Letter from Minister for Women regarding the Convention on ...



Victoria Atkins MP Minister for WomenGovernment Equalities Office London SW1 P 3BTRebecca Hilsenrath Chief Executive Equality and Human Rights Commission 2-6 Salisbury SquareLondon EC4Y 8JX8th May 2019 Dear Rebecca Thank you for your letter of 26 March regarding the UN's recent review of the UK's implementation of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the subsequent set of recommendations published by the CEDAW Committee on 11 March. Both the Minister for Women and Equalities and I welcome the important role the Equality and Human Rights Commission play in this important process including supporting and co-ordinating the input from civil society. Since 2010, our country has made good progress in improving gender equality so we have a fairer society. The female employment rate is at a record high; there are higher percentages than ever before of women on FTSE 100 and FTSE 350 boards, getting women into the most senior roles in our economy; the national gender pay gap is at a record low, and we have just secured excellent reporting rates for the second year running; we have introduced and repeatedly increased the National Living Wage, with women among the biggest winners; and there are now 1.2 million women-led businesses, plus a plan of action to grow more. The UN CEDAW Committee's concluding observations and recommendations rightly acknowledge the progress we have made, but we know that more needs to be done and will consider the Committee's recommendations as part of this. That's why later this year the Minister for Women and Equalities is planning to publish a new cross-government strategy to help women from all walks of life to break down the barriers they are facing and achieve their goals.The strategy, which will be underpinned by a new national engagement platform, will set out our plans to address the persistent gendered economic barriers women and men are facing across Britain, at every stage of their lives and will seek to do more for low paid and financially fragile women and women facing multiple barriers or with complex needs. As the UK Minister responsible for safeguarding, I also want to reaffirm our commitment to tackle all forms of violence against women and girls. As you will be aware, we have just published a refreshed Violence Against Women and Girls strategy. Key new commitments include conducting a review of the criminal justice response to rape and serious sexual offences, as well as bringing action on sexual harassment within scope of the Strategy for the first time. More broadly, the Government Equalities Office will use its new position in the Cabinet Office to put equalities at the heart of government. We are clear that delivering on this agenda can't be for central government alone, and we are keen to harness the collective energy, good will and expertise of business, local government, the vibrant third sector and the EHRC. The Minister for Women and Equalities and I remain alive to the concerns about the UK's withdrawal from the European Union and its impact on women. During the CEDAW examination, my officials underlined that this Government has made a firm commitment to protect workers' rights, and ensure that they keep pace with the changing labour market, and to maintain all the protections in and under the Equality Acts and equivalent legislation in Northern Ireland. In your letter, you highlighted repeated calls made by the EHRC, civil society and the CEDAW Committee for the provisions of the Convention to be integrated into domestic law. Women and girls' rights under CEDAW are already largely reflected in existing domestic legislation, such as the Equality Act 2010 and the Human Rights Act 1998. So we do not agree we need to undertake new domestic legislation to incorporate all the provisions of CEDAW. In fact, to do so would risk creating a hierarchy of rights given the wider structure and scope of the Equality Act 2010. My ministerial colleagues and I are fully committed to improving outcomes for all women and recognise the important role the EHRC can and does play in helping to realise that ambition. The Minister for Women and Equalities will shortly be writing to Cabinet colleagues to raise awareness of the Committee's recommendations as relevant to their Departments. In the meantime, I have asked Anna Thompson, Deputy Director of Strategy, Communications and International Policy and Elysia McCaffrey, Deputy Head at the Government Equalities Office to meet with you in the first instance to share some of our plans to implement policies in line with CEDAW's recommendations, and to learn more about the EHRC's proposed online human rights tracker.Yours sincerely,Victoria Atkins MP ................
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