Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1997, published 86th ILC session (1998)

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

1. The Committee notes the report sent by the Government. It notes with interest that under article 5 of the 1995 Constitution, "All human beings are equal before the law, without distinction as to race, ethnic origin, region, sex, religion, political leanings and social position. Equality between men and women in respect of all rights shall be ensured by law". The Committee asks the Government to confirm that the terms "political leanings, ethnic origin and social position" do cover, respectively, the criteria of political opinion, national extraction and social origin which were omitted in the 1986 Constitution. Noting that the criterion of colour, which is one of the seven grounds for discrimination prohibited by the Convention, has been omitted in the new Constitution, the Committee wishes to draw the Government's attention to the importance which should be attached to all the sources of discrimination envisaged in Article 1, paragraph 1(a) of the Convention, in declaring and pursuing a national policy to combat discrimination in employment and occupation, in accordance with Article 2. It therefore asks the Government to inform it of any texts which cover non-discrimination on the basis of colour in employment and occupation.

2. The Committee again asks the Government to confirm the adoption of: (a) the specific regulations provided for in section 57 of Ordinance No. 80/064 of 1980 governing the employment conditions of the various categories of staff in the central administration; and (b) the decrees issued under sections 16, 28 and 29 of the above Ordinance concerning the classification of public officials by category and the procedures for their promotion, and to provide copies of these texts if they have indeed been adopted.

3. Noting that the Government reiterates in its report that the Labour Department has no reliable statistical data on the number of women holding jobs in the private and public sectors (including women in high-level posts), the Committee again draws the Government's attention to the fact that it may request technical assistance in this field from the Office. In this connection, the Committee wishes to recall that, where inequalities of opportunity and treatment in employment and occupation are overlooked because they are not properly reflected in statistics, the effective application of the Convention cannot but be affected.

4. Article 4. The Committee asks the Government to supply copies of administrative texts governing the employment or occupational activities of persons who are legitimately suspected of activities prejudicial to the security of the State and the remedies available to such persons, as well as copies of court rulings issued under these texts, if any.