Guinea
Women in Guinea, in addition to being disproportionately affected by the Ebola health crisis, continue to face constant threats of sexual and gender-based violence, including early and forced marriages, rape, human trafficking, and some of the highest rates of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in the world; approximately 97% of women and girls in Guinea have been subjected to the process (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics). Although Guinea has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and launched a National Action Plan pursuant to Resolution 1325 in 2009, civil codes in Guinea continue to subjugate and discriminate against women, including through provisions that require spousal approval for professional occupations for women. Recognizing that women’s inclusion in the political process is one of the most effective ways to counter violence and discrimination against women, the NGOWG advocates for the full and effective inclusion of women in all elections and at all levels of peaceful and democratic political transition. In addition, based on the work of NGOWG members, the NGOWG recognizes that impunity for sexual violence remains a looming threat to justice and must be eliminated.
Guinea
Women in Guinea, in addition to being disproportionately affected by the Ebola health crisis, continue to face constant threats of sexual and gender-based violence, including early and forced marriages, rape, human trafficking, and some of the highest rates of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in the world; approximately 97% of women and girls in Guinea have been subjected to the process (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics).
Guinea has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and launched a National Action Plan pursuant to Resolution 1325 in 2009. However, civil codes in Guinea continue to subjugate and discriminate against women, including through provisions that require spousal approval for professional occupations for women. Recognizing that women’s inclusion in the political process is one of the most effective ways to counter violence and discrimination against women, the NGOWG advocates for the full and effective inclusion of women in all elections and at all levels of peaceful and democratic political transition. In addition, based on the work of NGOWG members, the NGOWG recognizes that impunity for sexual violence remains a looming threat to justice and must be eliminated.
Current and Past Recommendations to the UN Security Council (Monthly Action Points)
Guinea-Bissau (February 2018)
The Security Council is expected to consider a report and renew the mandate for the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS). The Council should address concerns surrounding Guinea-Bissau’s judicial system, which has allowed impunity and corruption to grow, particularly in cases involving SGBV (CEDAW/C/GNB/CO/6). Increased attention on legal reform must coincide with efforts to ensure women’s participation and the protection of women’s rights. The Council should consider strengthening the provisions in UNIOGBIS’s mandate to ensure consultation with women’s CSOs and to mainstream gender in security sector reform, national reconciliation processes, institution building and efforts to address the root causes of instability (S/RES/2122 (2013), OP 2(c)). Finally, the Council should call on UNIOGBIS to address the differentiated impact trafficking has, in all of its forms, on women and call for engagement and involvement of women’s CSOs in anti-trafficking efforts.
Relevant Resources
