Observation (CEACR) - adoptée 2024, publiée 113ème session CIT (2025)

Convention (n° 111) concernant la discrimination (emploi et profession), 1958 - Sao Tomé-et-Principe (Ratification: 1982)

Articles 2 and 3 of the Convention. Equality of opportunity and treatment for men and women. Policies and institutions. The Committee recalls that it previously requested the Government to provide information on the impact of the measures taken, within the framework of the second National Strategy for Gender Equality and Equity (ENIEG), the National Employment Policy (PNE), the Action Plan on Employment and Vocational Training (PANEF) and the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) 2018–21, on: (1) the economic capacity and access of women to the formal economy and to vocational training; (2) the improvement of equality of opportunity and treatment for men and women in relation to employment and occupation in the public and private sectors; and (3) the collection of updated statistics disaggregated by sex and if possible by vocational category. The Committee notes that the Government provides very general information in its report (such as that the legal framework in place, and particularly the Constitution, promote equality of opportunity for men and women, positions in the public service are filled by competition, job vacancies must not be discriminatory, the informal economy is not governed by legislative provisions, those who commit violations are liable to a fine, etc.). Nevertheless, the Committee notes with interest the adoption of: (1) Act No. 11/2022 on parity, of 19 September 2022, which is aimed at ensuring effective equality between men and women with a view to the elimination of all forms of discrimination and the creation of equality of opportunity, particularly with regard to political participation and decision-making positions; and (2) the National Financial Inclusion Strategy 2021–25, which has the objective of stimulating significant progress in the promotion of gender equality and the economic empowerment of women. It further notes the adoption of the third National Strategy for Gender Equality and Equity 2019–26 (ENIEG III) and the implementation of a technical cooperation project on the promotion of local food value chains and equitable employment opportunities through a sustainable agro-food industry in Sao Tome and Principe 2022–24, which aims to promote the creation of decent jobs for vulnerable women and girls. However, the Committee notes that, in its concluding observations, the United Nations Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW): (1) noted with concern that, although the Act on gender parity establishes a minimum quota of 40 per cent for women’s representation in elected bodies and the public service, they currently hold only eight out of the 55 seats in the National Assembly (14.5 per cent) and that their representation in the public service and the judiciary remains very low; (2) expressed concern at the fact that more than 50 per cent of women do not have access to credit, the persistence of gender stereotypes hampering women’s access to employment in the country, and the low representation of girls in technical and vocational training programmes, which limits their employment opportunities and economic independence as adults; (3) the disproportionately high unemployment rate among young women, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in many women suffering from economic dependency and poverty in old age; and (4) the over-representation of women in unpaid work, in particular domestic work, and the informal economy, without access to social security and pension benefits (CEDAW/C/STP/CO/1-5, 31 May 2023, paragraphs 32, 36(d), 40(a), (b) and (c), and 46). In this regard, the Committee welcomes the fact that the disciplinary provision which prohibited pregnant girls from attending classes was repealed in 2020 by an Ordinance issued within the framework of the “Burden on Girls and Quality Education for All” project (Universal Periodic Review, A/HRC/WG.6/37/STP/1, 18 December 2020, paragraphs 59 and 60). The Committee notes that the Government has not provided the requested statistics, but that, according to ILOSTAT, the activity rate of women is well below that of men, that is 38 per cent in 2023, and that there has been no significant change over the past 20 years. The Committee requests the Government to renew its efforts to promote gender equality at the workplace, for example through continuous awareness-raising activities for the social partners and the public at large to combat the gender stereotypes faced by girls and women, particularly in the fields of education and vocational training, and to assess their impact. The Committee also requests the Government to provide detailed information on the impact of the measures adopted, and particularly statistical data, to promote equality of access to employment for men and women without discrimination on grounds of sex, within the context of the third National Strategy for Gender Equality and Equity, the National Employment Policy, the Action Plan on Employment and Vocational Training, Act No. 11/2022 on parity and the National Financial Inclusion Strategy 2021–25.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.