Bringing disabled women together, mobilising
and sharing through lived experiences

1 Legislative and policy framework

15. The Committee recommends that the State party:

[….]

(c) Review and amend the public sector equality duty in order to address situations of intersectional forms of discrimination, such as discrimination faced by “Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic” women, older women, women with disabilities, asylum-seeking and refugee women, and lesbian, bisexual transgender women and intersex persons;

2 Legal aid and access to justice

23. The Committee recommends that the State party ensure that women, in particular women in vulnerable situations, such as women with disabilities, “Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic” women, asylum-seeking and refugee women, and victims of gender-based violence and of trafficking, have effective access to justice and remedies with adequate legal support and representation, including by ensuring that the legal aid and representation is accessible and available, as well as the provision of procedural and age-appropriate accommodations. It also recommends that the State party take effective measures to ensure that women have access to legal aid in areas that affect them most, such as family, housing, immigration and welfare benefits law.

3 National machinery for the advancement of women

25. The Committee recommends that the State party:

[….]

(d) Systematically collect and publish data disaggregated by sex, gender, ethnicity, disability and age throughout the whole of its territory to inform policy-making and assess the impact of measures taken.

4 Gender-based violence against women and girls

29. With reference to its general recommendation No. 35 (2017) on gender-based violence against women, updating general recommendation No. 19, and recalling its previous recommendation, the Committee recommends that the State party:

(a) Ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (the Istanbul Convention);

[….]

(d) Ensure that its laws and policies effectively protect women with disabilities from all forms of gender-based violence, and in particular violence perpetrated by their caregivers;

5 Trafficking and exploitation of prostitution

35. The Committee recommends that the State party:

[….]

(d) Ensure the availability of specialist services, which are adequately funded, inclusive and accessible, to assist women and girls to exit prostitution;

6 Participation in political and public life

37. The Committee recommends that the State party take specific targeted measures, including temporary special measures, to improve the representation of women, including “Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic” women and women with disabilities, in Parliament, the judiciary and decision-making positions in the Foreign Service and its diplomatic missions. It also calls upon the State party to take measures to address the low representation of women in political and public life in Northern Ireland, including by ensuring the implementation of Section 43A of the Sex Discrimination (Northern Ireland) Order 1976 enabling the use of gender quotas.

7 Employment and economic empowerment

43. The Committee recommends that the State party:

[….]

(f) Adopt specific measures, including temporary special measures, to facilitate the access of women from marginalized groups, such as “Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic” women and women with disabilities to the labour market in order to increase their employment rate and alleviate their concentration in low-paid jobs.

45.The Committee recommends that the State party:

(a) Ensure the availability of affordable and accessible childcare facilities and/or arrangements throughout the State party, in particular Northern Ireland;

8 Rural Women

53. Recalling its general recommendations No. 34 (2016) on the rights of rural women, the Committee recommends that the State party:

(a) Adopt inclusive and accessible measures to facilitate women and girls access to education, employment, healthcare services and support services in rural areas, including by ensuring their access to transportation and Internet, as well as their participation in decision-making processes regarding rural development;

9 Women in detention

57. The Committee recommends that the State party:

[….]

(c) Take further measures to improve the provision of mental health care in all prisons, taking into account the particular needs of women.

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