UN Authority Figures

UN Commission on the Status of Women: Belarus

77% of Belarusian women experience violence during marriage or in intimate relations. In November 2015, NGOs criticized a proposed domestic violence law which would impose liability on the victim for "provoking" domestic violence.
Source: Civil Society Dialogue for Progress, November 2015

Mission of the Commission on the Status of Women: "The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women... The CSW is instrumental in promoting women's rights, documenting the reality of women's lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women." (Commission on the Status of Women website, "Overview")

Term of office: 2014-2017

Belarus's Record on Women's rights:
"Rape was a problem. However, most women did not report it due to shame or fear that police would blame the victim... Domestic violence was a significant problem. In 2011 the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights raised grave concerns about the persistence of violence against women, in particular domestic and sexual violence, its underreporting, the lack of prosecution of violence within the family, the fact that rape was subject to private rather than official prosecution, and the lack of shelters for victims of domestic violence... Sexual harassment reportedly was widespread, but no specific laws, other than those against physical assault, address the problem... Very few women were in the upper ranks of management or government, and most women were concentrated in the lower-paid public sector. Women's groups also voiced concerns about the feminization of poverty, particularly among women with more than two children, female-headed households, women taking care of family members with disabilities or older family members, rural women, and older women." (US State Department's Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2014, Belarus)

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