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/></td> <td> <p style="font-size:1.4em;">United Nations</p> </td> <td> <p> <span style="font-size:2em;">CEDAW</span>/C/ZWE/CO/2-5</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td> <p style="font-weight:bold;font-size:1.7em;">Convention on the Elimination of A ll Forms of Discrimination against Women</p> </td> <td> <p>Distr.: General</p> <p>23 March 2012</p> <p>Original: English</p> </td> </tr> </table> <div class="content"> <p style="font-weight:bold;font-size:1.2em;">Committee on the Elimination of</p> <p style="font-weight:bold;font-size:1.2em;">Discrimination against Women</p> <p style="font-weight:bold;">Fifty-first session</p> <p>13 February  2 March 2012</p> <h2>Concluding observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women</h2> <h3>Zimbabwe</h3> <p>1.The Committee considered the combined second, third, fourth and fifth periodic report of Zimbabwe (CEDAW/C/ZWE/2-5) at its 1028th and 1029th meetings, on 21 February 2012 (see CEDAW/C/SR.1028 and 1029). The Committee s list of issues and questions is contained in CEDAW/C/ZWE/Q/2-5 and the responses of the Government of Zimbabwe are contained in CEDAW/C/ZWE/Q/2-5/Add.1.</p> <h3>A.Introduction</h3> <p>2.The Committee takes note of the State party s submission of its combined second, third, fourth and fifth periodic report, which, in general, followed the Committee s guidelines for the preparation of reports, and was prepared through a consultative process with the participation of Government bodies and civil society. The Committee, however, regrets that the report was long overdue. The Committee expresses its appreciation to the State party for its oral presentation, the written replies to the list of issues and questions raised by its pre-session working group and the further clarifications to the questions posed orally by the Committee. </p> <p>3.The Committee commends the State party s large and high level delegation, headed by Olivia Muchena, Minister of Women s Affairs, Gender and Community Development of Zimbabwe, which included also the Minister of State Organ for National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration, as well as several representatives from relevant ministries, with expertise in the areas covered by the Convention. The Committee appreciates the open and constructive dialogue that took place between the delegation and the members of the Committee, while noting that answers to some questions were vague and some questions were left unanswered.</p> <h3>B.Positive aspects</h3> <p>4.The Committee welcomes the progress achieved since the adoption of its previous concluding observations in 1998, including the legislative reforms that have been undertaken and the adoption of a range of legislative measures. Specific reference is made to: </p> <p>(a)The National Gender Policy (2004), to mainstream gender in all sectors and promote equal advancement of women and men; </p> <p>(b)The Domestic Violence Act (2006); </p> <p>(c)The Gender Implementation Strategy 2007-2010; </p> <p>(d)The First Schedule of the Public Service Regulations (2000), prohibiting sexual harassment; </p> <p>(e)Amendments to the Labour Act (Act 7 in 2002 and Act 17 in 2005) prohibiting the demand of sexual favours in return for recruitment for employment, promotion or any other related activities.</p> <p>5.The Committee notes with appreciation the initiatives taken by the State party to promote gender equality and protect women s rights, such as the establishment in 2007 of the Women s Development Fund and the Community Development Fund to assist women in various income generating projects, the adoption of the Tourism Policy, which promotes women s participation in the sector by reserving a 30% quota, and the reservation of a 30% quota for women in the mining mechanization that is run by the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development.</p> <p>6.The Committee welcomes the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, on 14 February 2012.</p> <h3>C.Principal areas of concern and recommendations</h3> <p style="font-weight:bold;">7. The Committee recalls the State party  s obligation to systematically and continuously implement all the provisions of the Convention and views the concerns and recommendations identified in the present concluding observations as requiring the priority attention of the State party between now and the submission of the next periodic report. Consequently, the Committee urges the State party to focus on those areas in its implementation activities and to report on actions taken and results achieved in its next periodic report. The Committee calls upon the State party to submit the present concluding observations to all relevant ministries, to the Parliament, and to the judiciary, so as to ensure their full implementation.</p> <h3>Parliament</h3> <p style="font-weight:bold;">8. While reaffirming that the Government has the primary responsibility and is particularly accountable for the full implementation of the obligations of the State party under the Convention, the Committee stresses that the Convention is binding on all branches of Government, and it invites the State party to encourage the Parliament, in line with its procedures, where appropriate, to take the necessary steps with regard to the implementation of the present concluding observations and the State party  s next reporting process under the Convention. </p> <h3>Visibility of the Convention and the Committee s general recommendations</h3> <p>9.The Committee is concerned at the general lack of awareness of the Convention, its concept of substantive gender equality and of the Committee s general recommendations in the State party, in particular, among the judiciary and other law enforcement officials. It is further concerned that women themselves, especially those in rural and remote areas, are not aware of their rights under the Convention, and thus lack the necessary information to claim their rights. </p> <p style="font-weight:bold;">10. The Committee calls on the State party to: </p> <p style="font-weight:bold;">(a) Take the necessary steps to ensure the adequate dissemination of the Convention, the Optional Protocol and the Committee s general recommendations to all stakeholders, including Government ministries, parliamentarians, the judiciary, law enforcement officers, and religious and community leaders, so as to create awareness of the human rights of women and establish firmly in the country a legal culture supportive of women s equality and non-discrimination; </p> <p style="font-weight:bold;">(b) Take all appropriate measures to enhance women s awareness of their rights and the means to enforce them, in particular in rural and remote areas, including through providing women with information on the Convention, the use of all appropriate measures, such as cooperation with civil society and the media.</p> <h3>Legal status of the Convention</h3> <p>11.The Committee is concerned that although the State party ratified the Convention in 1991, without reservations, it has not yet been incorporated into the domestic law. The Committee notes with concern that the relevance of the Convention and its direct domestic application have not yet been established in the State party.</p> <p style="font-weight:bold;">12. The Committee urges the State party to give high priority t o the process of full y incorporatin g the Convention into its domestic legal system in order to give central importance to the Convention as the basis for the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women. The Committee also recommends that the State party ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention. </p> <h3> Constitutional framework</h3> <p>13.While noting that Section 23 of the Constitution of the State party prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, tribe, place of origin, political opinions, colour, creed, sex, gender, marital status or physical disability, the Committee expresses its concern at the absence of a specific prohibition of discriminatio