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Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Cabo Verde (RATIFICATION: 1979)

The Committee notes with regret that the Government's report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which read as follows:

1. The Committee notes that no measures have been taken to include in the national legislation measures explicitly referring to race, colour, national extraction and political opinion among the grounds on which discrimination is prohibited. The Committee once again requests the Government to indicate the measures that have been taken or are envisaged to include these grounds of discrimination, which are set out in Article 1(a) of the Convention.

2. With regard to access to training, the Committee notes the statement that the Government is ensuring that the required conditions refer exclusively to the necessary capacity and to the interest shown. It also notes the Government's statement that, in practice, the only criterion employed up to the present time for attributing fellowships abroad has been the final average marks obtained by the student. In these circumstances, it hopes that the Government will be able to amend sections 5(c), 7 and 8 of Legislative Decree 83/81 of 18 July 1981 respecting the regulations applying to students holding fellowships abroad, to abolish the obligation to join and participate in the activities of the Organisation of Cape Verde Students, under penalty of losing the fellowship, and that its next report will indicate the measures that have been taken in this respect.

3. The Committee notes that the Government does not have at its disposal the information that it requested concerning the positive measures that have been taken in respect of women. It notes, however, that in the magistrature, 40 per cent of the posts are occupied by women. It also notes, from the copy of the periodical "Voz de Popo" that was supplied with the report, that a massive number of women have participated in the literacy campaign for adults launched in 1989, which is explained by the fact that a very high proportion of women are illiterate.

The Committee observes that the Government's obligations under the terms of the Convention are not confined to adopting laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination or providing for equality, but that they also involve the adoption and application of a national policy, including positive measures, to promote equality of opportunity and treatment in respect of access to training and employment. It draws the Government's attention to paragraph 247 of its 1988 General Survey on Equality in Employment and Occupation in which it emphasised that improvement in the means available for compiling information on direct and indirect forms of discrimination is indispensable if progress is to be made and as a basis for policies to achieve equality. It therefore hopes that the Government will be able to make efforts to collect information, and in particular statistics, that give a better knowledge of the situation of women as regards training and employment and that its next report will contain information on this subject, on any positive measure that has been taken to promote the training and employment of women and on the results that have been attained.

4. The Committee notes from the Government's report that it is not aware of any case brought before the relevant bodies in this connection. It requests the Government to supply information on any new developments in this respect in its future reports.