The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today concluded its review of the ninth periodic report of Peru, commending the Peruvian Government on its efforts to establish gender equality mechanisms in government, and asking about human trafficking and forced sterilisation. A Committee Expert commended the Peruvian Government’s efforts to establish gender equality mechanisms in regional and local governments, while still noting areas of concern. Questions were raised on the issue of trafficking and forced sterilisation. A Committee Expert noted that in Amazonian Peru, 93.8 per cent of women and girls were victims of trafficking, with the majority being teenagers trafficked for sex. Indigenous Peruvians were particularly vulnerable to trafficking as were foreign girls, lured in with false job promises. What was the State’s strategy to combat and reduce sex trafficking in the country? A Committee Expert spoke about women who had been sterilised, saying that it was alleged that forced sterilisation on women with disabilities was still being conducted to this day, and asking how a fair and impartial investigation into this issue would be launched. Was this practice prohibited and would there be a public apology and reparation provided to victims? Responding to the questions on trafficking, the delegation said that awareness raising had taken place between 2018 and 2021 through the campaign Blue Heart. Several other campaigns also took place during this time and were rolled out in educational institutions across the country to combat trafficking. Police officers were trained to identify sexual exploitation and worked with healthcare centres in Lima to strengthen their knowledge on the sexual exploitation of boys, girls and adolescents. The delegation noted that the State needed to make progress when it came to the rights of people, with the President taking on a commitment on this issue. Forced sterilisation was an international crime with domestic rules ensuring that it was covered under the Criminal Code. Follow-up to the claims of women who had been victims of forced sterilisation had been promised. An agenda would be developed to build a roadmap to fulfil the rights being claimed by the victims. Dina Boluarte Zegarra, Vice-President, Minister of Development and Social Inclusion of Peru and Head of Delegation, said that achieving women’s empowerment was one of the top priorities of Peru. Social programmes served more than 3.5 million women in the country, promoting the empowerment and economic autonomy of women. This included the Cuna Mas Programme, used by mothers to help them re-enter the labour market, and the Together Programme which allowed women to receive monetary incentives. Peru had implemented several policies aimed at guaranteeing women a life free of violence, including the National Policy on Gender Equality. Also introducing the report of Peru were Elvia Barrios Alvarado, President of the Judiciary of Peru; Diana Mirian Miloslavich Tupac, Minister of Women and Vulnerable Populations of Peru; and Betssy Betzabet Chavez Chino, Minister of Labour and Employment Promotion of Peru. The delegation of Peru was comprised of representatives from the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion; the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations; the Ministry of Labour and Employment Promotion; the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Ministry of the Interior; the Ministry of the Environment; the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation; the Ministry of Culture; the Labour Inspection; the Judicial Power; the Peruvian National Police; the Public Prosecutor’s Office; the National Jury of Elections; the National Penitentiary Institute; and the National Council for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities. In concluding remarks, Ms. Boluarte Zegarra thanked the Committee for giving Peru the opportunity to present its progress, recognising there were still many challenges to achieving gender equality in the country. Ms. Boluarte Zegarra expressed pride at the participation of Gladys Acosta Vargas as a representative of Peruvian women in the Committee. Ana Pelaez Narvaez, Vice-Chair of the Committee, thanked the delegation of Peru for the constructive dialogue with the Committee. She commended the State party for its efforts and encouraged Peru to adopt any and all necessary measures to meet the recommendations of the Committee. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women’s eighty-first session is being held from 7 to 25 February. All the documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage. Meeting summary releases can be found here. The webcast of the Committee’s public meetings can be accessed at http://webtv.un.org/. The Committee will next meet in public at 11 a.m. on Thursday, 17 February to begin its consideration of the sixth periodic report of Lebanon (CEDAW/C/LEB/6). Report The Committee has before it the ninth periodic report of Peru (CEDAW/C/PER/9). Presentation of Report DINA BOLUARTE ZEGARRA, Vice-President, Minister of Development and Social Inclusion of Peru and Head of Delegation, said that in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the figures of violence