Experts of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Praise Lithuania’s Gender Equality Measures, Ask about Efforts to Tackle Sexual Violence and Implement Binding Gender Quotas for Political Representation
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today concluded its consideration of the seventh periodic report of Lithuania, with Committee Experts praising the State’s efforts to improve gender equality and raising questions about measures to address sexual violence and implement binding gender quotas for political representation.
Marianne Mikko, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Lithuania, said gender equality in Lithuania was improving. She said positive developments included amendments to the law on equal opportunities in 2022 introducing legal regulations regarding harassment, the provision of training to strengthen access to justice for women, and assistance for female migrants, particularly Ukrainian women and girls.
One Committee Expert said sexual violence against women remained highly underreported and insufficiently addressed in Lithuania. Would the State party revise its legislation to ensure that sexual violence was addressed based on freely given consent? How would it strengthen protection measures?
Another Committee Expert said Lithuania did not currently apply binding gender quotas at the national level for political representation, diplomacy or economic decision-making. Why was there no obligation on all political parties to apply gender quotas?
Introducing the report, Rita Grigalienė, Vice-Minister of Social Security and Labour of Lithuania and head of the delegation, said more than half of the measures in the State’s development programmes were promoting equal opportunities for women, and these policies had led to progress, such as a rise of seven points in Lithuania's gender equality index from the year 2020. This was reinforced by the action plan for equal opportunities for women and men for 2023 to 2025.
Regarding sexual violence, Ms. Grigalienė said an inter-institutional working group had been set up to improve the regulation of this violence and the system of assistance for victims. It was preparing proposals for amendments to the Criminal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code, the law on protection against domestic violence, and other legislation. Funding for support centres for violence victims had doubled from 2023 to 2024, with a further increase planned in 2026.
On gender quotas, the delegation said that in 2026, the Government would implement legal measures that would facilitate the increased use of temporary special measures. The Committee on Women and Men’s Equal Opportunities had been set up to monitor progress on promoting equal opportunities. The State party could consider introducing gender-based quotas to the Election Code, but better representation of women in politics could be achieved more efficiently through public dialogue led by non-governmental organizations.
In closing remarks, Ms. Grigalienė said Lithuania valued the opportunity to reflect on its measures for women and align its efforts with the Convention. The State party welcomed the Committee’s objective recommendations, which it would use to strengthen the protection of women’s rights in Lithuania.
In her concluding remarks, Nahla Haidar, Committee Chair, said the dialogue had shed light on the situation of women and girls in Lithuania. The Committee commended the State party for its efforts and encouraged it to take all necessary measures for the benefit of all women and girls in the State.
The delegation of Lithuania consisted of the Deputy Police Commissioner General and representatives from the Ministry of Social Security and Labour; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Internal Affairs; Ministry of Justice; Ministry of Health; Ministry of Economy and Innovation; Ministry of Environment; Ministry of Agriculture; Ministry of Education, Science and Sport; Reception and Integration Agency; the Seimas; State Data Agency; Prosecutor General's Office; National Court Administration; Department of National Minorities; and the Permanent Mission of Lithuania to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee will issue the concluding observations on the report of Lithuania at the end of its ninety-second session on 20 February. All 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 via the UN Web TV webpage.
The Committee will next meet at 10 a.m. on Friday, 6 February to consider the seventh periodic report of the Netherlands (CEDAW/C/NLD/7).
Report
The Committee has before it the seventh periodic report of Lithuania (CEDAW/C/LTU/7).
Presentation of Report
RITA GRIGALIENĖ, Vice-Minister of Social Security and Labour of Lithuania and head of the delegation, said that in recent years, Lithuania had consistently strengthened its legal framework, management capacity and practical measures to ensure that equal opportunities were implemented in all policy areas. The State based this work on evidence and data, taking a whole-of-government approach and paying particular attention to vulnerable groups of women. It worked in partnership with national human rights institutions, civil society and local government, and it used the Committee's previous recommendations as a guide to improving the legal and practical environment.
