CEDAW concluding observations 2019, paragraph 16
Plain English recommendation
Government should: (a) Change laws in Northern Ireland to ensure women there have the same protections as those elsewhere in the UK. (b) Ensure consistent and effective use of the public sector equality duty across the UK so that all public bodies undertake gender equality impact assessments. (c) Review and change the public sector equality duty so that it considers intersectional discrimination faced by groups such as ethnic minority women, older women, disabled women, asylum-seeking and refugee women, lesbian, bisexual and trans women and intersex people. (d) bring into force provisions of the Equality Act 2010 that relate to reducing socio-economic disadvantage and banning dual discrimination.
Original UN recommendation
The Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Revise its legislation in Northern Ireland to ensure that it affords protection to women on an equal footing with women in other administrations of the State party. (b) Ensure the uniform and effective application of the public sector equality duty, so that all public bodies across its jurisdiction systematically undertake gender equality impact assessments. (c) Review and amend the public sector equality duty in order to address situations of intersectional forms of discrimination, such as discrimination faced by “Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic” women, older women, women with disabilities, asylum-seeking and refugee women, and lesbian, bisexual transgender women and intersex persons. (d) Bring into force the provisions of the Equality Act relating to the public sector equality duty on socioeconomic inequalities (sections 1 to 3) and “combined discrimination” (section 14).
Date of UN examination
26/02/2019
UN article number
2 (elimination of discrimination against women), 3 (measures to ensure advancement of women)
Original UN document
Download the CEDAW concluding observations 2019 on the UN website