against women had increased: by 2020, 5 out of 10 women were victims of domestic violence. The 2021 figures showed a reflection of the crisis on women in Peru, with 147 femicides and more than 5,900 disappeared women, mostly girls and adolescents. Some 58.2 per cent of poor households in the country were headed by women. On a positive note, in general elections in 2021, 38 per cent of elected congressmen were women, the highest figure in Peruvian history regarding their political participation. Ms. Boluarte Zegarra said that it was essential that the Government rejected of any form of violence against women. Achieving women’s empowerment was one of the top priorities of Peru, with social programmes serving more than 3.5 million women, which promoted the empowerment and economic autonomy of women. Ms. Boluarte Zegarra referenced the Cuna Mas Programme used by mothers to re-enter the labour market and the Together Programme which allowed women to receive monetary incentives. To reduce the impact of the pandemic on the Peruvian economy, the Yanapay bond was promoted, which in Quechua meant helping; it benefitted 13.5 million citizens and 2.8 million food baskets were delivered serving 1.4 million people in vulnerable situations. By 2022, Peru had achieved a 65 per cent increase in the budget to improve the ration of soup kitchens, an historic increase. Peru had implemented several policies aimed at guaranteeing women a life free of violence, including the National Policy on Gender Equality. ELVIA BARRIOS ALVARADO, President of the Judiciary of Peru, addressed the Committee as the very first female President of the Peruvian judiciary. This highlighted that Peru bore the burden of structural discrimination. Ms. Barrios Alvarado said that discrimination limited the recognition of multiple rights of women, and impacted on the judiciary as an institution, as well as on the effective protection of the rights of women who came to request justice. Therefore, confronting structural discrimination against women was a priority. Since 2016, Peru had institutionalised a gender approach at all levels of the administration of justice. The Gender Justice Commission of the Supreme Court aimed to move towards a reliable justice administration service, which facilitated access to justice, composed of judges who internalised and applied the gender approach in their decisions and actions and approached cases free of prejudice. In 2021, the judicial branch had endorsed the principle of equality, which became the only State power that had an equal representation in one of its highest-ranking organs, the Supreme Court. This was possible due to temporary measures and contributed to knocking down the stereotype of women. Peru aimed to normalise the presence of women on an equal basis with men, in all areas, including the administration of justice. Currently, the Peruvian judiciary had 135 courts; however, these only covered 9 of the 34 judicial districts of the country. With its own resources, the judiciary had created specialised courts in 13 other judicial districts in a commitment to improving access to justice for victims throughout the national territory. The judiciary was committed to digital transformation and had made a variety of resources available to citizens to address violence against women. This included the use of the Panic Button, a lifesaving application installed on the phones of women victims of violence in high-risk areas. Ms. Barrios Alvarado said these examples outlined the political will of the Peruvian State and the judiciary to continue implementing actions to achieve the goal of gender equality, especially in access to justice. DIANA MIRIAN MILOSLAVICH TUPAC, Minister of Women and Vulnerable Populations of Peru, spoke about the Working Group to promote and guarantee the political participation of women. As a result of the dialogue between the legislative, executive and electoral systems and civil society, the electoral legislation had been modified to establish the criterion of gender parity and alternance on the total number of candidates presented by each political organization. It was also established that the formula of candidacies for governor and lieutenant governor must respect the criterion of parity and alternation. Peru currently had 50 women congresswomen, the highest in its history. In 2021, the "National Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change in Peru" had been approved, an instrument with a gender and intercultural approach aimed at reducing Peru’s exposure and vulnerability to climate change and increasing capacity to adapt. A decree had been developed with measures to help cases of disappearance of people in vulnerable situations, and its regulations incorporated the emergency alert for children and adolescents and women victims of high-risk violence. In 2021, the web portal was strengthened with information on localised people, with disaggregation by age, gender and location status. In that year, 12,984 complaints of disappearance of women were filed, of which 7,010 had not yet been located. In 2021, the Intersectoral Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders had been approved, which had an intersectional, gender and human rights-based