CEDAW/C/MDV/CO/6

Maldives (CEDAW 23 November 2021)

The Committee considered the sixth periodic report of Maldives (CEDAW/C/MDV/6) at its 1815th and 1817th meetings (CEDAW/C/SR.1815 and CEDAW/C/SR.1817), held on 20 and 21 October 2021. The list of issues and questions raised by the pre-sessional working group is contained in CEDAW/C/MDV/Q/6, and the responses of Maldives are contained in CEDAW/C/MDV/RQ/6.

E. Principal areas of concern and recommendations

Disadvantaged groups of women

51. The Committee expresses its concern at the lack of policies in the State Party to combat the discrimination faced by disadvantaged groups of women due to the intersection with other factors leading to social exclusion, such as ethnicity, religion, nationality, disability, migrant status or membership in the lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex community.

52. The Committee recommends that the State Party:

(a) Adopt all necessary measures, including temporary special measures, to combat the intersectional discrimination that disadvantaged groups of women encounter, such as migrant women, women with disabilities, lesbian, bisexual and transgender women and intersex persons, and women professing religions other than Islam, in relation to all aspects covered by the Convention;

(b) Modify its legislation and policies in order to eliminate the forced sterilization of persons in the State Party and ensure the full and informed consent of all persons to all medical procedures;

(c) Decriminalize consensual relations between women.