taken place in the areas of education for women, especially in terms of their access to all levels of education, sexism persisted in the professional sphere.

319. The representative informed the Committee that the economic situation of the country since the early 1990s was characterized by macroeconomic control and stabilization efforts. Poverty remained the major challenge and its eradication was a priority objective for the Government. Since poverty affected women in particular ways and limited their economic participation and access to services, specific projects for women, in particular women heads of households, formed part of the Government's poverty eradication efforts.

320. The representative concluded that the new Government, which had been installed in mid-1996, had embarked on a policy of reform and modernization. While the impact of reform on the situation of women could not yet be evaluated, she noted that the Dirección General de Promoción de la Mujer and the national women's movement remained committed to ensuring that a gender approach was reflected in those reforms. The Convention would provide continuing guidance into the next millennium on measures to improve the status of women.

Concluding comments of the Committee

Introduction

321. The Committee commends the Government for the preparation of a new report in late 1997, that is, the fourth periodic report, which is considered together with its second and third periodic report submitted in 1993. It welcomes it as a well-structured report that provides frank and clear information on the situation of women in the Dominican Republic. Together with the exhaustive replies provided to the Committee's numerous questions, the presentation gives a comprehensive view of the efforts undertaken by the new Government. This is indicative of the political will of the Government to carry out its commitments under international human rights law, and especially its desire to achieve full compliance with its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

322. The Committee expresses its appreciation to the Government of the Dominican Republic for its large and high-level delegation headed by the Minister for Women's Affairs, which has enabled the Committee to obtain a realistic picture of progress made and of challenges ahead in the achievement of the equal rights of women.

Positive aspects

323. The Committee welcomes the fact that the Government, while undergoing a period of change, reform and modernization after the last election in 1996, has made great efforts to ensure the systematic inclusion of a gender perspective in its new policies and programmes. The catalytic role of the Dirección General de Promoción de la Mujer and of the women's movement in this regard are particularly noted.

324. The Committee welcomes the many important initiatives and measures undertaken in different areas by the Dirección General in a short period of time and commends it for its ongoing work on a number of legislative drafts aimed at repealing or revising discriminatory laws and provisions.

325. The Committee notes with appreciation the adoption of several new laws and legal revisions to bring the domestic situation into greater conformity with the Convention. In particular, the Committee applauds the adoption, in 1997, of the law against domestic violence following the country's ratification, in 1995, of the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women (Convention of Belém do Pará). The Committee furthermore commends the Government on the holistic and integrated approach it is taking to address the issue of violence against women, which includes legislative measures, public awareness campaigns, training and sensitization measures for law-enforcement officials and the judiciary, and the establishment of special units to handle domestic violence complaints.

326. The Committee notes with satisfaction the revision of the agrarian reform law giving women the right to inherit land, a reform of particular importance to rural women. Changes in the Education Law were commended, as is the establishment, in the Electoral Law, of a 25 per cent quota for women candidates in municipal and congressional elections. The Committee also notes women's above-average representation in secondary and higher education. While illiteracy continues to be a concern, the rate of female illiteracy is lower than that of males, which is an exception when compared to the situation of illiteracy in most other countries.

327. The Committee commends the Government for devoting a special section in the fourth periodic report to women heads of households, thus showing its sensitivity to the particular constraints and vulnerabilities faced by this group of women, which makes up one fourth of all Dominican households.

328. The Committee commends the role of non-governmental organizations and of the women's movement in awareness-raising and in lobbying lawmakers and the Government to focus on women's issues, and their active work in providing services to women.

329. The Committee notes with satisfaction the establishment of a governmental mechanism to follow up and implement the commitments of the Platform for Action.

Factors and difficulties affecting the implementation of the Convention

330. The Committee notes the persistence of a high poverty level and of situations of extreme poverty, with 57 per cent of the Dominican population living below the poverty line. As women are most affected by poverty, which is aggravated by discrimination and inequality, this constitutes a serious obstacle to the full implementation of the Convention in the Dominican Republic.

331. Although the Dominican Republic is a secular State, the Committee notes the absence, in practice, of a clear separation of Church and State. The Committee considers such an intermingling of the secular and religious spheres as a serious impediment to full implementation of the Convention.

Principal areas of concern

332. The Committee expresses concern that, notwithstanding legislative achievements, discriminatory provisions continue to exist, including in the civil code, the nationality law and marriage and family laws, especially in areas such as the administration of marital property. Discriminatory provisions regarding unmarried women, as well as single mothers, persist in social security provisions and in land inheritance rights under the agrarian reform law. The Committee notes with concern the continuing absence of the principle of equality from the country's constitution.

333. The Committee expresses deep concern about the economic consequences of women's poverty. Women's migration to urban areas and to foreign countries render them susceptible to sexual exploitation, including trafficking and sex tourism, and prostitution. The lack of creation of jobs for women in growth sectors, including in the tourism industry, contributes to the high percentage of women migrating abroad in search of work. The Committee is concerned that notwithstanding the high level of poverty among women, and especially of women-headed households, no affirmative action measures are being taken to support women's efforts to break the cycle of poverty.

334. The Committee expresses concern about the rigid social codes adhered to in the country and the persistence of machismo, which is reflected in areas such as women's low participation in public life and decision-making, in the stereotypical portrayal of women's role in the family, social life and a segregated labour market. Emphasizing that legal measures alone are not sufficient, the Committee notes the failure of the Government to undertake comprehensive and systematic public awareness and information campaigns to change stereotypical attitudes that are detrimental to women's equality.

