CEDAW/C/SR.328
English
Page 2
The meeting was called to order at 3:20 p.m.
CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES PARTIES UNDER ARTICLE 18 OF THE
CONVENTION (continued)
Third and fourth periodic reports of the Philippines (continued)
(CEDAW/C/PHI/3 and CEDAW/C/PHI/4)
1.
At the invitation of the Chairperson, Ms. Feliciano (Philippines) and
Ms. Nicolas (Philippines) took places at the Committee table.
2.
Ms. BARE said that she appreciated the Government’s efforts to integrate
gender focal points into its programmes through presidential decrees, a step
that would promote greater public accountability. She would appreciate
information on any specific benchmarks that had been developed to measure
improvements from one year to the next. Further details should be provided in
the next report on the progress of activities to increase employment
opportunities for women and to reduce female unemployment from 37 per cent to
30 per cent.
3.
With regard to the Government’s difficulty in gathering sex-segregated data
on such issues as violence and employment in the informal sector, the lack of
such data hampered the efforts of non-governmental organizations to target those
areas; the national machinery for women’s equality should devote more attention
to that problem.
4.
Ms. OUEDRAOGO said that she had been impressed by the large number of
programmes and projects initiated by the Government, given the difficulties
which developing countries faced in gathering the funds needed to promote
equality. With regard to the large number of Philippine women working as
domestic employees in other countries, she would be grateful for further data on
the countries receiving the largest numbers of immigrants. If the Government
was unable to lower the rate of emigration, it should consider establishing
social service agencies in those countries to address the problems faced by
immigrant workers. It should also set up programmes to train Philippine women
in domestic work prior to their departure so as to enable them to obtain better
jobs in the host countries.
5.
In view of the persistence of deeply entrenched sexual stereotypes, the
Government should intensify its public education campaigns and strengthen
programmes to prepare young people for marriage and family life.
6.
Ms. SHALEV said that the report and the written replies contained a great
deal of information on laws and regulations, but very little on their actual
impact. The Government’s economic policies appeared to be taking a heavy toll
on women, in view of the growing employment gap between men and women, the
number of women employed overseas, in the informal sector and in free trade
zones, the problems of trafficking and violence against women, and so on.
7.
Certain laws and policies appeared to conflict with one another. For
instance, in its answer to question No. 109, the Government stated that it