CEDAW/C/NZL/CO/7
use. While recognizing some progress in the public sector, the Committee is concerned
about the low representation of women in high-level and managerial positions on boards of
private enterprises.
19.
The Committee encourages the State party to study, review and reconsider the
relevance and usefulness of temporary special measures, in accordance with article 4,
paragraph 1, of the Convention, and the Committee’s general recommendation No.
25. It also recommends that the State party include in its equality legislation
provisions to encourage the use of temporary special measures, in both the public and
private sectors, in order to accelerate the realization of women’s de jure and de facto
equality with men in all areas and sectors of the State party.
Stereotypes and harmful practices
20.
While noting the efforts made by the State party to eliminate discriminatory attitudes
and harmful practices affecting women, particularly through media broadcasting
regulations, the Committee remains concerned about the negative stereotypes associated
with men’s and women’s traditional roles in the family and in society at large. In particular,
the Committee is concerned about the negative and sometimes exploitative representation
of women in the media which perpetuates discrimination against women and girls. In this
regard, the Committee notes with concern that the State party has not developed a national
campaign on the importance of equality between men and women as recommended in the
Committee’s previous concluding observations. Furthermore, the Committee is concerned
about the incidence of cyberbullying, notably targeting teenage girls.
21.
The Committee urges the State party:
(a)
To implement without delay a national campaign on the importance of
equality between women and men in a democratic society, to increase understanding
of the meaning and content of substantive equality of women and to eliminate negative
stereotypes associated with men’s and women’s traditional roles in the family and in
society at large, in accordance with articles 2 (f) and 5 (a) of the Convention;
(b)
To systematically collect data on harmful practices, including
cyberbullying targeting teenage girls, and to implement measures, such as awareness
campaigns in schools, to prevent such practices;
(c)
To take all necessary measures to combat the practice of early and
forced marriages within migrant communities and to introduce sensitization
campaigns in this regard.
Violence against women
22.
The Committee takes note of the measures taken by the State party to protect women
against violence through the legislative and institutional frameworks. At the legislative
level, this includes the enactment of a number of criminal justice changes to strengthen
protection of the rights of victims, such as the powers extended to the police to issue onthe-spot safety orders to protect victims of domestic violence. The Committee also notes
that legislation also enables criminal courts to issue protection orders on behalf of victims
in cases of domestic violence.
23.
While the Committee notes the work of the Task Force for Action on Violence
within Families, it is concerned at the lower level of representation among its members,
down from chief executive to low-level officials. The Committee also notes that many of
the recommendations in the report of the Task Force for Action on Sexual Violence have
not yet been implemented. The Committee also notes the increase in the number of Family
Violence Courts, and the adoption of several awareness-raising initiatives such as the “It’s
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