Since 2020, the number of foreigners living in Lithuania had tripled to over 200,000 persons. Lithuania ensured coherent assistance to third-country refugee women, especially Ukrainian women and girls, supporting access to legal and psychosocial assistance, health, education, employment and language learning services. The State implemented a project for Ukrainian refugee women in 24 municipalities, which contributed to gender equality and violence prevention, entrepreneurship promotion and other competence strengthening. Since 2025, it was providing long-term integration services in municipalities for around 9,850 people. It had allocated more than five million euros until the end of 2029 to Lithuanian language education for non-native speakers. Further, this year, the State was planning a project to increase integration opportunities for 600 foreign women and children in municipalities.
Lithuania supported the United Nations' women, peace and security agenda, having adopted the third national action plan under this theme for 2025 to 2029. The plan provided for a network of women mediators and mediation training, an equal opportunities advisor in the national defence system, uniforms tailored to women, the removal of systemic barriers to women's careers, and increased participation of women in decision-making, security and peacekeeping processes and in international missions.
More than half of the measures in the State’s development programmes were promoting equal opportunities for women, and these policies had led to progress, such as a rise of seven points in Lithuania's gender equality index from the year 2020 and a 20-point increase in the quality-of-life index for persons with disabilities from 2020 to 2024. This was reinforced by the action plan for equal opportunities for women and men for 2023 to 2025, which promoted equality, economic empowerment, violence prevention and inter-institutional cooperation.
The State had also invested in competences for the prevention of domestic and gender-based violence, with 2,436 police officers receiving training, and had consistently strengthened the capacity of civil society, with almost 350,000 euros allocated through project tenders to non-governmental organizations working in the field of equal opportunities.
Over the last few years, Lithuania had been focused on strengthening the legal framework and practical tools for promoting equal opportunities. Draft amendments to the equal opportunities act introduced clear definitions of interactional, associative and multifaceted discrimination. The definitions of sexual harassment in the equal opportunities act and the equal opportunities for women and men act had also been harmonised. The State had expanded employers' obligations, including protection against discrimination on the grounds of paternity or parental leave, and strengthened the institutional capacity of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson and public awareness of its activities.
Lithuania had legally defined special temporary measures to accelerate de facto equality and remove structural barriers. The law on equal opportunities for women and men stipulated that large companies needed to ensure that the under-represented gender occupied at least 33 per cent of management, board and supervisory board positions. Currently, 82 large companies had reached the target proportion. The Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson would ensure that companies received the necessary support to achieve gender balance in management bodies.
Domestic violence remained a structural problem, but the introduction of the protection from domestic violence order in 2023 had substantially strengthened emergency protection - in 2025, it was used more than 18,000 times. Between 2023 and 2025, the General Prosecutor's Office organised 23 specialised trainings for 332 prosecutors working on domestic violence, sexual violence and gender equality cases. An inter-institutional working group had also been set up to improve the regulation of sexual harassment and violence and the system of assistance for victims. Proposals were being prepared for amendments to the Criminal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code, the law on protection against domestic violence, and other legislation. There were currently 23 accredited and specialised integrated support centres providing emotional, psychological and legal support to victims of violence throughout the country. The funding for this assistance had doubled from 2023 to 2024, with a further increase planned in 2026.
Lithuania was consistently and systematically strengthening its partnership with non-governmental organizations, ensuring their active involvement in the development and implementation of policies on women's rights, equal opportunities, and protection against domestic violence. The State had organised regular thematic meetings with providers of specialised integrated assistance, a national congress of women's rights organizations, and stable annual funding of more than 3.8 million euros for civil society projects and services.
Lithuania had one of the most generous and flexible parental leave systems in Europe, providing up to three years of leave with different levels of pay. The State had allocated more than 117,000 euros to the project “Free care work: whose responsibility is it?”. The project's activities educated the public about women's unpaid additional care work and its consequences.
Between 2020 and 2024, women's employment rate increased from 71 to 73 per cent. The gender employment gap was 1.2 percentage points, one of the lowest in the European Union. The employment rate of rural women was 10.4 percentage points lower than that of urban women, but it also increased from 62.6 to 65.8 per cent between 2020 and 2024. Rural women's employment growth was faster, exceeding that of urban women by 1.7 percentage points. The female unemployment rate had fallen to 6.8 per cent in 2024. Active labour market policy measures had contributed to reducing unemployment. The wage gap was also narrowing, from 11.1 per cent in 2022 to 10.7 per cent in 2023.
