Displaying 51751 - 51775 of 58126 recommendations found
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State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:SpainSpainRegional groupWEOGPolitical groupEUOEIIssue:
- Gender equality
- Violence against women / gender-based violence
- Women's and / or girls' rights
Type:RecommendationSession:26th session, November 2016Status:AcceptedContents:Take measures to eliminate discrimination against women, especially on the issues of violence, land rights, right to work, right to education, and other forms of gender inequalityImplementationNational Report:
Para 67) The Government has taken all steps to establish the principle of equality without discrimination and equal treatment for all people, to ensure that women and men have the same rights to immovable property, to protect and promote the right to equality in all circumstances. The provisions on equality are set out in Law No. 3/2017 Against Human Trafficking, Law No. 12/2016 on the Creation of a Contributory Regime for Security Social and Law No. 13/2017 Special Regime on the Definition of Ownership of Real Estate.
UN Compilation:
Para 48) The United Nations country team stated that despite advances to protect and promote women’s rights, the integration of women’s human rights into legislation still lacked a systematic and comprehensive approach, rendering many laws gender-blind or noncompliant with international gender commitments. Women were often reluctant to claim their rights, and in cases in which they did, customary norms could guide the process. For example, customary norms in accessing and inheriting land were deeply gendered and did not reflect women’s rights under the new Land Law (2017).
Stakeholder Summary:
Para 10) PDHJ noted that women’s inheritance rights and rights to property and land upon divorce remained an issue, due to the patrilineal systems that dominated in traditional law that ensured in most parts of the country only men inherited/possessed the land and property of the family or couple. Lack of marriage registration in public register also contributed to the perpetuation of the patriarchal system.
Para 64) JAI stated that restrictive gender roles, de facto discrimination, and violence against women were still serious problems in Timor-Leste. It also noted that Timor-Leste had responded to recent criticisms of de facto discrimination against women by affirming its ongoing commitment to ending gender discrimination, promulgating laws to require female representation at the local government level, and approving a new National Action Plan on Gender-based Violence aimed at preventing violence and increasing women’s access to support services and the justice system.
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State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:JapanJapanRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupIssue:
- Violence against women / gender-based violence
- Domestic violence
- Women's participation
Type:RecommendationSession:26th session, November 2016Status:AcceptedContents:Continue to strengthen its measures to counter human rights violations against women and girls, in particular domestic violence, and at the same time enhance its measures to promote the social participation of women and girlsImplementationNational Report:
Para 35) The Government of Timor-Leste has adopted many measures to combat violence against women and children. The Government of Timor-Leste through the Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion has produced a national action plan for gender-based violence 2017-2020, with four important pillars, namely: the prevention of gender-based violence, providing services to victims, access to justice for victims, and coordination, monitoring and assessment of initiatives that have been developed. In 2020 the Government launched a Spotlight Initiative program with the aim of combatting gender-based violence such as violence against women and girls.
Para 70) Legislation in Timor-Leste gives priority to women to participate in political life, therefore there is a special quota for women. The Law on Election to the National Parliament states that the effective and supplementary list of candidates must include at least one woman in every three persons.
Para 71) Law No. 9/2016 on Community Leaders states that the presentation of candidacies for Village Chief and Sub-Village Chief must contain at least one woman and the village council shall comprise one female delegate and one female youth representative, and this law also states that there must be one woman in the electoral team.
Para 72) The participation of women in political life in Timor-Leste continues to change, and in 2017 during the Parliamentary Elections there were 26 female members of the National Parliament, and women were elected as secretary of the chair, and first vice secretary and two deputies.
Para 73) After the General Parliamentary Elections in 2017, in 2018 Timor-Leste held early elections and 22 females were elected as members of the National Parliament and one woman was elected as First Vice-President of the National Parliament, First Secretary to the Chair of the National Parliament and two women as Committee Presidents.
Para 74) Also, in each successive government there has been an increase in women’s participation at the executive level, namely assuming positions as members of government, whereby in the eighth government from 2018-2023 there were seven female members of Government, three Ministers, one Vice Prime Minister, three Vice-Ministers, and one Secretary of State.
Para 75) Women’s participation is not just at the national level but also at the village level, with each successive period showing a significant change in women’s involvement, as 319 women nominated themselves as candidates for Village Chief in 2016 and 21 of them were elected as Village Chief.