approach. BETSSY BETZABET CHAVEZ CHINO, Minister of Labour and Employment Promotion of Peru, said that the promotion of equality and the prevention of discriminatory treatment against women was a central theme addressed through different public policies. The labour sector was on the verge of granting the Independent Bonus, the Universal Family Bonus and the Universal Bonus, which prioritised women as responsible for the collection for each household. The temporary Multisectoral Working Group had been created, to elaborate a proposal for an articulated intersectoral intervention complementary to national policies that promoted women"s access to employment in the short term. Regulations were being developed to protect women against acts of sexual harassment, both in the agricultural sector and in the general workplace. Questions by Committee Expert A Committee Expert noted that there were marked differences between the rights of women in rural and urban areas. There were also differentiated impacts for migrant women, lesbian women, and transgender women. The Committee Expert was concerned about the drastic reduction in the budgets earmarked for gender equality programmes. Concern was also expressed about mining activities which had negative impacts on the region’s vulnerable women. The Committee Expert asked about the national plan of access to justice for vulnerable people. Could the delegation highlight the most salient outcomes of this plan? A Committee Expert drew attention to the risks faced by human rights defenders. Was training being given to protect women human rights defenders? Were judges trained to provide verdicts free from prejudice? On allegations of police abuse against lesbian and trans women, the Committee asked if any follow up was given to State force during protests. Were protection measures granted to women victims of violence? What measures would be taken to ensure all judiciary districts had indigenous interpreters, thereby guaranteeing justice to all the women in Peru? Responses by the Delegation Regarding the budget, the delegation said that a methodology had been developed for the budget for gender equality. The budget had risen, corresponding to around 1.3 per cent of the total budget. Regional governments had the highest level of participation in the budget. Training had been considered to protect human rights defenders and this training extended to justice professionals, including the national police. As part of their national plan, Peru had included defenders and ministerial officials within the training. Questions by a Committee Expert A Committee Expert commended the Peruvian Government on its efforts to establish gender equality mechanisms in regional and local governments and efforts towards the effective implementations of policies towards gender equality. When would the updates of the gender equality plan and the human rights plan be completed and how was civil society engaged in these processes? Responses by the Delegation The delegation addressed the questions of national mechanisms for the advancement of women and gender mainstreaming. Eighteen special units had been set up and 10 local authorities had become involved with several mechanisms for the advancement of women. Fifty-three per cent of all ministries had such provisions, which was progress for Peru and demonstrated the political will of the Government. Mechanisms for Afro-Peruvian women existed between the State and civil society, with mechanisms for protecting human rights defenders approved. Strategies had also been put in place for women victims of violence, with language provisions. Strategic plans were being developed, which included specific goals and technical documents and this was being worked on in conjunction with the Afro-Peruvian bureaus. The delegation said that Peru was working on a national policy for human rights, with a focus on discrimination against vulnerable people and other groups meriting special protection. The policy included a gender focus for the first time, with the idea to include other groups with specific actions, for example, victims of forced sterilisation. Questions by a Committee Expert A Committee Expert said that since the last country review, Peru had introduced several quota-based laws to foster women’s participation. How would the State party ensure these quotas were met? Was there a monitoring body and were sanctions in place to address breaches of quotas? Did Peru plan to introduce quotas regulating the participation of women and men in the composition of the Constitutional Court and in the appointment of judges and magistrates? Had Peru considered adopting other special temporary measures for women subjected to multiple and intersectional discrimination, such as women with disabilities, women and girls who were refugees or asylum seekers, migrant women (in particular from Venezuela) and indigenous and Afro-descendant women? Responses by the Delegation The delegation said that political parties must have alternate lists of men and women, in order to guarantee parity when proposing candidates for Congress. This provided equality for the Presidency and Vice Presidency of Peru. Fifty women were members of the current parliament and had been in office