The employment of Roma women had stabilised, and the quality of employment had improved significantly: in 2025, 75 women were employed on a permanent basis and 13 on a fixed-term basis. This was the result of targeted measures. The European Commission's project “Local Roma Platforms” provided 15 hours of legal services per month to the Roma community. In July 2024, the first court ruling in Lithuania on discrimination against Roma was reached in a case on discrimination against three Roma women in the catering sector. Significant case law had been developed where refusal of service on the grounds of nationality and degrading treatment was not only an administrative offence, but also a criminal offence.
The State party had implemented a socio-economic empowerment initiative for single mothers, the “1,000 Women Project”, to strengthen their financial literacy, emotional resilience, and practical skills for the labour market. It also supported the participation of women and girls in science, technology, engineering and maths. In 2024, the State ranked second in the European Commission's “SHE FIGURES” index, which measured gender equality in research and innovation, with an overall score of 84.5 per cent.
The Lithuanian way was coherent, data-driven and inclusive. The State’s progress came from the voices and leadership of women and girls, and public institutions, municipalities, the non-governmental sector, academia, social partners and men involved in change. The State was forcefully implementing Convention rights in everyday life - in municipalities, schools, clinics, courts, workplaces and at home.
Questions by a Committee Expert
MARIANNE MIKKO, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Lithuania, said gender equality in Lithuania was improving. The State’s gender equality score had increased by seven points over the last five years. Positive developments included the amendments to the law on equal opportunities in 2022, introducing legal regulations regarding harassment; the provision of topical training for judges, police officers and civil servants to strengthen access to justice for women;, and assistance for female migrants, particularly Ukrainian women and girls.
However, Lithuania continued to rank below the European Union average in the gender equality index, and there was limited data on gender equality indicators. There was also a lack of legal protection against intersectional discrimination, and gender reassignment was not explicitly recognised as gender-based discrimination. Greater attention was needed for integrating the Convention into legal education. Why had the Istanbul Convention not been ratified by Lithuania? What measures were planned to address legislative gaps? What steps had been taken to raise awareness among women of available remedies to claim their Convention rights? What progress had been made in amending provisions on legal capacity in the Civil Code for the benefit of women with disabilities?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the State party had in 2022 enhanced protection for people who complained about discrimination in its legislation. It had also included marital status as grounds for discrimination in relevant legislation. Lithuania had also transposed the European Union Equal Opportunities Directive. The amendment to the law on equal opportunities would allow the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson to investigate complaints based on public interest and increase funding for the institution.
Lithuania planned to review Civil Code provisions to ensure that surgical interventions were based on consent to prevent discrimination of persons with disabilities. The State party was strengthening community-based assistance for persons with disabilities. There were legal specialists working to prevent loss of capacity, and recommendations for lawyers working on cases involving restriction of the capacity of persons with disabilities had been developed.
State aid was available for victims of sexual violence, who had been granted assistance in 252 cases. The Government had limited means of pressuring the Parliament to ratify the Istanbul Convention but was working to transpose the spirit of this Convention through various legal acts.
Lithuania supported educational activities related to tackling stereotypes. More than one million euros had been invested in these activities, which largely targeted the young generation. The State party was working to prevent radicalisation among young boys and to strengthen the capacities of civil servants to address stereotypes. It had invested over 10 million euros in communication campaigns on addressing stereotypes. The State party promoted a non-gender-based choice of professions, and organised career consultations for women. The general curriculum addressed human rights and gender issues and promoted equal opportunities.
The State party had a project supporting children from vulnerable families that helped with such families’ taxes, education and food expenses. It had helped around 4,000 at-risk children through this project.
Lithuania had implemented the order on prevention of domestic violence in 2022. The number of persons who accessed emergency measures had increased by over 50 per cent from 2022 to 2025. A national council had been set up that discussed and monitored domestic violence; it included non-governmental organization representatives. The State party had funded projects in municipalities to tackle domestic violence, and municipalities had also developed strategies to tackle the issue.