Para 76) The State maintained the Dili Declaration to empower women’s economic autonomy, through entrepreneurship, or creation of work for themselves as an essential factor in achieving the sustainable development goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda, especially in reducing poverty through the allocation of a gender sensitive State budget each year. The State continues to develop all efforts to reform and uphold women’s economic rights and equal access to economic resources, so they can have access to property and to promote full employment and dignified work. Starting in 2019 the Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion (SEI) implemented an economic development program for women to provide support to women’s groups though the public transfers of funds, and 106 women’s groups received publicly transferred funds between 2019-2020. The SEI has continued to promote women’s participation through training and capacity building in important areas such as leadership, management, accountability and finance, and also has created training centres in all municipalities.
Para 77) The Government acknowledges that gender-based violence continues to occur, especially against women, however the Government continues to endeavour to reduce gender-based violence in Timor-Leste.
Para 78) The Government has launched a National Action Plan on Gender Based Violence 2017-2021 as a State commitment to resolve problems to reduce and eradicate gender-based violence that affects women, men and children in the community through coordination and the inclusive participation of all entities.
Para 79) The State has a policy of continuing to promote and protect women and girls so they can enjoy their rights and continues to reduce discrimination in public and private institutions including human trafficking, sexual exploitation, early marriage and forced marriage practices and provides equal opportunities to women to be leaders at the political level.
Para 80) The Government works with non-government organizations and has established safe and protected places for victims and survivors, offering temporary accommodation, including attending to victims and survivors of sexual abuse, domestic violence, the sexual abuse of children, or trafficking. Now there are safe rooms at the national hospital, referral hospitals and health centres in four municipalities and safe room services are provided by PRADET.
Para 81) Also shelters have been established, as part of a collaboration between the Government and civil society organisations. In 2018, there were safe shelters in all of the 13 municipalities that also guarantee the safety of victims of gender-based violence and shelters also provide training on livelihood skills with the aim of reintegrating victims into the community who have the capacity to make a living.
Para 82) To prevent sexual harassment from occurring in the workplace, the Public Service Commission has created a mechanism for reporting sexual harassment, and the Rosa CHATBOT facilitates reporting of gender-based violence in specific cases relating to sexual harassment that is committed by Public Servants in the workplace or in a public place. The Rosa CHATBOT protects the identity of those who make a complaint.
UN Compilation:
Para 9) The Committee against Torture commended Timor-Leste for its initiatives to amend its policies and procedures in order to afford greater protection of human rights and to apply the Convention against Torture, in particular the adoption of the second National Action Plan on Gender-based Violence (2017–2021);
Para 27) The Special Rapporteur noted that, in terms of access to justice and compliance with human rights standards, there were shortcomings in both the formal justice system and the customary justice system. In the customary justice system, hearings were commonly conducted in public, which was clearly unsuitable for crimes relating to emotionally vulnerable victims of domestic violence and child abuse. Some customary justice practices might entail physical punishments, in contravention of international human rights law.
Para 49) The United Nations country team also noted that gender-based violence was recognized as one of the most pervasive and widespread human rights concerns in TimorLeste, with three in five (59 per cent) ever-partnered women (aged 15–49 years) having experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence in their lifetime. Of these, 86 per cent had not sought assistance from formal agencies, services or other authorities. Women and girls with disabilities, as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex persons, were at an even higher risk of violence, often perpetrated by family members.
Para 50) The Committee against Torture expressed concern about the reluctance of TimorLeste to criminalize marital rape and incest as distinct crimes, and expressed regret at the lack of information provided on the number of complaints, investigations, prosecutions, convictions and sentences imposed in cases of gender-based violence against women.
Para 51) The United Nations country team noted that in the 2017 elections, 49 per cent of voters had been women. In 2020, women had held 38 per cent of National Parliament seats, above the regional average (19 per cent) and the global average (26 per cent). However, women were still underrepresented in other key decision-making positions.
Para 52) It also noted that there had been an increase in women’s participation in the formal labour force but that gender disparities remained. Despite the fact that by 2019, 45.7 per cent of the total labour force had constituted women, there was a gender pay gap of 16 per cent in formal employment.
Stakeholder Summary:
Para 11) PDHJ highlighted that the formal judicial process did not provide for an accessible, fast and coherent result that ensured victims of domestic violence safety and livelihood. This caused those victims to turn to traditional justice mechanisms and remedies that might not integrate a human rights perspective.
Para 65) AI noted that reports of gender based violence remained high in Timor-Leste, with the last reliable data source being a baseline survey (2015) showing that 59 per cent of women experienced some physical or sexual violence. Accessing justice through the courts system, judicial officers providing lenient sentences and a lack of suitable remedies were cited as ongoing and systemic challenges.
