RECOMMENDATION

The State party should: (a) expedite the adoption of bills pending before the parliament aimed at strengthening the State party’s administration of justice, in particular the bills on legal aid, evidence, witness protection, juvenile justice and the judicature, remove evidentiary requirements that discriminate against women and ensure the equal consideration and weight of women’s testimonies as witnesses; (b) strengthen the independence of the judiciary, establish legal remedies that are expeditious and accessible to women, and ensure, through adequate regulations and procedures, that women who report violations, especially in cases of violence, are treated in a gender-sensitive manner at all stages of judicial proceedings; (c) take measures to increase the representation of women in the judiciary, in particular as judges and court officials; (d) provide systematic training to judges, prosecutors, law enforcement officers, especially the police, and lawyers on women’s rights and ensure that the Convention, the Committee’s general recommendations and its jurisprudence under the Optional Protocol are sufficiently known and applied by the judiciary and that they are an integral part of all capacity-building programmes; (e) enhance women’s awareness of their rights and disseminate information on the remedies available to those who claim violations of their rights.