since 2021. The delegation said that the rules on alternate men and women candidates would be applied from 2022, meaning the gender rule would be established with 50 per cent men and 50 per cent women. Structural discrimination still prevented women from taking part in political life. Follow-up Question from a Committee Expert A Committee Expert asked what was being planned for the Constitutional Court, judges and magistrates? Were measures being planned for the most vulnerable groups of women? Responses by the Delegation The delegation said that the selection of judges and magistrates in Peru was chosen by an independent body. Academic qualification was now required for those who wished to be appointed. Questions by a Committee Expert A Committee Expert said that gender-based violence against women continued to be a problem in Peru and was exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. The delegation had noted the increase in femicides and disappearances and said that alternative sources had advised that the many provisions already implemented had excluded many groups of women. This included minors, women with disabilities, indigenous women, peasants and trans women. What were the plans to improve follow-up and monitoring mechanisms for the implementation of the many important laws? Were there plans to improve access for groups who were excluded? What programmes existed to address sexual violence against young women? Would the law be changed to allow minors to directly report crimes against them? The Committee Expert said it was important to go deeper and understand the underlying factors, including the powerful masculine and feminine stereotypes. This was exemplified in a national survey where most people felt that a women’s first place was as a housewife and mother. The Committee Expert asked what media campaigns and what budgetary allocations were being given to change these stereotypes? Responses by the Delegation The delegation said that a survey on gender stereotypes had been implemented, to find the dominant perceptions within the staff of agencies. It was of utmost importance to address violence against women through the justice system. A budgetary programme had been designed with the goal of continuing the implementation of the judiciary districts. During the pandemic, the situation of violence against women had been exacerbated and a legislative decree had been enacted, which allowed national measures to be adopted to ensure that protective measures could be given swiftly to women. Peru had a programme which was aimed at combatting and eradicating violence against women, with a nationwide presence. As part of the activities carried out, an essential services programme had been created, which provided care for all women who suffered any types of violations. The Government was working directly with indigenous organizations in improving awareness raising due to the unique type of violence that indigenous women experienced. The delegation refuted claims that minors could not address a direct complaint, saying that boys, girls, and adolescents did not need the support of any third person. Judges were trained, as well as other justice operators. A gender commission had been in operation since 2016, with the main mandate to protect gender and include it throughout the system. Specialised courses were offered to combat violence. Questions by a Committee Expert A Committee Expert noted that in Amazonian Peru, 93.8 per cent of women and girls were victims of trafficking, with the majority being teenagers trafficked for sex. Indigenous Peruvians were particularly vulnerable to trafficking as well as foreign girls lured with false job promises. What was the State’s strategy to combat and reduce sex trafficking in the country? Sex tourism had also flourished and there was an increase in the online sexual exploitation of children. Could the delegation provide more details on the Government’s responses to the exploitation of refugee Venezuelan women? Could data be provided on those who were exploited by traffickers, and what compensation they were offered? Responses by the Delegation The delegation said that awareness raising had taken place between 2018 and 2021 through the campaign Blue Heart, which combatted human trafficking. Several other campaigns also took place during this time and were rolled out to educational institutions across the countries. Police officers were trained to identify sexual exploitation and worked with healthcare centres in Lima, to strengthen their knowledge on the sexual exploitation of boys, girls and adolescents. The delegation said that police officers were trained in combatting human trafficking, with awareness raising campaigns implemented with non-governmental organizations, to address the root causes of the offence. The division of human trafficking also worked on intelligence to carry out police activities in areas where trafficking was prevalent. Questions by Committee Experts A Committee Expert thanked the delegation for the informative introductory remarks and commended Peru on the level of participation of women in politics, asking questions about the underrepresentation of certain groups. The national elections board assisted 300 