Questions by Committee Experts
MARIANNE MIKKO, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Lithuania, asked how the State party guaranteed that its legal aid was competent and sufficient. How was it combatting discrimination against women in digital spheres?
Another Committee Expert said Lithuania had taken many measures to promote equal opportunities for women and men. How was the impact of the various action plans on equal opportunities assessed? What were the main gaps that would be addressed in the next national action plan on equal opportunities? How did the State party ensure that the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson had the capacity to advise on and monitor State actions? What plans were in place to ensure adequate resources and a transparent appointment process for members of the Ombudsperson in line with the Paris Principles?
What plans for gender budgeting were in place? Non-governmental organizations complained of lacking funds to promote women’s rights. What plans were in place to assist women’s organizations to participate in assessing, designing and developing gender equality policies? How would Lithuania ensure that data on intersectional discrimination was collected and assessed?
One Committee Expert said Lithuania did not currently apply binding gender quotas at the national level for political representation, diplomacy or economic decision-making. Some political parties applied candidate quotas in elections; why was there no obligation on all parties to apply these? Had the State party provided necessary support to the Ombudsperson to monitor temporary special measures? Were supervisory boards of State-owned enterprises subject to temporary special measures?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said that from 2024 to 2026, the State had organised training for 71 lawyers providing legal aid to victims of trafficking in persons and violence and 22 lawyers who represented minors.
The Government planned to transpose the European Union directive on domestic violence and violence against women into its legislation, which involved the criminalisation of certain aspects of digital violence.
In 2026, the Government would implement legal measures that would facilitate the increased use of temporary special measures. The Committee on Women and Men’s Equal Opportunities had been set up to monitor progress on promoting equal opportunities and preventing gender-based violence.
Funding for women’s associations was increased each year to ensure that the assistance that was§ provided was effective. Such associations were encouraged to provide proposals related to public processes, including procurement procedures.
The new law on the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson would allow it to receive more complaints and expand its competences and funding over the coming year. The Ombudsperson had carried out a study on digital exclusion of the elderly, which had contributed to improving the accessibility of public services.
There were various strategic plans on equal opportunities for men and women, and the State party monitored these plans through annual reports and the Committee on Equal Opportunities. Future priority areas in these plans would include unpaid work and care, prevent gender stereotypes, and promote women’s participation in decision-making.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert asked about efforts to mainstream gender equality issues in the budgeting process.
Another Committee Expert asked when the State party would implement temporary special measures, including for women’s representation in Parliament.
One Committee Expert congratulated the State party on its progress, including its adoption of its third national action plan on women, peace and security. Sexual violence against women remained highly underreported, insufficiently addressed, and structurally invisible. Would the State party revise its legislation to ensure that sexual violence was addressed based on freely given consent? How would the State party strengthen protection measures and due diligence obligations? The accreditation system for assistance centres was reportedly ineffective, and monitoring of such centres raised concerns about the quality and accessibility of services. Would the State party review the accreditation system? There were gaps in training for police officers on sexual violence. Would mandatory training on sexual violence for police officers be introduced?
Gender stereotypes in the media persisted and continued to undermine women’s substantive equality. Plans to train journalists and strengthen media oversight had not been implemented in a systematic manner. How would these be improved?
Another Committee Expert said that Lithuania had implemented various measures to tackle trafficking in persons. However, in recent years, migrants from the Eastern bloc had increasingly fallen victim to trafficking. There had been an increase in trafficking for the purposes of labour exploitation. Prostitution was treated as an administrative offence, and the State had fined some persons without assessing whether they were victims of trafficking. How was the State party working to identify victims of labour exploitation and protect migrant and asylum-seeking women from trafficking? How did it ensure that all migrants and asylum seekers were screened to identify trafficking victims? How would it increase the availability of shelters for victims of trafficking? How did the State party regulate cyber trafficking and prevent the phenomenon? What exit programmes were available for women in prostitution?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said that in 2021, Lithuania had carried out an analysis on the possibility of applying gender budgeting and the State party was now implementing proposals based on this analysis.
