Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1998, published 87th ILC session (1999)

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

1. The Committee notes the adoption of Decree No. 96-178/P-RM of 13 June 1996 implementing various provisions of the Labour Code and sections D.189-1 to D.189-37 of the above Decree protecting the employment of women and children. Under Article 5 of the Convention, the Government may determine as non-discriminatory any special measure designed to meet the particular requirements of persons who, for reasons such as sex, age, disability, family responsibilities or social or cultural status, are generally recognized to require special protection or assistance. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information, in its next report, in respect of these measures and the consultations held with the representatives of workers' and employers' organizations in this regard, and the reasons why the Government deems it necessary to maintain the measures in question. The Government may wish to refer to paragraphs 139 to 156 of the General Report on equality in employment and occupation, in this respect.

2. The Committee notes that the Government's report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be submitted to enable its examination by the Committee in its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in points 2 to 4 of its previous direct request, which read as follows:

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2. The Committee notes from the paper describing the strategies for action for the promotion of women (attached to the report) that the measures envisaged in this context to give effect to the provisions of the Convention include: the development of a national education policy for women; the intensification of awareness campaigns to promote the access of girls and women to technical and vocational training; the revision of all specific codes with a view to repealing the discriminatory provisions that they contain; and the establishment of a committee for the elimination of discrimination against women. It would be grateful if the Government would provide detailed information in future reports, including extracts from periodical or ad hoc reports, studies and surveys carried out by these bodies, to enable it to ascertain the progress achieved in the implementation of the above action and any other measures to promote equality of opportunity and treatment of women and to eliminate any discriminatory practices against them in the fields of access to training, employment and particular occupations, and terms and conditions of employment.

3. Further to its previous comments concerning the technical support of the ILO in the implementation of a project to evaluate work by women and children, the Committee notes that the Government reiterates its request for this assistance and indicates that the initial project could be amended and reformulated. The Committee notes that contacts have been made with the Government by the Office with a view to determining in a detailed manner the real need for assistance in this field and the appropriate means of meeting them in the context of the general programme of practical activities that are currently being undertaken or are planned in the country. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would keep it informed of developments in the situation in this respect.

4. The Committee notes from the report of the Commissioner for the Promotion of Women that the school attendance rate of girls is still very low in comparison with that of boys and that the proportion of girls, which is already low during the first cycle, decreases with each level of education, declining from 36.53 per cent in the first cycle to 25.93 per cent at the secondary and technical levels and 13.72 per cent in higher education. The Committee once again draws the Government's attention to paragraphs 166 to 169 of its 1988 General Survey on equality in employment and occupation, in which it describes the concept and content of positive measures or measures to make good de facto inequalities in training and employment and to promote the equality of opportunity and treatment of members of certain social groups suffering from discrimination, particularly women. The Committee once again requested detailed information on the positive measures which have been taken, and the results obtained, to facilitate and encourage the access of women to training (particularly vocational training and university education) and to employment in all sectors and occupations (including those in which men are predominant) at all levels of responsibility.