Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2014, published 104th ILC session (2015)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Mali (Ratification: 1964)

The Committee notes the observations of the Confederation of Workers’ Unions of Mali (CSTM), received on 22 November 2013.

Articles 2 and 3 of the Convention. Promotion of equality of opportunity and treatment between men and women. The Committee welcomes the adoption of the National Gender Policy (PNG) (2009–18) and its first action plan (2011–13), which covers ten priority sectors, including justice, education, employment and vocational training. However, the Government indicates that, in view of the political context and the withdrawal of various technical and financial partners, it has not been possible to implement the action plan. The Committee notes that, according to the CSTM, which also refers to the adoption of the action plan of the PNG, the representation of women in decision-making bodies and the school attendance rate of women have fallen, which has resulted in a reduction in the income and employment rates of women. The detailed statistics provided by the Government in its report under the Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100), show that in 2011 only 28.38 per cent of positions in the public service were occupied by women (15.71 per cent for category A positions). Between 2008 and 2011, the number of women magistrates fell by half, dropping from 46 to 22 (372 to 304 for men), with the figures for women employees remaining identical for other posts with lower levels of responsibility. Only 9.2 per cent of commissioners and 8 per cent of police inspectors were women. In the private sector, between 2010 and 2012, of the 29,179 jobs created with fixed-term contracts, and the 24,015 jobs created with permanent contracts, only 15.9 per cent and 17.6 per cent, respectively, were held by women. The Committee notes that the action plan of the PNG provides for many actions for the purposes of equality of opportunity and treatment between men and women, particularly in agriculture and the informal economy. Its objectives include improving the balance between women and men in employment in the private and public sectors, including positions of responsibility in the public service, and eliminating sexist stereotypes and promoting egalitarian models for the sharing of domestic responsibilities and tasks. The Committee further notes that the action plan provides for the adoption of legislation and regulations intended to penalize harassment in employment and occupation, as well as in education. The Committee encourages the Government to give effect to the PNG without further delay and requests it to provide information on the measures taken to improve the access of women to employment at all levels in the private and public sectors, including the measures taken to combat sexist stereotypes and sexual harassment at work, and their impact. Please continue to provide detailed statistics, disaggregated by sex, on employment in the private and public sectors.

Access of girls and women to education and vocational training. The Committee notes the measures taken by the Government in relation to the access of girls to education. It notes the statistics provided by the Government on school attendance rates and the distribution of graduates in 2012, which show that the school attendance rate of girls remains lower than that of boys, particularly in the second cycle, and that in 2012 women only represented 34.66 per cent of graduates in all subjects, with this rate being lower in technological and scientific subjects (medicine, engineering, etc.). The Committee notes that the first action plan of the PNG included among its objectives improving the access of girls to primary, secondary and technical education and their maintenance at school, as well as the access of women to literacy programmes. The Committee requests the Government to continue providing information, including statistics, on the measures taken to improve the access of girls and women to all levels of education, including measures to promote the school attendance of girls and to keep them at school, as well as the measures taken to diversify training supply with a view to enabling them to have access to a broader range of jobs, including jobs traditionally occupied by men.

Article 5. Special measures. Restrictions on women’s employment. With regard to Decree No. 96-178/P-RM of 13 June 1996 containing provisions adopted under section L.189 of the Labour Code on women’s work, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that the question of revising its provisions could be raised during the examination of the implementing texts of the Labour Code. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on any measures taken with a view to revising the list of types of work prohibited for women, or the performance of which is restricted, in light of the principle of equality between men and women and to limit protective measures for women to maternity protection.

Labour inspection. The Committee notes the Government’s indication in its report under Convention No. 100 that, despite significant budgetary constraints, it is endeavouring to organize regular training for labour inspectors and controllers, and issues of equality in employment will be included in the training programmes. Recalling the possibility for the Government to have recourse to ILO technical assistance in this regard, the Committee requests the Government to intensify its efforts and to take measures for the training of labour inspectors with a view to improving their capacity to identify and address issues of discrimination, including wage discrimination, and to provide information on the measures adopted in this respect.