Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1994, published 81st ILC session (1994)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Cabo Verde (Ratification: 1979)

The Committee notes the information supplied by the Government in its report in reply to its previous direct requests.

1. The Committee notes with interest that the new Constitution of 4 September 1992 provides in article 22 that "all citizens shall enjoy social dignity and are equal before the law"; and that "no one may enjoy any privilege or benefit or suffer any disadvantage, or be denied any right or exempted from any obligation on the grounds of race, sex, national extraction, language, origin, religion, social and economic status or political and ideological convictions". The Committee welcomes the Government's statement that the rest of the national legislation will be revised at the appropriate time to bring it into conformity with the new Constitution, by means of new or amended provisions which explicitly set out the grounds of discrimination laid down in the above-mentioned article 22 with regard to employment and occupation. The Committee requests the Government to indicate in its next report the measures which have been taken to include in its national legislation, and in particular in the Labour Code and the conditions of service of the public service, all the grounds of discrimination set out by the Constitution and in Article 1, paragraph 1(a), of the Convention, including "colour", which is not referred to explicitly in the Constitution.

2. With regard to access to training and the regulations applying to students holding fellowships abroad, which require such students to join and participate in the activities of the Organization of Cape Verde Students (sections 5(c), 7 and 8 of Legislative Decree No. 83/81 of 18 July 1981), the Committee notes the Government's statement that the information supplied in its previous reports remains applicable. It also notes that the amendment or repeal of the above provisions is under examination. The Committee requests the Government to indicate in its next report whether this Legislative Decree has been amended and, if so, to supply a copy of it.

3. With regard to the positive measures taken in respect of women, the Committee notes that the Government recognizes that the lack of statistical data on the proportion of women in employment and training makes it impossible to demonstrate the absence of discrimination on grounds of sex. It adds that the information supplied in its previous reports shows that in practice discrimination on grounds of sex does not exist. The Committee also notes the statistical information provided in annex to the report concerning the number of girls registered in the various courses organized by the Centre for Administrative Training and Further Training (CENFA). It requests the Government to supply information in its next report on the number of girls, in comparison with the number of boys, participating in the above courses of the CENFA and on the positive measures taken, and the results obtained in facilitating and encouraging the access of women to the educational system, and in particular to technical and vocational training, as well as their access to jobs which are traditionally reserved for men and to positions of responsibility.