organizations in developing regional plans – what mechanisms existed within these plans to ensure equal participation in policies? Women with disabilities were sometimes not included on the electoral registry – was this being rectified? Women still faced discrimination in elections, and the delegation was asked about the equal media coverage of women in elections. What were the campaigns which aimed to encourage the participation of indigenous women in politics? Could the delegation provide exact information about what was being done to protect women human rights defenders from violence, harassment and intimidation? One Committee Expert said Peru currently hosted more than 1 million refugees, noting there were issues with identification documents. How would the State resolve problems of non-registered or non-identified persons? How would protection of the most vulnerable stateless people be ensured? Responses by Delegation DINA BOLUARTE ZEGARRA, Vice-President, Minister of Development and Social Inclusion of Peru and Head of Delegation, said a document was available that gave political parties guidelines to establish their plans, pursuant to gender equality and other cross-cutting considerations. Electoral proceedings included workshops which assisted with the creation of government plans. This applied to local and regional elections. A media campaign would be launched to encourage increased participation of women in politics. Ms. Boluarte Zegarra said that political harassment was condemned through several instruments to establish equal conditions for the equal political participation of women. In terms of women human rights defenders in Peru, a national plan of action on business and human rights had been developed which aimed to bring about the protection of all human rights defenders in Peru. Questions by Committee Experts A Committee Expert asked about intersectional discrimination in education, noting that the illiteracy rate was very high among Peru’s indigenous population, particularly among women. What measures would the Government adopt to reduce illiteracy in the indigenous Amazonian population? The Committee Expert spoke about Peruvians who were Afro-descendants, saying that stereotypes had promoted gender inequality. How would the State party address this intersectional discrimination and what measures would be adopted for all the disadvantaged groups which lived in remote areas? Would temporary special measures be adopted to combat school dropout, particularly in girls who were pregnant? Was there a plan to roll out sexuality education in schools? Were school textbooks being reviewed with other native languages taken into account? Responses by the Delegation DINA BOLUARTE ZEGARRA, Vice-President, Minister of Development and Social Inclusion of Peru and Head of Delegation, noted the structural discrimination against women, highlighting socio-cultural patterns entrenched in society, supported by gender stereotypes. Measures had been implemented to address this, including a ruling which supported the introduction of a gender approach in the education curriculum. Ms. Boluarte Zegarra said that there must be comprehensive sex education for all children. The delegation said there were policies in Peru which aimed to eliminate discrimination against women in the country, including a decree aimed at addressing violence against children and adolescents. A ministerial resolution approved the national curriculum with several cross-cutting pillars, including gender equality. Intersectional discrimination was a problem. Measures to reduce this included a focus on pregnant girls in school, with guidelines developed to ensure these girls could stay in school. Material had been adapted for girls with disabilities and young adult pupils were learning in alternative places, including at home. On sex education, the delegation said that the guidelines for comprehensive sex education had been updated, looking to areas including trafficking and violence against girls. These problems mainly affected girls in rural areas and indigenous girls. The push on sex education would be continued to give it a more prominent role within the curriculum. Questions by a Committee Expert A Committee Expert asked about the working conditions for elderly, pregnant and young women in the agro-sector, which they said appeared to be lacking, and how this was being addressed. In the case of unfair dismissals, would there be a chance for repatriation? What policies would the State develop to provide formal support for women? The Committee Expert referenced a free hotline which had been created to respond to sexual harassment at work. What actions had been taken as a result of this? Responses by the Delegation DINA BOLUARTE ZEGARRA, Vice-President, Minister of Development and Social Inclusion of Peru and Head of Delegation, said it was a priority to care for those with high levels of vulnerability, through training programmes, promotion of employment skills, and promotion of self-employment. Peru had issued an emergency decree in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which had allowed the formal sector to recover. Funds were allocated to ensure that jobs were not lost throughout the country, with women able