The largest political party in Lithuania had implemented voluntary quotas for gender representation. Temporary special measures had been included in draft amendments to the law on equal opportunities. The State party would discuss measures to encourage more women and girls to participate in elections, particularly at the municipal level.
The State party financed non-governmental organizations via tenders that aided victims and potential victims of trafficking in persons, allocating 300,000 euros per year in this regard. Support services helped victims to access healthcare, mediation, work, clothing, and other necessary items. The number of people who had received this support had steadily increased since 2021. A system that ensured short-term accommodation for victims of trafficking in persons was also being developed and would be launched next year. A committee for coordinating actions to combat trafficking in persons had been set up, and a three-year action plan on preventing trafficking for 2023 to 2026 was being implemented.
There was also a tender for programmes that aimed to protect Lithuanians abroad from trafficking. The police organised more than 600 community events each year to disseminate information about the risks of trafficking and the support services available. A working group on protection of refugees from Ukraine had been set up to protect this group from trafficking, and Ukrainian nationals had been employed in the police service to support these activities.
Those who engaged in trafficking in persons were prosecuted under the Criminal Code, while persons who engaged in prostitution were punished under the administrative code. The same penalties were applied to sellers and buyers. In each case, police assessed whether providers of sexual services were being forced to do so, and whether they were victims of trafficking. Victims of trafficking were recognised as such and were not punished. There were programmes in place that supported women in the sex industry to leave it.
Changes had been made to the accreditation system for support centres to ensure that support was available in all municipalities. There were 23 accredited organizations providing professional, confidential help in each municipality.
Training programmes for police officers included courses on addressing violence. More than 6,000 police officers had taken part in training on domestic violence since 2021. This training had helped officers to better recognise and respond to violence with more sensitivity. Continuous training was also provided to judges, including online. Recently, training had been conducted on mediation in cases of domestic violence, trafficking in persons and violence prevention. The Prosecutor’s Office had enhanced its capacity to ensure effective protection against gender-based violence, conducting 23 specialised trainings on gender-based violence and victim protection since 2023, which were attended by over 400 employees.
In 2024, Lithuania reviewed the Criminal Code with a view to effectively criminalising domestic violence. There were awareness raising campaigns on domestic violence that targeted foreigners, and support services were provided to both foreign victims and persons at risk of violence. A digital application provided information to foreigners, including information for victims of violence on where to seek help.
Questions by Committee Experts
MARIANNE MIKKO, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Lithuania, asked how recent legal amendments ensured that violence against women was recognised as a human rights violation and criminalised. How did police ensure a victim-centred approach?
Another Committee Expert said lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex women continued to face stigma, compounded by the fact that conversion therapies were not specifically banned. How was this issue being addressed?
One Committee Expert asked whether the State party would consider integrating electronic bracelets as part of its protection system for victims of violence and consider issuing protection orders for more than 15 days.
A Committee Expert asked about the State party’s plans to ratify the Council of Europe Convention against Trafficking in Human Organs?
One Committee Expert said that the Committee acknowledged Lithuania’s esteemed history in representation of women in leadership roles. It had had a female President, and its current Prime Miniter was a woman - the third woman to hold this role. Women constituted 30 per cent of the Parliament. Would the State party consider public funding of political parties based on compliance with gender quotas? Had the tender for the project promoting young women and girls’ participation in politics been awarded yet? How did the State party plan to increase the representation of Roma and other marginalised women in public life? What did the professional network of women diplomats set up two years ago entail? How did the State party plan to increase the participation of women in decision-making related to peace and security and increase data collection on women’s representation in decision making?
Another Committee Expert welcomed amendments to the law on citizenship, which provided protection to the children of stateless persons residing in Lithuania. What measures were in place to prevent statelessness among women and girls? What steps were used to determine statelessness? How was data on statelessness collected and made publicly available?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said protection orders were issued when there was a risk of violence. Police officers monitored compliance with protection orders and applied sanctions in cases of violations. When repetitive protection orders were issued against a person, support centres were notified.
The funding of elections was defined by the Election Code. The State party could consider introducing gender-based quotas to the Code, but this would take time. Better representation of women in politics could be achieved more efficiently through public dialogue led by non-governmental organizations.