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State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:Stakeholder SummaryIssue:
- Domestic violence
Type:Review DocumentationSession:26th session, November 2016Status:Reference AddressedContents:JS1 recommended that Parliament discuss and adopt the proposed amendments to the Penal Code and the Law against Domestic Violence … [Para 29] -
State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:UN CompilationIssue:
- Women's and / or girls' rights
Type:Review DocumentationSession:26th session, November 2016Status:Reference AddressedContents:The CEDAW noted with concern that traditional inheritance systems continued to exclude women from land ownership. It also noted with concern that traditional or church marriages were rarely registered with the civil registry office, which meant that women’s rights to inheritance and property upon separation or as a result of bereavement were negatively affected. [Para 37] -
State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:UN CompilationIssue:
- Marginalized groups of women
- Women's and / or girls' rights
- HIV and AIDS
Type:Review DocumentationSession:26th session, November 2016Status:NeglectedContents:The Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families was concerned at reports of unresolved cases of deportation of Timorese migrants who were HIV-positive and female migrants who became pregnant. [Para 83] -
State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:UN CompilationIssue:
- Early marriage
- Forced marriage
- Gender equality
Type:Review DocumentationSession:12th session, October 2011Status:Reference AddressedContents:"In 2008, CRC recommended that Timor-Leste establish the minimum age for marriage at 18 years of age, equally applicable for both boys and girls. Similarly, in 2009, CEDAW urged Timor-Leste to raise the minimum age for marriage for women in the draft Civil Code to 18 years. It further urged Timor-Leste to take all necessary measures to eliminate forced marriages, to ensure that women enjoy a legal capacity identical to that of men, to equate women's inheritance and ownership rights to that of men and to ensure women's equal rights to property on divorce. [Para 44]" -
State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:PortugalPortugalRegional groupWEOGPolitical groupEUOEIIssue:
- Women's and / or girls' rights
Type:RecommendationSession:12th session, October 2011Status:AcceptedContents:Increase and consolidate the level of public awareness of the law and of mechanisms that are available to enforce human rights, particularly among women and young girls.Implementation"National Report: Para 29) Judicial actors are an important pillar, and before they perform their duties they are given training by the Ministry of Justice through the Judicial Training Centre which provides training to judicial magistrates and public defenders as part of a plan to provide academic competence for the fifth round of Training for judicial magistrates and public defenders, between 2013 and 2015, to increase their knowledge about torture and mistreatment, especially in relation to vulnerable group such as children, women, the poor and persons with disabilities, with materials focusing on the C-RDTL and fundamental rights, the rights of families and minorities, children's rights and gender, with facilitation by UN agencies such as UNICEF and UN Women
Para 44) The State of Timor-Leste is undertaking many efforts in order to combat domestic violence through the Law Against Domestic Violence and a National Action Plan for GBV and the Government will continue to strive to ensure the effectiveness of implementing this law at the national level and international level through multi-sectoral coordination. There has also been public awareness raising through the SEM and a partnership with civil society at the national level as well as in rural areas through a range of measures, such as: Training/Seminars, interaction through Radio Television TL, Community Radio, publishing public opinions in the newspapers, brochures, magazines, pamphlets and billboards
Para 45) After the LADV was approved, many cases of DV have been dealt with in accordance with the applicable law in Timor-Leste and sanctions have been imposed for crimes committed, and therefore there has been a significant change since the law was approved, namely a reduction in the number of DV cases which shows that the citizens in our country, namely women, children and men are starting to know their fundamental rights and that domestic violence is a crime and not a private matter. We have confidence that the judicial actors will continue to pay attention to the seriousness of these cases because all families in Timor-Leste need to foster non-violence or zero tolerance and therefore all families need positive action to participle in national development even though many women are economically dependent on men, so we need to create the conditions and guarantee opportunities to empower them in the domestic and public spheres.