335. The Committee expresses concern that, while close ties exist between the Dirección General de Promoción de la Mujer and women's groups, insufficient cooperation and networking has been established between the Dirección General and women in decision-making in all areas of political, economic and social life.

336. The Committee is deeply concerned about the situation of women workers. While the high percentage of women employed in free-trade zones is laudable, because it gives them a financial footing, women workers suffer considerable discrimination in income and benefits. The Committee notes with concern the absence of efforts by the Government to ensure and enforce compliance with wage, benefits and workers' safety laws, including compliance with International Labour Organization Conventions. Women's overall high unemployment rate, the particularly insecure situation of domestic workers and of single mothers are also of concern to the Committee. The Committee is further concerned that women often have higher levels of education than men but are paid less than men for work of equal value.

337. The Committee expresses deep concern with respect to the high rate of maternal mortality which is caused, as is noted in the report, by toxaemia, haemorrhages during childbirth and clandestine abortions; the Committee also notes that toxaemia may be caused by induced abortions. The high rate of maternal mortality, in conjunction with the fact that abortions in the Dominican Republic are absolutely and under all circumstances illegal, cause very great concern to the Committee and draws attention to the implications of the situation for women's enjoyment of the right to life.

Suggestions and recommendations

338. The Committee encourages the Government to ensure that the implementation of all provisions of the Convention proceeds without obstacles and requests the Government to include in its next report detailed information on the practical implementation of the Convention, emphasizing the impact of policies and programmes aimed at achieving women's equality.

339. The Committee urges the Government to provide the Dirección General with the necessary authority and with adequate human and financial resources to implement special programmes for women, to influence all governmental decision-making and to ensure that a gender perspective is consistently applied in all Government policies and programmes.

340. The Committee encourages the Dirección General, using the model of the Honorary Committee of Women Advisers to the Senate, to intensify cooperation with other sectors and entities of civil, political and economic life, so as to ensure more systematic attention to gender issues in these areas.

341. The Committee urges the Government to make women a priority in its poverty eradication strategy. Particular emphasis should be placed on the mainstreaming of a gender perspective in all poverty eradication efforts and measures should be taken to ensure to women the enjoyment of their rights in such efforts.

342. The Committee recommends that the Government continue its efforts to mainstream a gender perspective in all its reforms. It also suggests that the Government identify priority areas for targeted actions for women. The reduction and elimination of illiteracy, the creation of jobs and the implementation of labour legislation and reforms are suggested for such priority attention.

343. The Committee encourages the Government to continue to give attention to women heads of households and to conduct further research into their situation with a view to developing sound and effective policies on strengthening their socio-economic situation and the prevention of poverty and to ensure that needed services and support are provided to such households.

344. The Committee urges the Government to improve the collection and use of data disaggregated by sex, so that the strong factual basis for the picture of the de facto situation of women in all areas covered by the Convention may be maintained and measures targeted more carefully to specific groups. Areas related to women's health, work, employment, wages and benefits, to the types and incidence of violence against women and the impact of measures against violence against women should receive particular emphasis. Data should also be disaggregated by age, and by other criteria such as urban/rural.

345. The Committee urges the Government to continue its integrated approach to the elimination and prevention of violence against women. In particular, the collection of data and information on the incidence and types of violence against women should be improved and attention should be given to so-called crimes of passion, their frequency and the response of law enforcement.

346. The Committee strongly urges the Government to pursue bilateral agreements and to cooperate in multilateral efforts to reduce and eradicate traffic in women, to protect women migrant workers, such as domestic workers, from exploitation, including sexual exploitation. Such agreements should be concluded, in particular with those countries that are a primary destination for Dominican women workers. Public information campaigns aimed at particularly vulnerable groups of women should also be conducted to alert them to potential dangers when seeking work overseas.

347. The Committee invites the Government to conduct regular assessments of the impact of the 25 per cent quota regulation contained in the electoral law to ensure the full implementation of the law and the achievement of higher percentages of women in decision-making.

348. The Committee urges the Government to strengthen vocational and technical training and career counselling for young women and to increase its information activities regarding non-traditional jobs for women in order to reduce job segregation patterns and the wage gap between women and men.

349. The Committee invites the Government to strengthen educational programmes for all, both girls and boys, on sexual and reproductive health, on combating the spread of HIV/AIDS and on family planning. It also invites the Government to review legislation in the area of women's reproductive and sexual health, in particular with regard to abortion, in order to give full compliance to articles 10 and 12 of the Convention.

350. The Committee encourages the Government to give full attention to the needs of rural women and to ensure an active and participatory role for rural women in the design, implementation and monitoring of all policies and programmes that are intended to benefit them, including in areas such as access to health and social services, income-generation projects and housing. The Government should also consider the establishment of special banks and of improved access to credit for rural women.

351. The Committee urges the Government to take steps to ensure the de facto separation of the secular and religious spheres, with a view to ensuring the full implementation of the Convention.

352. The Committee urges the Government to continue its law reform efforts aimed at the elimination of all remaining discriminatory laws and provisions. Laws such as the civil code, the nationality law and the labour law should be targeted for priority action to bring them into full conformity with the Convention.

353. The Committee requests the wide dissemination in the Dominican Republic of the present concluding comments in order to make the people of the Dominican Republic, and particularly its government administrators and politicians, aware of the steps that have been taken to ensure de facto equality for women and the further steps required in this regard. The Committee also requests the Government to continue to disseminate widely, and in particular to women's and human rights organizations, the Convention, the Committee's general recommendations and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.