In implementing its policy for the protection of women's rights, Lithuania must actually consider women's needs, concluded the UN Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.
"The currently dominant gender-neutral outlook in Lithuania is in fact no more than mere blindness, a misunderstanding of the differences between the social statuses of men and women. Neither the legislative process nor the various programs meant to combat problems that most often concern women - such as domestic violence, trafficking in human beings, discrimination - have incorporated the gender dimension. This issue has also been raised by the Human Rights Monitoring Institute in its alternative report to the Committee,“ said Natalija Bitiukova, deputy director of HRMI, commenting on the Committee's findings.
Having examined the fifth periodic report of Lithuania, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women drew attention to the weak role played by the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman in ensuring equal opportunities with regard to women. Only 14 percent of all complaints examined by the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman's Office dealt with gender discrimination - which is why the public does not see the institution as effectively protecting equal rights for men and women. The Committee also expressed concern over the delay in appointing a new ombudsman, whose functions have been temporarily assigned to the Ombudsman for Children's Rights.
There have been further concerns over the lack of active state intervention in changing prevalent gender stereotypes that are damaging to or discriminate against women.
The Committee urged the state to be more efficient in fighting violence against women by ratifying the Istanbul Convention, preparing a strategy for fighting various forms of violence against women, ensuring adherence to the Law on Protection Against Domestic Violence and training for law enforcement personnel to develop an understanding of female victims of crimes. The Committee also urged Lithuania to abandon the use of the reconciliation process in domestic violence cases, due to the high risk it poses to the victim. Currently, more than a third of domestic violence cases end in reconciliation, with no regard to whether this may potentially put the victim at risk.
The Committee expressed great concern over growing trafficking in women and girls, the absence of a national program for the prevention of trafficking in human beings and the lack of training given to officers for learning how to deal with vulnerable victims.
The state was urged to ensure the provision of complex help to victims of trafficking in human beings, take preventive action to end the exploitation of women for the purposes of prostitution by enabling women and girls to receive an education and find employment (thereby reducing their vulnerability and the risk that they will become involved in prostitution). The Committee also recommended criminalizing the clients of prostitutes in order to more effectively fight against the exploitation of women for the purposes of prostitution.
The Committee also spoke about the inadequate participation of women in public and political life, the discrimination in the labor market, the necessity to integrate gender equality into general education and employ other means to ensure that women have equal opportunity to take part in various aspects of social life.
Lithuania was also urged to block any legislation that intends to limit access to safe and legal abortion and to instead adopt measures ensuring reproductive rights.
