"The Constitution does not provide effective protection against discrimination for women". Non-governmental organizations of Belarus spoke at the UN
On February 3, representatives of civil society organizations informed the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women about the state of women's rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nepal, Belarus, and Luxembourg, whose reports the Committee will review this week.
The following non-governmental organizations spoke on Belarus: Belarusian Helsinki Committee; Human Constanta; Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions; Coalition against gender-based and domestic violence; and Our House.
Speakers on Belarus said the Constitution did not provide effective protection against discrimination. Women’s rights to education and health care were limited. Belarus had institutionalised discriminatory food provisions; women and girls were not able to access fruit and nuts, leading to long-term health risks.
Access to justice for women was undermined by the persistent persecution of women human rights defenders. Women activists had been falsely labelled as terrorists despite their peaceful actions. The State had systematically dissolved various civil society organizations, including many that supported women. Almost 2,000 non-governmental organizations had been forced to liquidate. All women’s organizations that had prepared shadow reports to the Committee for the last review had been liquidated. It was immensely difficult to find legal assistance due to the political suppression of lawyers. In 2022, the Government had forcibly liquidated all trade unions. Six women trade union activists remained in prisons.
At least 139 women were political prisoners in Belarus. They lacked access to healthcare and were persistently ill-treated. Imprisoned women faced forced labour and modern forms of slavery. If women refused to work, they were put in “cages of shame” and forced to stand outside for several hours. Women prisoners earned between five and 10 euros per month and faced harsh penalties for not meeting quotas.
When domestic violence cases were reported to police, police screened the political activities of the victim rather than provide support. Victims and aggressors were invited together to meetings with authorities, promoting impunity.
Women migrants were vulnerable to trafficking and violence. Domestic violence was not a ground for asylum in Belarus.
The Committee also held an informal meeting with the Working Group on Business and Human Rights and representatives from civil society and the business sector on “increasing the bottom line through smart, gender-inclusive, rights-focused approaches in digitisation.”
In the meeting, speakers discussed topics such as measures to prevent discrimination of women in the private sector, and particularly in the field of technology; measures to promote access to science, technology, engineering and maths education for women; measures to address the impacts of artificial intelligence on women; and measures to protect women’s rights in the energy transition era.
Committee Experts and members of the Working Group spoke in the meeting, as did representatives of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the World Trade Organization, and various private sector and civil society organizations.
