Faroese authorities ought toencourage women to be more active in politics, and Denmark should consider reviewing its position on abortion in the territory of the Faroe Islands. These are among the Concluding Observations published by the The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women after considering the eighth periodic report of Denmark on the Convention of Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women.
The CEDAW Committee considered the eighth periodic report of Denmark on 24 February 2015. The Faroe Islands and Greenland were represented during the dialogue between the Committee and Denmark. The report was submitted to the CEDAW Committee in 2013.The Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women recommends that the government of Faroe Islands:
Disseminate and give publicity to the Convention among all segments of society and facilitate access to information on the views and recommendations of the CEDAW committee.
Evaluate the impact of existing temporary measures, including the collection and analysis of gender disaggregated data, and take new measures to accelerate the achievement of substantive gender equality.
Combat stereotypes of the traditional roles of men and women in the family and society.
Strengthen the quality and accessibility of protection measures, including restraining orders, for women who are victims of violence.
Consider temporary special measures such as statutory quotas or incentives for political parties to include an equal number of women and men in their electoral lists at the municipal and national level.
In its recommendations to the Government of Denmark, the CEDAW committee proposes that the Danish State party consider evaluating its views on current legislation on abortion in the Faroe Islands as it does not allow for equal access to abortion to women there compared to their counterparts in Greenland and mainland Denmark. The Committee is concerned that women or girls seeking termination of pregnancy may be subject to unnecessary risk or are disadvantaged compared to their counterparts in Greenland and mainland Denmark. The Faroe Islands are due to submit their next CEDAW report in 2019. The full version of the Committee’s general recommendations to the Danish Kingdom can be accessed here.