The most populous ethnic minority groups in Lithuania, the Polish and Russian communities, were widely represented in political bodies, but there were no representatives of the Roma community as their population was very small, with approximately 2,000 individuals. The State party had an action plan in place that supported Roma women’s access to social services and inclusion in public and cultural life. The “Local Roma Platforms” project and other measures were implemented to enhance the participation of the Roma in the labour market and to reduce discrimination against this group. Vocational, language and driving courses were provided for Roma women. Recently, a Roma woman established a non-governmental organization, and another Roma woman led the Roma Integration Centre, which had existed since 2011. Roma women were actively participating in the Ethnic Minorities Council.
The State party was investing in mentoring programmes for migrants and working to increase access to support services for migrant women with children. Foreign women were involved in decision-making processes, for example on the Refugee Council.
The action plan on equal opportunities for men and women included measures to increase women’s representation in the diplomatic corps, including the requirement of candidates from both genders for all leadership positions. Currently, one-third of all ambassadors were women. In 2024, the women diplomats’ network was set up to promote women’s representation in the corps and encourage a better work-life balance in diplomatic roles.
There was a large representation of women in the police force; almost 45 per cent of officers were women. Some 67 per cent of judges were women, and there were more women than men among presidents of courts. There were also many women prosecutors, and the current prosecutor general was a woman.
The State party had not defined a specific statelessness determination procedure; this was integrated into the asylum determination procedure. Foreigners who had resided legally in Lithuania for more than 10 years, had passed a Lithuanian language exam, and had an income source could access Lithuanian citizenship if they forfeited their foreign citizenship.
Questions by Committee Experts
MARIANNE MIKKO, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Lithuania, said that there was a stubborn attitude in the region regarding temporary special measures. The State had a choice – to wait 60 years for change or to act today.
Another Committee Expert called for examples of the effectiveness of programmes implemented to promote the representation of women.
NAHLA HAIDAR, Committee Chair, asked whether there were training programmes that sought to build the capacity of male judges.
Another Committee Expert welcomed measures to combat gender stereotypes through the promotion of non-traditional study paths and initiatives encouraging women and girls’ participation in science, technology, engineering and maths. Age-appropriate sexual and reproductive health education was not included comprehensively or systemically across the education system. The Committee was also concerned that there was a lack of content on preventing early pregnancies or sextually transmitted diseases. Was the State party considering implementing such education from primary education onwards? Would it incorporate gender equality principles across the school curriculum, and train teachers and school staff on preventing sexual and gender-based violence? How were students taught about consent at schools to prevent sexual and gender-based violence?
A Committee Expert welcomed the project that aimed to achieve a balanced share of care work within families. However, women continued to bear a disproportionate share of unpaid care work. How had State programmes contributed to a more equal sharing of unpaid care work? How did the State party ensure that pension reforms addressed gender disparities arising from women’s interrupted employment history? Did the State party collect data on access to early childhood education? Had the State party recorded data showing that unpaid care work was decreasing?
The gender wage gap had narrowed to 10.7 per cent recently, but it continued to affect women’s lifetime earnings and pensions. What measures were in place to prevent indirect discrimination of women, particularly minority women, through wages? The Committee welcomed that women’s employment rate had increased to 73 per cent recently, which was above the European Union average. However, horizontal and vertical segregation remained a key barrier to women’s equal participation in management and leadership positions. What measures were in place to increase women’s participation in work?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the national progress plan had indices that demonstrated progress in its implementation. One indicator showed that quality of life had improved for persons with disabilities from 2021 to 2024. Other indicators showed that the public’s intolerance of violence had increased. The equal opportunities investigator network collected data and provided recommendations to ministries on policies to address domestic violence. The Ministry of Education had conducted a survey of schools to assess the implementation of measures to promote inclusion.
The Ministry of Education planned to update the 2023 to 2025 action plan for equal opportunities based on its analysis of measures promoting non-traditional learning. Education on equal opportunities and human rights was provided for students at all levels.
Over 1,800 employees from the educational sector had participated in lectures on recognising and responding to sexual abuse of children since 2017, and education was provided to children on how to obtain support when they experienced sexual abuse. From grades five to six, children learned about boundaries and what to do when they were violated, and about recognising and preventing sexual harassment.
