Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau
Under a government that continually fails to enforce gender equality legislation, women in Guinea-Bissau face high levels of poverty, domestic violence and sexual and gender-based violence.
Despite a women’s political platform developed in 2008, women’s participation in parliament remains low. Guinea-Bissau acceded to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1985, and launched a National Action Plan per Resolution 1325 in 2011. In the same year, Guinea-Bissau passed a law aimed at ending female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). Lack of prosecution for rape, exacerbated by widespread impunity and corruption, eliminates the effectiveness of laws making SGBV illegal.
Based on the work of NGOWG members and their partners, the NGOWG calls for an end to impunity in Guinea-Bissau, and encourages gender mainstreaming as a priority for the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS).
Current and Past Recommendations to the UN Security Council (Monthly Action Points)
Guinea-Bissau (February 2013)
Given the absence of women, peace and security content in previous Council considerations of Guinea-Bissau, the expected discussion of the situation and the three-month renewal of the mandate of the UN mission in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS) should reflect the ongoing challenges to and give support for women’s participation in conflict prevention, political processes, peacebuilding efforts, as well as women’s role in security sector reform. The Security Council should support greater space for women’s engagement in efforts to build trust following the coup, including through such interlocutors as the Women’s Political Platform (Plataforma Política das Mulheres), which consists of women politicians, parliamentarians and other activists. The Security Council’s discussion should also detail gender-specific concerns regarding the current humanitarian situation, and in the context of conversations surrounding the revised mandate. Any assessment mission, including that requested in advance of the expected UNIOGBIS mandate renewal in May, must include gender expertise.
Relevant Resources