Para 71) In 2015 the Ministry of Education also started to introduce lesson plans for grade 1 to 4 with Social Science lessons also integrated with materials such as gender, disability, respect for diversity and protection for children against violence and abuse." -
State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:National ReportIssue:
- International human rights instruments
Type:Review DocumentationSession:40th Session, January 2022Status:N/AContents:The State of Timor-Leste acknowledges that, as a state-party to international human
rights treaties it has been late in submitting its report to the committees since ratifying these
treaties. Although late, Timor-Leste has met its obligations as a state-party with full capacity
to write reports such as the initial report and the second and third reports on the Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), initial report
with a combined second and third report regarding the Convention on the Rights of the Child
(CRC), ... Now the Ministry of Justice is drafting reports, namely the initial report
regarding the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), initial report
regarding the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR),
fourth periodic report regarding the CRC, ... [Para 26] -
State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:FranceFranceRegional groupWEOGPolitical groupEUOIFIssue:
- Domestic violence
Type:RecommendationSession:12th session, October 2011Status:AcceptedContents:Ensure the effective implementation of legislation to combat domestic violence.Implementation"National Report:
Para 44) The State of Timor-Leste is undertaking many efforts in order to combat domestic violence through the Law Against Domestic Violence and a National Action Plan for GBV and the Government will continue to strive to ensure the effectiveness of implementing this law at the national level and international level through multi-sectoral coordination. There has also been public awareness raising through the SEM and a partnership with civil society at the national level as well as in rural areas through a range of measures, such as: Training/Seminars, interaction through Radio Television TL, Community Radio, publishing public opinions in the newspapers, brochures, magazines, pamphlets and billboards
Para 45) After the LADV was approved, many cases of DV have been dealt with in accordance with the applicable law in Timor-Leste and sanctions have been imposed for crimes committed, and therefore there has been a significant change since the law was approved, namely a reduction in the number of DV cases which shows that the citizens in our country, namely women, children and men are starting to know their fundamental rights and that domestic violence is a crime and not a private matter. We have confidence that the judicial actors will continue to pay attention to the seriousness of these cases because all families in Timor-Leste need to foster non-violence or zero tolerance and therefore all families need positive action to participle in national development even though many women are economically dependent on men, so we need to create the conditions and guarantee opportunities to empower them in the domestic and public spheres.
UN Compilation:
Para 13) The CEDAW welcomed the adoption of the Law against Domestic Violence (No. 7/2010), which criminalized domestic violence, including sexual violence, “even within a marriage”. The Committee was, however, concerned about the absence of legal provisions specifically criminalizing marital rape and qualifying rape as a serious crime
Stakeholder Summary:
Para 29) Cultural Survival (CS) noted that despite the Law against Domestic Violence and the National Action Plan on Domestic Violence, the Government had failed to implement necessary service and protection for indigenous women and girls. AI expressed similar concern that the Law against Domestic Violence did not adequately meet the standards of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women" -
State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:CanadaCanadaRegional groupWEOGPolitical groupOASOIFCommonwealthIssue:
- Training for state personnel on sexual rights issues
- Sexual violence
Type:RecommendationSession:12th session, October 2011Status:AcceptedContents:Take steps to support the implementation of its Law Against Domestic Violence including providing law enforcement officials with training on sexual violence. -
State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:ChileChileRegional groupGRULACPolitical groupOASOEIIssue:
- Violence against women / gender-based violence
- Domestic violence
Type:RecommendationSession:40th Session, January 2022Status:AcceptedContents:Promote the strengthening of mechanisms for reporting, investigation, prosecution, sentencing and convictions for gender-based violence, in particular regarding cases of domestic violence.
ExplanationTimor-Leste has promoted the rights and welfare of women through policies and a national action plan on gender equality, has increased women’s participation in the political decision-making process, has strengthened the framework of legal measures on gender-based violence, has combatted violence against women, and girls and has strengthened measures to combat domestic violence against women and girls. … Timor-Leste supports these recommendations to engage in efforts to further improve the percentage of women within formal work arrangements, to strengthen their capacity to actively participate in supply chains and markets, to further reduce sexual violence and gender-based violence, to further combat gender-based violence and promote gender equality and pay more attention to violence against women and children including violence based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.
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State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:Stakeholder SummaryIssue:
- International human rights instruments
Type:Review DocumentationSession:40th Session, January 2022Status:Reference AddressedContents:"Amnesty International (AI) stated that Timor-Leste was yet to fulfil its commitments to ratify additional human rights treaties made at the last review such as … the OP-ICCPR, the OP-ICESCR, the CRPD ... [Para 15]
"
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State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:PolandPolandRegional groupEEGPolitical groupEUIssue:
- International human rights instruments
Type:RecommendationSession:12th session, October 2011Status:AcceptedContents:Ratify the OP1 to the ICCPR -
State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:FranceFranceRegional groupWEOGPolitical groupEUOIFIssue:
- International human rights instruments
Type:RecommendationSession:40th Session, January 2022Status:AcceptedContents:Ratify the CRPD.ExplanationTimor-Leste supports these recommendations and reaffirms its commitment to finalize the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to ratify the Convention on Indigenous Persons, the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention No. 169 of the International Labour Organization, the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, and the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and Cruel Treatment.