to benefit from these measures. The delegation said that the Peruvian Government had approved the national employment policy to make up for certain labour shortfalls, and to make sure the unemployment rate remained at 5 per cent. Many ministries were involved in the implementation of the policy. A multi-sectoral working group was created to complement the national policy, promoting access to women’s employment in the short term. This approach considered each territory individually and looked at which segments of women were vulnerable, allowing Peruvian women to have access to dignified employment. A member of the delegation spoke about a decree which related to the assurance of no harassment in the workplace and the protection of equal salaries between men and women. A supreme decree approved the minimum conditions of work, which said the State must promote the registration and training of women in the agro-sector. Those carrying out domestic work had rules which applied to the sector, including a minimum age of 18. A ministerial resolution had been created to approve the registrations of home workers. There was a protocol for the supervision of labourers in the agrarian sector. Questions by a Committee Expert A Committee Expert commended Peru for its numerous legislative mechanisms for preventing adolescent pregnancy, including a national plan which aimed to reduce adolescent pregnancy by 20 per cent. However, the Committee noted that not much progress had been made on this goal. What monitoring and follow-up strategies were in place to achieve the proposed target of reducing teenage pregnancy in Peru by 20 per cent? The Committee Expert noted that there were few cases in which abortion was legalised, asking what measures the State party was taking to legalise abortion in cases of rape, incest or threats for the life of the pregnant woman. Many women in rural aeras did not have access to health services; what was the Government doing to bring health care services to the most distant regions of the country? What was the strategy to ensure that all adolescents nationwide had access to sexual health care education and contraceptive methods? The Committee Expert spoke about women who had been sterilised, stating that it was alleged that forced sterilisation on women with disabilities was still being conducted to this day. How would a fair and impartial investigation into this issue be launched? The Committee Expert asked what measures had been taken to decrease the impact of toxic metals for women who lived near mining areas. Responses by the Delegation DINA BOLUARTE ZEGARRA, Vice-President, Minister of Development and Social Inclusion of Peru and Head of Delegation, said that Peru had implemented health campaigns for girls aged 9 to 13 in many of the regions of the country. A municipal incentive programme, aimed at mothers and children, had been implemented, which involved follow-up of family home visits. On care in the health establishments for girls and adolescent victims of sexual violence, Ms. Boluarte Zegarra said that a comprehensive care plan had been drafted, which provided medical and psychological care on an ongoing basis, ensuring swift and continuance care. Differentiated care was provided for women and girl victims of sexual violence, with an initial interview carried out with the victim to determine the best approach. A member of the delegation said a protocol had been developed for women emergency centres, which provided specific provisions to address cases of rape and sexual violence in girls and adolescents. Questions by a Committee Expert A Committee Expert asked what was being done to ensure rural, indigenous and Afro-Peurvian women had full knowledge of their rights and were able to enjoy them. What was being done to empower these women? What effect had the action plan on businesses and human rights had? Were women receiving clear information about extractive projects? The Committee Expert noted the impact of the pandemic on the economy, asking about emerging support plans for women who were already vulnerable and had suffered further as a result of the pandemic. Responses by the Delegation DINA BOLUARTE ZEGARRA, Vice-President, Minister of Development and Social Inclusion of Peru and Head of Delegation, said that a number of activities had focused on the economic empowerment of women, particularly women entrepreneurs. The State had worked to strengthen networks which promoted women’s economic empowerment and to ensure women remained more visible. Twenty-six women’s entrepreneurial networks had been established. The aim of the networks was to promote social and political autonomy of women who headed businesses, to meet the different needs of women entrepreneurs, and to ensure the gender divide was closed. A platform had also been developed to provide training to women entrepreneurs with indigenous languages included. Ms. Boluarte Zegarra addressed care for women suffering from violence, saying legislation had been approved to assist victims of femicide, with a care programme being developed with a gendered-approach. The delegation addressed weaknesses in the care of indigenous women, saying that around 30 per cent of the population identified as indigenous. The delegation