n the particularly in rural areas of the country. Good results had already been obtained in adult education, with women comprising 43.8 per cent of the students registered in those courses in 1980-1981. ren in in the women, ime for on in t roned st tits eferred s a 252. The Cuban representative recalled that Cuba was the first country to sign the Convention, an instrument whose spirit was completely in conformity with its national legislation as well as with the wishes and desires of the Cuban Govermnent and people. 253. The Committee expressed appreciation for the organization and structure of the report and particularly for the fact that it devoted to each article of the Convention relevant commentaries and information, including excerpts from legislation such as the Family Code, maternity protection and labour regulations. Experts commended the frankness with which the report was introduced, in particular the reference to difficulties encountered in implementing the Convention due to the problems of underdevelopment, the persistence of cultural inequality and the difference between the de jure and de facto situation. 254. Various were requested in the course of the Committee's of the report. Noting that the Constitution explicitly guaranteed the equality of men and women, the experts were interested in knowing the extent of women's part~cipation in the dicussion and drafting of the Constit~tio!l. clarif~cations considerat~on 255. With regard to article 2, experts asked whether the relevant provisions of the Convention could be invoked directly before the courts and enforced. They also wished to know what sanctions were applied in cases of discrimination and what was the machinery to deal with them. 256. With regard to efforts to abolish sex-stereotyping, it was asked whether was the only means by which that could be achieved, what other policies were in existence and, in particular, those designed to remove age-old traditional perceptions and attitudes towards ~{omen, including "machismo", and what projects were being undertaken by the Federat.ion oJ: Cuban Women, the trade unions and the State in that regard. co-educat~on s of ive other ny d had tant and ve of ed cr t , dices een ismo". y were en had nd chool, 257. Specific comments were directed to the Penal Code , whe!:e certain "Lnd Ices of dangerousness" were outlined under what was described as a "state of danger". They included procuring, prostitution and the exploitation or exercise of socially reprehensible vices. The experts wished to know if, as was stated in the report, the problem of prostitution had been successfully resolved, or merely controlled and, in the latter event, what were the penalties established by the law. It was also wondered whether a prison term was imposed for procuring. 258. Cornmmenting on women's participation in public life, data was requested regarding the proportion of women in Government, in the various ministries, as well as on their levels ~n the hierarchy, the composition of the municipal as~emblies of popular power and the extent to which women participated in them as elected representatives. 259. More detailed information was requested on the role of the Federation of Cuban Women as a non-governmental organ~zation, its power to initiate legislative reforms and the nature of its interaction with the Government. The experts also asked whether there were other women's groups and, if so, what were their status and power vis-A-vis the Federation and the Government. -37-