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State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:AfghanistanAfghanistanRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupPolitical groupOICIssue:
- International human rights instruments
Type:RecommendationSession:40th Session, January 2022Status:AcceptedContents:Ratify the CRPD.ExplanationTimor-Leste supports these recommendations and reaffirms its commitment to finalize the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to ratify the Convention on Indigenous Persons, the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention No. 169 of the International Labour Organization, the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, and the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and Cruel Treatment.
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State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:ThailandThailandRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupPolitical groupASEANIssue:
- International human rights instruments
Type:RecommendationSession:40th Session, January 2022Status:AcceptedContents:Accelerate its ratification of the CRPD to effectively address the needs of persons with disabilities.ExplanationTimor-Leste supports these recommendations and reaffirms its commitment to finalize the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to ratify the Convention on Indigenous Persons, the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention No. 169 of the International Labour Organization, the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, and the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and Cruel Treatment.
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State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:MexicoMexicoRegional groupGRULACPolitical groupOASOEIACSIssue:
- Abortion
Type:RecommendationSession:40th Session, January 2022Status:Unclear ResponseContents:Decriminalize the voluntary termination of pregnancy in cases of rape, incest or severe foetal impairment.ExplanationNoted. Timor-Leste takes note of the recommendations because they are in contradiction with applicable laws. -
State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:NetherlandsNetherlandsRegional groupWEOGPolitical groupEUIssue:
- Family planning
- Sexually transmitted infections
- HIV and AIDS
- Sexual and / or reproductive rights and / or health broadly
Type:RecommendationSession:40th Session, January 2022Status:AcceptedContents:Increase the availability of youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services and information, including on HIV, STIs and access to family planning services.ExplanationTimor-Leste is committed to improving services to access health care facilities and to guaranteeing equal access to good quality health services for all citizens in the national territory.
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State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:IndonesiaIndonesiaRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupPolitical groupASEANOICIssue:
- Domestic violence
Type:RecommendationSession:40th Session, January 2022Status:AcceptedContents:Strengthen efforts to eliminate domestic violence through legislation and increase awareness raising programmes.ExplanationTimor-Leste has promoted the rights and welfare of women through policies and a national action plan on gender equality, has increased women’s participation in the political decision-making process, has strengthened the framework of legal measures on gender-based violence, has combatted violence against women, and girls and has strengthened measures to combat domestic violence against women and girls. … Timor-Leste supports these recommendations to engage in efforts to further improve the percentage of women within formal work arrangements, to strengthen their capacity to actively participate in supply chains and markets, to further reduce sexual violence and gender-based violence, to further combat gender-based violence and promote gender equality and pay more attention to violence against women and children including violence based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.
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State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:BotswanaBotswanaRegional groupAfrica GroupPolitical groupAUCommonwealthIssue:
- Marginalized groups of women
- Violence against women / gender-based violence
Type:RecommendationSession:40th Session, January 2022Status:AcceptedContents:Investigate the reports of violence against women and children with disabilities, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.Explanation"Timor-Leste has developed a national framework and strategies to promote the rights of the marginalized including the disabled and has promoted inclusive education and access to public services. … Timor-Leste supports these recommendations to strengthen a national action plan for
persons with disabilities for the period 2021-2030 and to provide support to ministries
responsible for the issues directly related to persons with disabilities and to promote the rights
of persons with disabilities, in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities.
"
"Timor-Leste has developed a national framework and strategies to promote the rights of the marginalized including the disabled and has promoted inclusive education and access to public services. … Timor-Leste supports these recommendations to strengthen a national action plan for
persons with disabilities for the period 2021-2030 and to provide support to ministries
responsible for the issues directly related to persons with disabilities and to promote the rights
of persons with disabilities, in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities.
"
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State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:PortugalPortugalRegional groupWEOGPolitical groupEUOEIIssue:
- International human rights instruments
Type:RecommendationSession:26th session, November 2016Status:AcceptedContents:Ratify the OP-ICESCR -
State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:MongoliaMongoliaRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupIssue:
- International human rights instruments
Type:RecommendationSession:26th session, November 2016Status:AcceptedContents:Ratify the CRPDExplanationTimor-Leste attaches great importance to the rights of the persons with disabilities and reaffirms its commitment to finalize soon the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Persons with Disabilities and to continue to implement the obligations under the Convention, especially through the National Policy for the Inclusion and Promotion of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the National Mental Health Strategy.ImplementationNational Report:
Para 22) Timor-Leste acknowledges that it has not yet ratified the CRPD, however now it is making preparations for the ratification process. The Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI), Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MFAC) has established a team to make preparations for ratification.