noted concern around the increase of pregnancy in indigenous adolescent girls, which had increased with the pandemic. Addressing the National Plan of Action on business and human rights, the delegation said that this was approved in 2021 and was considered innovative within the country. One of the main issues was the rates of formal employment and gender and the intersectional approach to the policy, particularly the indigenous and Afro-Peruvian population. Questions by Committee Experts A Committee Expert asked whether the delegation had carried out any environmental impact studies on the mining and natural resources industry? Were there plans to ensure reparation for women who had suffered consequences in these areas? What was being done to improve access to healthcare services to victims of violence and access to justice for these women? Did the State party intend to implement literacy programmes for rural women? How was it ensured that these women had access to low-cost credit? The Expert expressed concern about women deprived of liberty and said that the needs of pregnant women were not being met for women with disabilities, migrant women, lesbian, bi-sexual, gay and intersex women, and women with HIV/AIDS. How was the State planning to rectify this? What measures had the State taken to ensure access to services for prevention, treatment, quality care and support for HIV/AIDS in rural and urban areas? What measures had been taken to combat stigma against persons with HIV/AIDS? The Expert enquired about women refugees and asylum seekers and asked how these women learned about their rights. How was the State addressing regularisation measures for Venezuelan women in the form of temporary or permanent residence? Had forced sterilisation been prohibited within the State party? Would there be a public apology and reparation provided to victims of forced sterilisation? What measures had been taken since 2018 to support persons with disabilities, especially women? How many women with disabilities had regained their legal capacity? Responses by the Delegation DINA BOLUARTE ZEGARRA, Vice-President, Minister of Development and Social Inclusion of Peru and Head of Delegation, responding to the question on rural women, said that the rural women with rights programme was organised to promote the rights of rural women. The delegation said that Peru had been developing activities with rural women and was expected to work with over 8,000 women in 2022, to finance their business ventures. A fund had been created to offer technical assistance and access to financing for rural women. Another area involved the participation of women at governing boards of agrarian bodies to increase the standard in rural communities. The delegation said that the penitentiary institute must guarantee a policy which acted responsibly towards those deprived of their liberty. A gender approach was included in all activities and agendas. The standards of living for women deprived of liberty had been improved by relocating women to a new penitentiary establishment. The Government was working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to approve a human rights in penitentiary approach, including a protocol on the use of force. The delegation addressed the matter of forced sterilisation, saying this was an international crime with domestic rules ensuring that it was covered under the Criminal Code. Peru needed to make progress when it came to the rights of people, with the President taking on a commitment in this regard. Follow-up to the claims of women who had been victims of forced sterilisation had been promised. An agenda would be developed to build a roadmap to fulfil the rights being claimed by the victims. Questions by a Committee Expert A Committee Expert noted several improvements made since 2010 in the State party but said a number of concerns remained. What were the mechanisms currently used to assess these contributions and who made these assessments? What measures were in place to prevent the marriage of young girls, particularly in rural and indigenous communities? Had the State provided support to women to ensure their access to economic and property rights? Were there plans to ensure the recognition of marriages entered into outside the State party? What measures were in place to encourage mediation and was this available to all women, including indigenous women? Closing Remarks DINA BOLUARTE ZEGARRA, Vice-President, Minister of Development and Social Inclusion of Peru and Head of Delegation, thanked the Committee for giving Peru the opportunity to present its progress, recognising there were still many challenges to achieving gender equality in the country. Ms. Boluarte Zegarra expressed pride at the participation of Gladys Acosta Vargas as a representative of Peruvian women in the Committee. ANA PELAEZ NARVAEZ, Vice-Chair of the Committee, thanked the delegation of Peru for the constructive dialogue with the Committee. She commended the State party for its efforts and encouraged Peru to adopt any and all necessary measures to meet the recommendations of the Committee. Link: https://www.ungeneva.org/en/news-media/meeting-summary/2022/02/des-expertes-du-cedaw-sinquietent-des-violences-faites-aux