... -<11 ..... through the entire system of cur r errt 1egis).atiun, whi.ch , an many respects, went further than the provisions of the Convention. n Ind le 125. In that connection, the representatlve dwelled in particular on one of the principal achievements of socialism ~ the guaranteed right to work, which was in fact a necessary condition for the equality of women in society and the family. Women accounted for 53 per cent of the total number of industrial and office workers in the national economy. Among specialists with higher education, women represented 53.9 per cent and, among those with secondary special education, 64.5 per cent. In the light of the physiological and psychological characteristics of the female organism, Soviet legislation, in accordance with article 160 of the Labour Code, prohibited th~ employment of women in strenuous jobs, work underground and work involving conditions harmful to them. Maximum norms for the carrying and movement of heavy objects have been established for women in production. The dismissal from work of pregnant women, nursing mothers and women with children of up to one year of age was prohlbited. Under the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR, the Minsk City Soviet and the regional soviets of the people's deputies, permanent commissions have been set up to deal with labour questions, social welfare of women and maternal and child welfare. 1 at h e 126. As of 1 January 1983, women represented 53 per cent of the total population of the Republic. The predomlnance in the number of women over men was one of the remaining tanglble consequences of the losses inflicted during the Second World War, in the course of which one out of every four of its inhabitants had perished. The women of the Byelorussian SSR were deeply concerned over the seriously increased threat of a new war and were intensifying their commitment to the struggle for the strengthenlng of international peace and security. They had taken part in the Stockholm-Moscow-Minsk Peace March in July 1982 and in the preparation and implementation of other mass events for the preservation of an enduring peace on our planet and against the threat of nuclear war. Those initiatives by Byelorussian women were fully consonant with the corresponding provisions of the Convention. of 127. The Committee expressed gratitude to the representative of the State party for her report. d 128. A number of Committee members noted the considerable achievements of the Byelorussian SSR in ensuring broad rights for women in all areas of political, economic, social and cultural life. d 129. A few members of the Committee remarked that there seemed to exist a relation between that report and that of the USSR. The latter contained statistics which covered those in the former. Although the two reports did not follow the same methodology or structure, they dia seem to complement each other, and the experts requested a clarification. 130. Most of the members of the Committee agreed that the report was brief and succinct. They stressed, however, that it should have contained more statistics, that appropriate legislation should have been included, particularly as regards article 16, and that more basic general lnformation regarding the country, its Government and court systems should have been provided to assist the Committee in its consideration. They were interested in actual, factual and comparative data. -21- r • t