Women's committee urges Congo to curb laws unfair to women

The UN Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women has asked the Republic of Congo (ROC) to eradicate traditional practices and customary laws that subject women to unfair treatment. The committee met on Friday to consider the combined initial, second, third, fourth and fifth periodic reports of the Republic of Congo on compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The country ratified the Convention in 1982. The committee cited several laws in ROC that contain discriminatory provisions: labour, taxation, criminal and family law. Under family law, for example, when there is disagreement in the choice of the conjugal home, the husband’s decision prevails. Moreover, the committee reported, men were legally considered the head of the household. While a woman can chose her activities, her husband can ban those activities if he feels they conflict with the interests of the household. In a statement on Monday, the committee commended ROC for "its frank acknowledgement of serious obstacles to gender equality". Committee members said that there had been a marked improvement in the status of the country’s women in recent years. The director of the cabinet of ROC's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and the Advancement of Women, Delphine Emmanuelle Adouki, told the committee that the Department for the Advancement of Women had been set up, and had begun to produce results. However, she said much remained to be done for the full development of Congolese women. Congolese women had become increasingly vulnerable because of economic constraints and recurring conflicts, she said. While women had recourse to justice, she added, "Both de jure and de facto discrimination existed." Husbands could prohibit women from working in the interest of the family. Inequality also persisted in the application and prevalence of customary law, she said. Adouki said that the country’s maternal mortality was 890 per 100,000 live births. She said it was government policy to re-establish the confidence of Congolese women. Committee members questioned the rationale behind placing the body responsible for the advancement of women within the country’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. Other concerns raised included lack of awareness of the Convention, women’s lack of access to higher education and the need to improve employment opportunities. The committee is scheduled to meet again Wednesday, when it is expected to hear replies from the ROC. Press release