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State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:Republic of KoreaRepublic of KoreaRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupIssue:
- Women's and / or girls' rights
Type:RecommendationSession:26th session, November 2016Status:AcceptedContents:Effectively implement the National Action Plan on Human Rights to promote and protect the most vulnerable groups including women …ImplementationNational Report:
Para 67) The Government has taken all steps to establish the principle of equality without discrimination and equal treatment for all people, to ensure that women and men have the same rights to immovable property, to protect and promote the right to equality in all circumstances. The provisions on equality are set out in Law No. 3/2017 Against Human Trafficking, Law No. 12/2016 on the Creation of a Contributory Regime for Security Social and Law No. 13/2017 Special Regime on the Definition of Ownership of Real Estate.
UN Compilation:
Para 48) The United Nations country team stated that despite advances to protect and promote women’s rights, the integration of women’s human rights into legislation still lacked a systematic and comprehensive approach, rendering many laws gender-blind or noncompliant with international gender commitments. Women were often reluctant to claim their rights, and in cases in which they did, customary norms could guide the process. For example, customary norms in accessing and inheriting land were deeply gendered and did not reflect women’s rights under the new Land Law (2017).
Stakeholder Summary:
Para 10) PDHJ noted that women’s inheritance rights and rights to property and land upon divorce remained an issue, due to the patrilineal systems that dominated in traditional law that ensured in most parts of the country only men inherited/possessed the land and property of the family or couple. Lack of marriage registration in public register also contributed to the perpetuation of the patriarchal system.
Para 64) JAI stated that restrictive gender roles, de facto discrimination, and violence against women were still serious problems in Timor-Leste. It also noted that Timor-Leste had responded to recent criticisms of de facto discrimination against women by affirming its ongoing commitment to ending gender discrimination, promulgating laws to require female representation at the local government level, and approving a new National Action Plan on Gender-based Violence aimed at preventing violence and increasing women’s access to support services and the justice system.
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State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:FranceFranceRegional groupWEOGPolitical groupEUOIFIssue:
- Gender equality
- Violence against women / gender-based violence
Type:RecommendationSession:26th session, November 2016Status:AcceptedContents:Continue efforts to counter violence against women and to promote equality between women and men, including by conducting awareness-raising programmes for the public opinion on the subjectExplanationTimor-Leste is strongly committed to combat all forms of gender-based violence. Discrimination based on sex is prohibited by law. Timor-Leste has taken and will continuously take a number of measures to prevent, combat and decrease discrimination and violence based on sex, especially against women.ImplementationNational Report:
Para 35) The Government of Timor-Leste has adopted many measures to combat violence against women and children. The Government of Timor-Leste through the Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion has produced a national action plan for gender-based violence 2017-2020, with four important pillars, namely: the prevention of gender-based violence, providing services to victims, access to justice for victims, and coordination, monitoring and assessment of initiatives that have been developed. In 2020 the Government launched a Spotlight Initiative program with the aim of combatting gender-based violence such as violence against women and girls.
Para 70) Legislation in Timor-Leste gives priority to women to participate in political life, therefore there is a special quota for women. The Law on Election to the National Parliament states that the effective and supplementary list of candidates must include at least one woman in every three persons.
Para 71) Law No. 9/2016 on Community Leaders states that the presentation of candidacies for Village Chief and Sub-Village Chief must contain at least one woman and the village council shall comprise one female delegate and one female youth representative, and this law also states that there must be one woman in the electoral team.
Para 72) The participation of women in political life in Timor-Leste continues to change, and in 2017 during the Parliamentary Elections there were 26 female members of the National Parliament, and women were elected as secretary of the chair, and first vice secretary and two deputies.
Para 73) After the General Parliamentary Elections in 2017, in 2018 Timor-Leste held early elections and 22 females were elected as members of the National Parliament and one woman was elected as First Vice-President of the National Parliament, First Secretary to the Chair of the National Parliament and two women as Committee Presidents.