Lithuania was devoting resources to reducing women’s care burden. Home support services for the elderly had been expanded, with the number of recipients of such services rising from 22,100 in 2020 to 24,600 in 2024. The number of users of daycare services for children and long-term care services for persons with disabilities had also increased. There were also support services for persons who cared for family members. Employees with children had the right to additional rest periods, parental leave and flexible work time. The Labour Code stipulated that both parents needed to take a portion of their two-month parental leave. Between 2023 and 2025, childcare benefits had been used by more than 16,000 men and 42,000 women.
Lithuanian laws guaranteed the right to receive pensions and social insurance once persons reached retirement age. Women’s average retirement pension had increased 1.8 times from 2020 to 2025, and the gender pension gap was only 11.9 per cent, which was far lower than the European Union average of 24.5 per cent.
The State had achieved progress in preschool education. The rate of participation of children up to three years in preschool had increased from 9.7 per cent in 2015 to 36.9 per cent in 2024. Preschool education was available from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., allowing parents to have a full working day. The State supported vulnerable families to access preschool education. Some 46.5 million euros had been earmarked for creating 2,000 more places in preschool education.
Lithuania was implementing measures to reduce the wage gap between men and women. It had carried out 190 audits between 2022 and 2025 to monitor the wage situation. The State party was also transposing the European Union wages transparency directive, which would contribute to further decreasing the wage gap and increasing access to information on average wages paid for different kinds of work. Employers found to pay male employees at least five per cent more than female employees were required to take measures to rectify their wage gap.
The State Employment Service provided support for unemployed persons, including assistance in paying off debts and reducing dependence on alcohol and gambling, as well as providing digital skills training. In the last two years, 1,200 women had received such support. The Government provided incentives to employers to employ persons with disabilities, and it no longer supported segregated workplaces.
Lithuania was enhancing its vocational training system to encourage women and girls to choose non-traditional professions, particularly in the areas of science, technology, engineering and maths. Vocational support centres provided vocational consultations and training services at primary and secondary school levels, including through career events.
Questions by Committee Experts
MARIANNE MIKKO, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Lithuania, asked about measures to ensure access to healthcare for women in rural areas.
One Committee Expert congratulated the State party on progress it had made in the area of health since the last review. However, Lithuania still faced significant challenges related to women’s right to health. How had the health strategy for 2014 to 2025 impacted access to affordable health care for women? What measures were in place to collect disaggregated data on access to health? How did the State party ensure that Roma women, migrant women and women with disabilities had access to all health services? What measures were in place to remove the requirement of referrals for girls aged 15 to 20 to access contraception?
Could the State party provide data on access to abortion? What was the status of the bill that would allow for abortions up to 12 weeks of pregnancy without medical indications, and up to 22 weeks in cases of rape or incest? What measures ensured mental health support for victims of domestic violence? Why did mental health policies lack a gender perspective? What measures were in place to prevent forced sterilisation and to provide reparation to victims?
One Committee Expert commended the efforts of the State party to promote women’s economic empowerment and social benefits through the 2023 to 2025 action plan for equal opportunities, the domestication of the European Union pay transparency directive, and other wide-ranging initiatives on women’s unpaid care work. Was the State party considering implementing a gender tax code to redress the tax wage gap that was disproportionately affecting women? What measures were in place to address career gaps caused by caregiving and stereotypes? What measures were envisaged to help women with digital skills to access markets and procurement, given their underrepresentation in tech-intensive sectors? Were there interventions promoting women’s participation and leadership in sports and sports management?
Another Committee Expert asked about policies in place to support women with disabilities, single mothers, migrant women and older women to remain in the labour market. The Committee was deeply concerned that medical procedures such as forced sterilisation were performed on women with disabilities without their consent. What efforts had been made to criminalise such procedures?
