UPR Sexual Rights Database

National Report:
Para 68) The Constitution enshrines the principle of equality between women and men by using both the masculine and feminine forms of the term “citizen”.
Para 70) The Ministry for Women, the Family and Children protects the rights acquired by women even before the promulgation of the Constitution. With a view to ensuring that women have access to its services in both urban and rural areas, 24 regional delegations for women’s and family affairs were established in 2013 to cover the entire territory of the Republic. The Ministry was restructured with the aim of supporting equality of opportunity and gender equality, integrating women into social and economic life, and promoting the economic empowerment of women by creating administrative bodies tasked with monitoring and opposing discrimination and violence against them, an economic empowerment authority and an authority for the advancement of rural women.
Para 71) In line with the principle of gender equality, it was decided in 2015 that travel authorization for minors could be granted by either of their parents or by their guardian or legal custodian. Authorization for travel and the issuance of passports had previously been reserved for the minor’s father.
Para 72) Equality was institutionalized in 2016 though the creation of the Peer Council for Equality and Equality of Opportunity, a body that seeks to introduce a gender- based approach to planning, programming, evaluation and budgeting in order to eliminate all forms of discrimination between women and men. With a view to ensuring equality in employment and wages, which is enshrined in the legislation, the labour inspection authorities adopt deterrent measures to address non-compliance by employers with the relevant provisions of the Labour Code.
Para 73) The specifications issued by the Independent High Authority for Audiovisual Communication require anyone who obtains a permit to establish and run a private radio or television channel to comply with a number of basic principles, including “protection of women’s rights and elimination of stereotypes in the media”.
Para 76) In addition, sectoral protocols concerning awareness-raising were signed by all relevant ministries in December 2016 pending the signing of a multisectoral agreement in due course. The provisions of Decree No. 35 of 2011, which enshrined the principle of parity between women and men in rotation-based electoral lists, helped to increase the number of women in the National Constituent Assembly. However, they occupied only 65 of the 217 seats, that is to say 29.95 per cent. The percentage recorded in the 2014 legislative elections rose to 31.3 per cent of the seats in the Assembly of Representatives of the People. This ratio evolved when vacancies occurred in the Assembly, rising to 34.56 per cent, or 75 seats occupied by women. As a result, the principle of horizontal and vertical parity was enshrined in the electoral bill for the municipalities, which will lead to an increase in the participation of women in local government.
Para 79) In the area of employment, a national programme was established to promote women’s economic initiatives by creating a special credit line and introducing facilitating conditions. In addition, training, assistance and support has been provided for women entrepreneurs. The programme is supervised by a management unit to ensure its compliance with the objectives of the programme to promote equality between women and men that was established in 2016.