CEDAW/C/MMR/CO/4-5
Participation in political and public life
30. The Committee notes the State party’s efforts to promote the participation of
women in political and public life following the general elections held in 2015. The
Committee remains concerned, however, at:
(a) The low representation of women at the legislative, ministerial and local
government (village committee) levels, as well as in the judiciary, the military, the
diplomatic service and academic institutions;
(b) The lack of temporary special measures, including statutory quotas,
aimed at guaranteeing and accelerating substantive equality of women and men in
political and public life;
(c) The lack of information on the representation of women with disabilities
and ethnic minority women, such as Rohingya Muslim women, in decision -making
positions.
31. The Committee reiterates its previous recommendation
CEDAW/C/MMR/CO/3, para. 29) that the State party:
(see
(a) Adopt measures, including temporary special measures, in
accordance with article 4 (1) of the Convention and the Committee’s general
recommendations No. 25 and No. 23 (1997) on women in political and public
life, in order to guarantee and accelerate women’s full and equal participation
at all levels, including the legislative, ministerial, and local government (village
committee) levels, as well as in the judiciary, the military, the diplomatic
service and academic institutions;
(b) Provide information in the next periodic report on specific measures
taken, including temporary special measures, to promote the representation of
women with disabilities and ethnic minority women such as those belonging to
the Kachin, Kaman, Rohingya and other ethnic minority groups in decision making positions.
Nationality
32. The Committee notes that, in January 2015, the State party reinstituted a
citizenship verification exercise in order to address citizenship issues in northern
Rakhine State. The Committee is concerned, however, that the exercise, which
entails the issuance of identification documents to members of the Rohingya
Muslim ethnic group, still uses the outdated Citizenship Law of 1982, which is
discriminatory since it results in the arbitrary deprivation of nationality. The
Committee recalls its previous concluding observations (see CEDAW/C/MMR/
CO/3, paras. 30 and 32) and notes with concern that Rohingya women and girls in
Rakhine State are being deprived of their nationality and, therefore, rendered
stateless, by the Citizenship Law of 1982. The Committee also notes with concern
that members of the Rohingya ethnic group, including women and girls, who
refused to identify as “Bengali” have been arbitrarily excluded from the verification
process, which was first piloted in June 2014.
33. The Committee reiterates its previous recommendations (see
CEDAW/C/MMR/CO/3, paras. 31 and 33) and recommends that the State party
amend the Citizenship Law of 1982 in order to grant citizenship to residents in
the State party, in particular women and girls in northern Rakhine State, so
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