The Committee welcomed the improved accommodation conditions for migrants. However, it regretted the lack of data on the number of women and girls who had been denied international protection. Did the State party collect data on discrimination against refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls? How did it assess the effectiveness of services promoting the integration of this group?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said patients’ rights were enshrined in the law on patients’ rights and redress, which prohibited discrimination based on age, gender, ethnicity and other grounds. Abortions were permitted up to six weeks of pregnancy or up to 22 weeks when there were medical indications. Abortions were provided in 66 institutions. From 2020 to 2024, the number of annual abortions decreased from 5,570 to 4,490. Medicated abortion was now offered; around 175 packets of the abortion drug were sold in 2025. The number of births by girls younger than 18 years of age had halved from 2020 to 2025, dropping from 106 to 55 births. Free contraception was prescribed to 155 girls aged 15 to 20 years in 2022.
Foreigners insured by the compulsory health insurance received the same health care services as Lithuanian nationals, and asylum seekers received all necessary and urgent medical services. Translation services were provided for foreigners as required.
In 2020, the State party approved a suicide prevention action plan, which was now being implemented. Helplines and websites had been setup to provide mental health support.
The State party was preparing a pilot project in which women business leaders were offered training and financial support.
A new law on the protection of persons with disabilities came into force in 2024. The law enshrined principles of non-discrimination and equality for persons with disabilities and implemented the social model for evaluating disability. The law on patients’ rights stipulated that healthcare services could only be provided with the consent of patients; thus, forced sterilisation was not allowed. Sterilisation of persons with incapacity could only be carried out when there was a court order.
Questions by a Committee Expert
One Committee Expert asked whether women who could not afford private legal representation had comprehensive legal aid in divorce proceedings. The Constitutional Court had in 2025 ruled that the Civil Code was unconstitutional as it did not allow same-sex couples to marry. Would the State party develop a comprehensive legal framework to recognise same-sex civil unions? Did the State party plan to equalise access to parenthood regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity? Did it plan to abolish the requirement of divorce for married persons undergoing gender transitions?
Did the State party collect data on voluntary mediation for domestic violence survivors? How did domestic violence impact child custody arrangements? How did the law ensure women’s access to restorative alimony and child support after divorces? How was the State party preventing abuse of the Hague Convention by fathers and working to criminalise child marriages? What was the poverty rate for divorced women compared to divorced men?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said last year, a draft law was prepared to implement the 2025 decision of the Constitutional Court that would solve legal dilemmas for same-sex couples. It was hoped that this law would be passed in Parliament.
Lithuania believed that the Hague Convention should not be used as an instrument to disproportionately hamper women’s rights. Custody decisions needed to consider the child’s interests and women’s rights. Mediation in family disputes was effective; in 2020, out of 2,000 family dispute cases, 1,000 were solved through mediation. The State party sought to improve mediation services and had amended legislation towards this aim in 2024. Mediation services could be refused if one of the partners was violent.
Primary legal aid was provided free of charge through municipalities, while secondary legal aid was provided based on certain criteria such as income levels, disability and foreign citizenship. In 2025, legal aid was provided in 506 cases. In cases where children were victims of violence and other crimes, they were provided with legal aid.
There was no official data on poverty risk levels for divorced parents, but single parents had higher poverty levels than the national average. The State party had implemented measures to address this, including indexation of basic support payments for vulnerable groups.
The minimum age of marriage was 18 years, but courts could allow marriages from 16 years of age when it was believed that marriage would ensure the welfare of the minor. Early marriages were not encouraged.
Concluding Remarks
RITA GRIGALIENĖ, Vice-Minister of Social Security and Labour of Lithuania and head of the delegation, thanked the Committee for the dialogue. Lithuania valued the opportunity to reflect on its measures for women and align its efforts with the Convention. The State party sought to comply with the highest standards of protection of women’s rights. It welcomed the Committee’s objective recommendations, which it would use to strengthen the implementation of the Convention and the protection of women’s rights in Lithuania.
NAHLA HAIDAR, Committee Chair, said the dialogue had shed light on the situation of women and girls in Lithuania. The Committee commended the State party for its efforts and encouraged it to take all necessary measures for the benefit of all women and girls in Lithuania. Based on the dialogue, the Committee would select a number of recommendations for immediate follow-up. It would call on the State party to submit information on their implementation.
___________
Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the media;
not an official record. English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.
CEDAW26.05E