Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2024, published 113rd ILC session (2025)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Guyana (Ratification: 1975)

Article 1(1) of the Convention. Discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In its report, the Government states that it is still in the process of updating the Prevention of Discrimination Act, and that the National Stakeholders Forum, under the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, will hold public consultations with a wide range of relevant stakeholders, including six recent LGBTQI groups established in Guyana since the last report. Additionally, the Committee notes that the Ministry of Health is currently updating its National HIV and AIDS Workplace Policy to embrace the United Nations’s position in this regard. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the progress achieved in amending: (i) the Prevention of Discrimination Act, to add sexual orientation and gender identity as prohibited grounds of discrimination in employment and occupation; and (ii) its National HIV and AIDS Workplace Policy. It also reiterates its request for information on any activities undertaken in collaboration with the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination.

Articles 1 and 2. Equality of opportunity and treatment for men and women. The Committee takes notes of the impact of some of the many initiatives taken to increase women’s employability; among them, the Women's Innovation and Investment Network (WIIN) training programme that has: (1) attracted over 23,000 registrants since its launch in 2021; (2) trained over 6,000 women with employable skills in areas such as information and communications, and technology; and (3) granted 50,000 Guyanese dollars (equivalent to approximately US$240) to over 3,000 WIIN graduates to help them start a small business. It notes that 25 per cent of all women who have been trained thus far have started a micro-enterprise, 48 per cent have gained employment opportunities, over 2,000 have accessed empowerment funds to help start a small business, and over 1,000 persons have benefited from support through the Business Clinic and Incubator. The Committee further notes that the Gender Awareness Bureau (GAB) conducted awareness and sensitization sessions to combat gender stereotypes and patriarchal attitudes that hinder women’s access to the labour market, and also develop the practical ability and self-confidence of Gender Focal Points to apply gender concepts and analysis. The areas covered included, inter alia, an introduction to relevant international labour standards, gender analysis, gender mainstreaming, gender integration, gender stereotypes, the need for gendered leadership, and a better understanding of the national machinery on gender equality. The participants were mainly community leaders — men and women from vulnerable groups within the country. The Government indicates that the GAB has now created a total of 17 men’s groups, and the “Share Responsibility at Home Campaign” that aims to eliminate the persistence of gender stereotyping and negative cultural attitudes that discriminate against women. Finally, the Committee notes that according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), 35.4 per cent of Guyana’s Members of Parliament, and 31.8 per cent of Guyana’s Cabinet, are women, ranking Guyana at number 48 on the IPU’s Women in Ministerial Positions Index; and that there are more women than men employed in the positions of Permanent Secretaries in key Ministries; as Regional Executive Officers, Mayors, Deputy Mayors, Town Clerks, and in executive positions on Neighbourhood Democratic Councils across the country; as well as in top offices within the judiciary, legal professions, and among public servants. The Committee observes, however, that no detailed breakdown of the statistics is provided about men and women in different employments and occupations among the different sectors of the economy. With respect to the National Gender and Social Inclusion Policy, the Government states that while it is still under review, work is being done under key objectives and strategic lines relative to the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security (e.g. to increase awareness on physical and psychological abuse and harassment, promote economic development and inclusion, promote access to justice, etc.). The Committee encourages the Government to sustain its efforts in promoting gender equality, and to provide detailed information on the tangible impact of its various initiatives on women’s employability. Please provide updated statistical data on the employment situation of women and men across different occupations, disaggregated by gender and sector, including the proportion of women and men in senior positions.

