CMNT_TITLE

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Dominican Republic (RATIFICATION: 1964)

Previous comment

The Committee notes the observations of the National Confederation of Trade Union Unity (CNUS), the Autonomous Confederation of Workers’ Unions (CASC) and the National Confederation of Dominican Workers (CNTD), received on 3 September 2018 and 14 July 2022.

Article 2 of the Convention. Equality of opportunity for women and men. The Government refers in its report to various programmes aimed at promoting the employability of young women and men. It also provides information on the Supérate programme, whose objectives include action to assist women to secure and retain employment and includes a component relating to the provision of care. The Government also indicates that the Equal Opportunities Directorate at the Ministry of Labour has carried out a series of awareness-raising activities on the subject of gender-related discrimination. The Committee also notes that the “Third National Plan for gender equality and equity (2020–30)” recognizes that: (1) despite progress recorded in the country, women still have fewer opportunities in the labour market, even though they form the majority of university students and higher education graduates; (2) they have less flexibility for managing their time because of the burden of household responsibilities which are still not shared equally among partners and families and are not assumed by the State; and (3) women are much worse affected than men by poverty and unemployment. The Plan covers the following priorities: equal participation of women in the job market; recognition and redistribution of care work among women and men and the rest of the nuclear family, society and the State; reduction and elimination of wage discrimination; and reduction and elimination of occupational discrimination. The Committee also notes that, according to the CNUS, CASC and the CNTD, patriarchal attitudes and a culture of differentiated rights are very much present both in society and in law enforcement circles. The Committee also notes the concerns expressed by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) regarding the persistence of discriminatory stereotypes of the roles of women and men in the family and in society, and the fact that women are underrepresented in the formal economy and in decision-making positions in the public and private sectors (CEDAW/C/DOM/CO/8, 1 March 2022, paragraphs 19 and 33). The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information on the measures taken in the context of the “Third National Plan for gender equality and equity (2020–30)” to promote equality of opportunity and treatment for women and men in respect of employment and occupation, and on the results achieved. The Committee also requests the Government to provide statistical information on the participation of men and women in vocational training and in the labour market, indicating the respective numbers of women and men in the different economic activities, disaggregated by occupational categories and jobs, in both the public and private sectors and also in the informal economy, to enable an evaluation of progress made.

Discrimination on the ground of HIV/AIDS. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the steps taken to prevent and eliminate discrimination on the ground of HIV/AIDS, particularly in the form of HIV testing to secure or retain employment, and information on any complaints submitted concerning discrimination on the ground of HIV/AIDS and their outcome, including the manner in which victims can obtain compensation and the penalties imposed on persons committing such discrimination.

Enforcement. The Committee takes note that the Government provides information on the reactivation of the Tripartite Round Table on issues relating to international labour standards, whose functions include the analysis and discussion of compliance with the ILO Conventions ratified by the country, and in particular fundamental Conventions. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on any measure adopted in the framework of the tripartite round table that concerns the application of the Convention. The Committee also requests the Government to provide information on: (i) any training given to labour inspectors regarding the application of the Convention; and (ii) violations of the principles of the Convention detected by labour inspectors, the sanctions imposed and the remedies granted.