Para 74) Also, in each successive government there has been an increase in women’s participation at the executive level, namely assuming positions as members of government, whereby in the eighth government from 2018-2023 there were seven female members of Government, three Ministers, one Vice Prime Minister, three Vice-Ministers, and one Secretary of State.
Para 75) Women’s participation is not just at the national level but also at the village level, with each successive period showing a significant change in women’s involvement, as 319 women nominated themselves as candidates for Village Chief in 2016 and 21 of them were elected as Village Chief.
Para 76) The State maintained the Dili Declaration to empower women’s economic autonomy, through entrepreneurship, or creation of work for themselves as an essential factor in achieving the sustainable development goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda, especially in reducing poverty through the allocation of a gender sensitive State budget each year. The State continues to develop all efforts to reform and uphold women’s economic rights and equal access to economic resources, so they can have access to property and to promote full employment and dignified work. Starting in 2019 the Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion (SEI) implemented an economic development program for women to provide support to women’s groups though the public transfers of funds, and 106 women’s groups received publicly transferred funds between 2019-2020. The SEI has continued to promote women’s participation through training and capacity building in important areas such as leadership, management, accountability and finance, and also has created training centres in all municipalities.
Para 77) The Government acknowledges that gender-based violence continues to occur, especially against women, however the Government continues to endeavour to reduce gender-based violence in Timor-Leste.
Para 78) The Government has launched a National Action Plan on Gender Based Violence 2017-2021 as a State commitment to resolve problems to reduce and eradicate gender-based violence that affects women, men and children in the community through coordination and the inclusive participation of all entities.
Para 79) The State has a policy of continuing to promote and protect women and girls so they can enjoy their rights and continues to reduce discrimination in public and private institutions including human trafficking, sexual exploitation, early marriage and forced marriage practices and provides equal opportunities to women to be leaders at the political level.
Para 80) The Government works with non-government organizations and has established safe and protected places for victims and survivors, offering temporary accommodation, including attending to victims and survivors of sexual abuse, domestic violence, the sexual abuse of children, or trafficking. Now there are safe rooms at the national hospital, referral hospitals and health centres in four municipalities and safe room services are provided by PRADET.
Para 81) Also shelters have been established, as part of a collaboration between the Government and civil society organisations. In 2018, there were safe shelters in all of the 13 municipalities that also guarantee the safety of victims of gender-based violence and shelters also provide training on livelihood skills with the aim of reintegrating victims into the community who have the capacity to make a living.
Para 82) To prevent sexual harassment from occurring in the workplace, the Public Service Commission has created a mechanism for reporting sexual harassment, and the Rosa CHATBOT facilitates reporting of gender-based violence in specific cases relating to sexual harassment that is committed by Public Servants in the workplace or in a public place. The Rosa CHATBOT protects the identity of those who make a complaint.
UN Compilation:
Para 9) The Committee against Torture commended Timor-Leste for its initiatives to amend its policies and procedures in order to afford greater protection of human rights and to apply the Convention against Torture, in particular the adoption of the second National Action Plan on Gender-based Violence (2017–2021);
Para 27) The Special Rapporteur noted that, in terms of access to justice and compliance with human rights standards, there were shortcomings in both the formal justice system and the customary justice system. In the customary justice system, hearings were commonly conducted in public, which was clearly unsuitable for crimes relating to emotionally vulnerable victims of domestic violence and child abuse. Some customary justice practices might entail physical punishments, in contravention of international human rights law.
Para 49) The United Nations country team also noted that gender-based violence was recognized as one of the most pervasive and widespread human rights concerns in TimorLeste, with three in five (59 per cent) ever-partnered women (aged 15–49 years) having experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence in their lifetime. Of these, 86 per cent had not sought assistance from formal agencies, services or other authorities. Women and girls with disabilities, as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex persons, were at an even higher risk of violence, often perpetrated by family members.
Para 50) The Committee against Torture expressed concern about the reluctance of TimorLeste to criminalize marital rape and incest as distinct crimes, and expressed regret at the lack of information provided on the number of complaints, investigations, prosecutions, convictions and sentences imposed in cases of gender-based violence against women.
Para 51) The United Nations country team noted that in the 2017 elections, 49 per cent of voters had been women. In 2020, women had held 38 per cent of National Parliament seats, above the regional average (19 per cent) and the global average (26 per cent). However, women were still underrepresented in other key decision-making positions.
Para 52) It also noted that there had been an increase in women’s participation in the formal labour force but that gender disparities remained. Despite the fact that by 2019, 45.7 per cent of the total labour force had constituted women, there was a gender pay gap of 16 per cent in formal employment.
