Guinea-Bissau

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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 (August 2019)

The Security Council is expected to consider a report on the implementation of resolution 2404 (2018) and the political and security situation in Guinea-Bissau. The Council should urge the mission to increase consultations with women leaders, women-led civil society groups, women’s rights organizations, and women human rights defenders, as well as mainstream gender-perspectives in its support for the establishment of national reconciliation processes, and efforts to address the root causes of political, economic, and social instability (S/RES/2122 (2013), OP 2(c)). The Council should address concerns surrounding Guinea-Bissau’s judicial system and the unstable political environment, which enables corruption and impunity, particularly in cases involving sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) (CEDAW/C/GNB/CO/6). Finally, the Council should also call on the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS) to address the gendered impacts of trafficking and call for engagement and involvement of women’s civil society organizations (CSOs) in anti-trafficking efforts at all levels.