CEDAW/C/NZL/CO/7
6.
The Committee welcomes the appointment of the first Asian woman Minister and
three Māori women Ministers.
7.
The Committee commends the State party for a number of positive legislative and
policy reforms for the advancement of women since the adoption of its last concluding
observations in 2007, including:
(a)
The Campaign for Action on Family Violence (The “It’s Not OK
Campaign”) launched by the Taskforce for Action on Violence within Families in 2008
aimed at changing attitudes to family violence;
(b)
Legislative changes passed in 2009 which enabled criminal courts to issue
protection orders on behalf of victims in cases where a perpetrator is sentenced for a
domestic violence offence.
(c)
The Employment Relations (Breaks, Infant Feeding, and Other Matters)
Amendment Act of 2008 which promotes breastfeeding in the workplace;
(d)
A national education campaign launched in 2007 aimed at encouraging
women to screen themselves for cervical cancer which has increased testing for all groups
of women; and
(e)
The 2008 “Indicators for Change” developed by the Ministry of Women’s
Affairs which tracks the progress of women’s rights issues in New Zealand.
Principal areas of concern and recommendations
8.
The Committee recalls the obligation of the State party 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. The Committee notes with concern a number of challenges that
continue to impede the full implementation of the Convention in the State party,
including the recourse to gender neutral language with respect to gender based
violence, including domestic violence; pay inequality and pay equity; the status of
vulnerable groups of women, including women with disabilities and minority women;
the impact of the 2011 earthquake on women; the impact of policy changes such as the
financial cuts in legal aid schemes; adequacy of targets and benchmarks to advance
women’s rights; and the insufficient dissemination and promotion of the Convention.
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.
Parliament
9.
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
Government’s next reporting process under the Convention. The Committee notes the
limited distribution of its previous concluding observations and recommendations
contained therein to Parliament and the lack of systematic Parliamentary oversight to
ensure accountability on women’s rights and gender equality. The Committee
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