Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1995, published 83rd ILC session (1996)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Zambia (Ratification: 1979)

The Committee notes with interest the information submitted by the Government in its report, including court decisions in cases involving discrimination in employment on various grounds covered by the Convention and statistics showing the improving rates of enrolment by sex in vocational and higher education.

1. The Committee notes with interest the information included in the Government's reports on the Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW) (UN documents CEDAW/C/ZAM 1-2 of November 1991 and CEDAW/C/ZAM 1-2/Amend. 1 of September 1992) on the establishment within the National Commission for Development Planning of a Women in Development Department.

2. The Committee notes the Government's description in these CEDAW reports of an important number of obstacles to women's full participation in the labour force, including: a lack of support systems for child care which forces women who found a family to leave employment; the negative impact of structural adjustment on employment opportunities, which affects women to a greater extent than men; and the heavy involvement of women in the informal sector, which tends to feature unfavourable working conditions, limited opportunities for re-training and advancement and, in certain cases, the risk of legal sanctions. The Committee asks the Government to describe any measures initiated by the Women in Development Department (or other bodies) to facilitate women's equal access to employment opportunities in the formal sector.

3. Recalling that the principle of equality of opportunity applies to all sectors of work, including the informal sector, the Committee requests the Government to ensure, within the means available, that any assistance to the informal sector, including the provision of credit and opportunities for educational and vocational training, is available in practice without discrimination based on any of the grounds of the Convention, including sex.