Indigenous peoples. The Government points out that as at the third quarter of 2021, Amerindians represented 10 per cent of Guyana’s population and also 10 per cent of Guyana’s working-age population, and it stresses that Amerindian communities are catered for by the national budget and various budget agencies that work directly and indirectly with the communities. After the initial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Guyana recognized the importance of injecting resources into the most under-resourced and disenfranchised communities, and set aside 1.73 billion Guyanese dollars (equivalent to approximately US$8,300,000) to ensure that the Amerindian communities can withstand the dire impact of the pandemic. In that regard, the Committee notes that, from that amount, a sum of 115 million Guyanese dollars (equivalent to approximately US$550,000) was disbursed to Amerindian villages to mitigate the negative impacts of the pandemic, and was used inter alia to construct an information and communication technology (ICT) hub so children can continue to access classes online. The Government launched a “GOAL scholarships” initiative to provide free post-secondary and tertiary education to eligible persons across Guyana, through online courses offered by a variety of universities across the world. Scholarships are available for short courses, bachelor’s preparatory, undergraduate, and postgraduate studies. Concerning the activities of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), the Committee notes that in 2021, ERC detected 76 instances of ethically and racially offensive comments in the media and closed 51 per cent (i.e. 144) of the complaints received; issued advisories on its website and social/other media to prohibit offensive comments; conducted sensitization outreach activities, including distribution of the ERC Harmony Colouring Book titled “Colour our History and Heroes” to help promote racial and ethnic harmony across Guyana by featuring the roles and contributions of peoples of all races to Guyana’s history and development; etc. The Committee further notes that the Indigenous Peoples’ Commission (IPC) carried out consultations with key stakeholders on the implementation of the 2021–25 Traditional Knowledge National Action Plan, capacity-building sessions on governance and leadership skills, workshops on basic skills in project management and proposal writing, etc. The Committee welcomes the detailed information provided. The Committee asks the Government to provide information, in particular statistical data, on the impact of all these different initiatives on the employment situation of indigenous peoples, with regard to education, training and employment, including entrepreneurship and traditional activities.

Enforcement and statistics. The Committee notes that ERC received and resolved one complaint over the period under review, and a series of training and awareness sessions on discrimination were conducted by civil society organizations such as the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD), EQUAL and Guyana Rainbow Foundation (GuyBow), in collaboration with various government agencies such as the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA) and the National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS). It also takes note of the Government’s reiterated position that the legal framework in place and the various existing enforcement entities adequately provide for the protection of persons from discrimination. In this regard, the Committee wishes to point out that the Convention requires the national equality policy to be effective, while taking into account the national conditions; thus, monitoring and enforcement of equality and non-discrimination laws and policies is an important aspect in determining if there is effective implementation. Consequently, the Committee regularly requests governments to provide detailed information on the nature and number of complaints lodged with the various judicial, quasi-judicial and administrative bodies. It considers that, where no cases or complaints, or very few, are being lodged, this is likely to indicate a lack of an appropriate legal framework, lack of awareness of rights, lack of confidence in or absence of practical access to procedures, or fear of reprisals. The lack of complaints or cases could also indicate that the system of recording violations is insufficiently developed. With regard to qualitative data, the Government states that no surveys, studies or research were carried out to determine the nature, extent and causes of discrimination in the public and private sectors. The Committee wishes to stress that another important aspect of monitoring the effective implementation of the Convention is the collection and analysis of statistics to determine if measures taken are having a positive impact on the actual situation (see the 2012 General Survey on the fundamental Conventions, paragraph 891). In that regard, the Committee welcomes the Government’s request to benefit from the technical assistance of the ILO for: (1) developing more modern data collection systems segregated by gender, geographic location and occupation; and (2) capacity building of labour inspectors and other public officials, to identify and address cases of discrimination and to secure compliance with the provisions of the applicable labour laws. The Committee hopes that the technical assistance will be provided in the near future, and requests the Government to provide information on the progress made. It also encourages the Government to raise awareness of the relevant legislation: (i) to enhance the capacity of the competent authorities, including judges, labour inspectors and other public officials; (ii) to identify and address cases of discrimination and unequal pay; and also (iii) to examine whether the applicable substantive and procedural provisions allow claims to be brought successfully in practice.