United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024, Online Edition. Estimates 2024.
(1) Urgently finalize the development of the national strategic action plan for the prevention, protection and punishment of gender-based violence for its early adoption; (2) Ensure the strict enforcement of the Domestic Violence Act and the National Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse Protocol; (3) Review and amend the Criminal Code's section on sexual offences and the procedures that accompany them to fully address all forms of violence against women, including by revising the provisions on sexual violence and criminalizing marital rape with no preconditions, within a clear time frame; (4) Collect and compile comprehensive data on violence against women, disaggregated by sex, age and relationship between the victim and perpetrator, and carry out an in-depth analysis of the findings and utilize them to design policies and measures to combat violence against women; (5) Encourage reporting of domestic and sexual violence against women and girls and ensure that all such reports are effectively investigated and that perpetrators are prosecuted and sentenced; (6) Strengthen victim assistance and support programmes through measures to provide victims of violence against women with legal aid, medical support, including mental health services, and shelters as well as rehabilitation services, as appropriate; (7) Provide comprehensive training on combating violence against women, including domestic and sexual violence, for relevant professionals, including targeted training for judges, prosecutors, lawyers and police officers on the application of protection orders under the Domestic Violence Act and training for health professionals on standardized procedures for dealing with victims in a gender-sensitive manner; (8) Operationalize the domestic violence hotline; (9) Urgently adopt comprehensive legislation to combat sexual harassment.
The Committee calls on the State party to adopt a comprehensive strategy and to take sustained measures to address and eliminate the negative stereotypes and adverse traditional beliefs and practices that discriminate against women, in conformity with articles 2 (f) and 5 (a) of the Convention. Such measures should include awareness-raising and public educational campaigns on the subject, targeting both men and women, and political and community leaders, government officials and practitioners, including through the use of school curricula and the media.
(1) Strengthen its efforts to eliminate stereotypical attitudes regarding the roles of women and men in the family through awareness-raising campaigns; amend the legal provisions and administrative forms that discriminate against women in relation to family life; and strengthen protection and support for women in common-law unions; (2) Amend the Married Woman's Property Act (1896) and the Marriage Act (1903) to bring them into line with the Convention and eliminate discriminatory provisions against women in family life; (3) Strengthen the provision of parental education, with the aim of promoting the shared responsibility of both parents in relation to the care and maintenance of the child; (4) Review legislation and procedures for child maintenance and urgently address challenges to ensure that single mothers are provided with adequate and timely child maintenance.
(1) Adopt comprehensive legislation and policies to address trafficking in persons and sexual exploitation, in line with the Convention and the Palermo Protocol, and strengthen mechanisms for the prevention, prosecution and punishment of offenders and specific support programmes for victims; (2) Gather and analyse sex-disaggregated data and information on trafficking and sexual exploitation, including prostitution.
The Constitution does not address violence against women and girls.
Domestic Violence Act, No. 19 of 2010 provides broad protection for individuals, but does not explicitly recognize the gendered nature of domestic violence nor the disproportionate impact on women and girls, limiting its ability to address underlying gender inequalities.