Stakeholder Summary:
Para 11) PDHJ highlighted that the formal judicial process did not provide for an accessible, fast and coherent result that ensured victims of domestic violence safety and livelihood. This caused those victims to turn to traditional justice mechanisms and remedies that might not integrate a human rights perspective.
Para 64) JAI stated that restrictive gender roles, de facto discrimination, and violence against women were still serious problems in Timor-Leste. It also noted that Timor-Leste had responded to recent criticisms of de facto discrimination against women by affirming its ongoing commitment to ending gender discrimination, promulgating laws to require female representation at the local government level, and approving a new National Action Plan on Gender-based Violence aimed at preventing violence and increasing women’s access to support services and the justice system.
Para 65) AI noted that reports of gender based violence remained high in Timor-Leste, with the last reliable data source being a baseline survey (2015) showing that 59 per cent of women experienced some physical or sexual violence. Accessing justice through the courts system, judicial officers providing lenient sentences and a lack of suitable remedies were cited as ongoing and systemic challenges.
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State Under Review:Timor-LesteTimor-LesteRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupSource Of Reference:LaosLaosRegional groupAsia-Pacific GroupPolitical groupASEANOIFIssue:
- Empowerment of women
- Women's participation
Type:RecommendationSession:26th session, November 2016Status:AcceptedContents:Enhance women’s empowerment and greater represent women in decision-making sectorsExplanationTimor-Leste is committed to promote the rights of women, establish gender equality and combat gender-based violence through a comprehensive and multi-sectoral approach. Even though the promotion and protection of women’s rights represent a big challenge for the Timorese society, it also remains a priority and the Government is doing a great effort to highlight the contribution of woman to national and political development, particularly investing in the areas of education, economics and political participation.ImplementationNational Report:
Para 70) Legislation in Timor-Leste gives priority to women to participate in political life, therefore there is a special quota for women. The Law on Election to the National Parliament states that the effective and supplementary list of candidates must include at least one woman in every three persons.
Para 71) Law No. 9/2016 on Community Leaders states that the presentation of candidacies for Village Chief and Sub-Village Chief must contain at least one woman and the village council shall comprise one female delegate and one female youth representative, and this law also states that there must be one woman in the electoral team.
Para 72) The participation of women in political life in Timor-Leste continues to change, and in 2017 during the Parliamentary Elections there were 26 female members of the National Parliament, and women were elected as secretary of the chair, and first vice secretary and two deputies.
Para 73) After the General Parliamentary Elections in 2017, in 2018 Timor-Leste held early elections and 22 females were elected as members of the National Parliament and one woman was elected as First Vice-President of the National Parliament, First Secretary to the Chair of the National Parliament and two women as Committee Presidents.
Para 74) Also, in each successive government there has been an increase in women’s participation at the executive level, namely assuming positions as members of government, whereby in the eighth government from 2018-2023 there were seven female members of Government, three Ministers, one Vice Prime Minister, three Vice-Ministers, and one Secretary of State.
Para 75) Women’s participation is not just at the national level but also at the village level, with each successive period showing a significant change in women’s involvement, as 319 women nominated themselves as candidates for Village Chief in 2016 and 21 of them were elected as Village Chief.
Para 76) The State maintained the Dili Declaration to empower women’s economic autonomy, through entrepreneurship, or creation of work for themselves as an essential factor in achieving the sustainable development goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda, especially in reducing poverty through the allocation of a gender sensitive State budget each year. The State continues to develop all efforts to reform and uphold women’s economic rights and equal access to economic resources, so they can have access to property and to promote full employment and dignified work. Starting in 2019 the Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion (SEI) implemented an economic development program for women to provide support to women’s groups though the public transfers of funds, and 106 women’s groups received publicly transferred funds between 2019-2020. The SEI has continued to promote women’s participation through training and capacity building in important areas such as leadership, management, accountability and finance, and also has created training centres in all municipalities.
UN Compilation:
Para 51) The United Nations country team noted that in the 2017 elections, 49 per cent of voters had been women. In 2020, women had held 38 per cent of National Parliament seats, above the regional average (19 per cent) and the global average (26 per cent). However, women were still underrepresented in other key decision-making positions.
Para 52) It also noted that there had been an increase in women’s participation in the formal labour force but that gender disparities remained. Despite the fact that by 2019, 45.7 per cent of the total labour force had constituted women, there was a gender pay gap of 16 per cent in formal employment.