CEDAW/C/SEN/CO/8

Senegal (CEDAW 01-03-2022)

The Committee considered the eighth periodic report of Senegal (CEDAW/C/SEN/8) at its 1856th and 1857th meetings (see CEDAW/C/SR.1856 and 1857), held online on 10 February 2022. The Committee’s list of issues and questions raised by the pre-sessional working group is contained in CEDAW/C/SEN/Q/8, and the responses of Senegal are contained in CEDAW/C/SEN/RQ/8.

Concluding observations

E. Principal areas of concern and recommendations

Women’s access to justice

13. 13. 13. The Committee appreciates the increase in the budgetary allocation for the provision of judicial aid and the efforts made to provide such aid through decentralized legal support centres (“justice houses”). It also welcomes the translation of the Convention into six national languages and its dissemination at the local level. The Committee is concerned, however, that women continue to face multiple barriers to obtaining access to justice, owing to the following:

    (a)The limited access to legal aid and support of disadvantaged groups of women, including rural women, women living in poverty, women with disabilities, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women, and women who are victims of sexual violence;

    14. In line with its general recommendation No. 33 (2015) on women’s access to justice, the Committee recommends that the State party:
        

        (a) Ensure access to effective legal aid services for all women and girls in all parts of the State party and expedite the adoption of the law on legal aid to ensure that legal aid is available, affordable and accessible to all women in all settings, especially marginalized groups of women;

Women facing intersecting forms of discrimination

39. 39. 39. The Committee is concerned about the following:

    (c)The prevalence of hate speech and discourse inciting violence against lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women, as well as reports of acts of violence, abuse, arbitrary detention and violence of the right to privacy, particularly by law enforcement personnel;

40. The Committee recommends that the State party:
    

    (c) Adopt the legislative and policy measures necessary to combat hate speech against lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women, increase the level of their protection, provide them with access to shelters and fully investigate and, if appropriate, prosecute all cases of violations of their rights;

    (d) Improve the collection, dissemination and analysis of up-to-date data, disaggregated by relevant factors, on the enjoyment by disadvantaged groups of women, including women and girls with disabilities, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women and older women, of their rights and on the measures taken to address the intersecting forms of discrimination and violence that such persons face.