Experts of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Praise Hungary’s Promotion of the Role of Women in Climate Negotiations , Ask about Support for Victims of Domestic Violence and Discrimination of Roma Women
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today concluded its consideration of the ninth periodic report of Hungary, with Committee Experts praising Hungary’s promotion of the role of women in climate negotiations, and raising questions about support for victims of domestic violence and measures to counter discrimination of Roma women.
Bandana Rana, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Hungary, said she was happy to note Hungary’s active deliberations on the role of women in climate negotiations. She congratulated Hungary on its national gender and climate change focal point.
Ms. Rana noted that access to free legal aid and support services for victims of gender-based violence was reportedly limited. How would this be improved? Sexual violence by an intimate partner was not recorded as domestic violence. What measures were in place to ensure that all forms of domestic violence were punished in law and practice?
Another Committee Expert said that Roma women continued to experience marginalisation and segregation, had high rates of illiteracy, lower rates of employment, and less access to public services. A comprehensive national action plan was needed to address discrimination of the Roma community. Were Roma children integrated into the national education system? The State party needed to improve the quality of schools in Roma communities.
Introducing the report, Attila Beneda, Deputy State Secretary for Family Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary and head of the delegation, said Hungary had taken part in international climate negotiations on the topic of “Gender and climate change”. It had appointed a National Gender and Climate Change Focal Point to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change since 2019. Last year, the Government appointed a woman for the third consecutive time as Deputy State Secretary for climate change. Ambassadors at-large for climate were also all women.
Mr. Beneda noted that the capacity of the care system for victims of domestic violence in Hungary had more than tripled in recent years and had become more differentiated. In 2019-2020, more than 4,200 child protection signalling system members attended training on domestic violence. The delegation added that if there was a suspicion of domestic violence, the judiciary was required to investigate, regardless of whether the persons involved were in wedlock.
A programme was in place targeting the social inclusion of Roma persons, Mr. Beneda said. The Government was working to strengthen education and access to labour markets for Roma persons. There was currently a record number of Roma persons participating in vocational education. Roma mentors had been placed in schools to encourage Roma children to continue their education.
In concluding remarks, Mr. Beneda said that there was a need to move forward and enhance women’s rights in family, work and public spheres. The Hungarian Government was committed to supporting all refugees, especially women, who had been forced to leave their countries. Hungary considered women’s rights to be of upmost importance, and women played an important role in the growth of the State.
In her closing remarks, Ana Peláez Narváez, Committee Chair, encouraged the State party to take all necessary measures to comprehensively enforce the provisions of the Convention for the benefit of all Hungarian women and girls. Ms. Peláez Narváez called on the State party to appropriately address the Committee’s concluding observations.
The delegation of Hungary consisted of representatives of the Ministry of Culture and Innovation; Ministry of Interior; Ministry of Justice; Ministry for Economic Development; Ministry of Energy; Directorate General of Criminal Investigation; National Office for the Judiciary; and the Permanent Mission of Hungary to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee will issue the concluding observations on the report of Hungary at the end of its eighty-fourth session on 24 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 Wednesday, 8 February to consider the sixth periodic report of Georgia (CEDAW/C/GEO/6).
Report
The Committee has before it the ninth periodic report of Hungary (CEDAW/C/HUN/9).
Presentation of Report
ATTILA BENEDA, Deputy State Secretary for Family Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary and head of the delegation, said that under Hungary’s Constitution, the “Fundamental Law of Hungary”, women and men were equal. The Fundamental Law of Hungary also emphasised the protection of families. During the reporting period, the Hungarian Government had given women the ability to choose whether to return to the labour market six months after giving birth or to stay at home with their child on parental leave for a longer period. Hungary had invested more than 556 million United States dollars in increasing the number of places in nursery care, by 85 per cent in comparison to 2010. At present, there were four times as many institutions and services compared with 2010, and nursery care was provided in three times more settlements than in 2010. Furthermore, the Government had increased wages for nursery care professionals. The Government had also introduced the unique “Women 40” programme, which made women who had held employment or raised children for 40 years or more eligible for a pension, regardless of their age.
ATTILA BENEDA, Deputy State Secretary for Family Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary and head of the delegation, said that under Hungary’s Constitution, the “Fundamental Law of Hungary”, women and men were equal. The Fundamental Law of Hungary also emphasised the protection of families. During the reporting period, the Hungarian Government had given women the ability to choose whether to return to the labour market six months after giving birth or to stay at home with their child on parental leave for a longer period. Hungary had invested more than 556 million United States dollars in increasing the number of places in nursery care, by 85 per cent in comparison to 2010. At present, there were four times as many institutions and services compared with 2010, and nursery care was provided in three times more settlements than in 2010. Furthermore, the Government had increased wages for nursery care professionals. The Government had also introduced the unique “Women 40” programme, which made women who had held employment or raised children for 40 years or more eligible for a pension, regardless of their age.
Between 2013 and 2022, the employment rate for women had jumped from 52.6 per cent to almost 70 per cent, while the female unemployment rate had dropped from 10 per cent to 3.5 per cent. Women's earnings had risen at a similar rate to men's, increasing by around 10 per cent per year until 2021, and then by 16.5 per cent in 2022. However, the gender pay gap had fluctuated between 16 and 17 per cent over the period. This needed to be addressed.
The Labour Code contained numerous specific provisions for the protection of pregnant women and women raising children. It also stipulated that equal pay must be provided for equal work. Amendments of the Labour Code, adopted in January 2023, provided new parents with the right to take up to 36 months of unpaid parental leave and 44 days of paid leave. Extra paid leave had been provided to both parents annually. The Labour Code also regulated flexible working arrangements. Regulations were also added for atypical forms of employment. Parents were now able to request remote or part-time work until their child reached eight years of age.
In 2019, the proportion of female managers in Hungary was the sixth highest in the European Union. The proportion of women in the public sector was particularly high, at 65.7 per cent in 2022. As of January 2023, 20.84 per cent of directors in public limited companies were women.
Regarding tax benefits, a complete personal income tax exemption was provided for mothers of four or more children, young mothers’ student loan debts were cancelled, and a generous family tax benefit was provided. In 2021, the Government had increased the infant care allowance to 100 per cent of the gross wage. Further, from January 2023, mothers who gave birth before their thirtieth birthday were also exempt from paying personal income tax until they turned 30.
In 2022, a new legal amendment increased the efficiency of alimony procedures. From 1 January 2022, the minimum amount of the orphans’ benefit had more than doubled. The Hungarian National Social Inclusion Strategy 2030 aimed to identify social challenges related to poverty by 2030 and reduce social disadvantages resulting from poverty.
Since 2020, parole was not given if perpetrators committed a serious violent offence against a relative, except in special circumstances. It was mandatory to issue a restraining order on such perpetrators. Since 2021, the Criminal Code had provided higher sanctions for rape. The Criminal Procedure Act of 2017 aimed to shorten the duration of proceedings and improve victims’ treatment by the police and other authorities.
The capacity of the care system for victims of domestic violence in Hungary had more than tripled in recent years and had become more differentiated. In 2019-2020, more than 4,200 child protection signalling system members attended training on domestic violence. In 2020, the Government had increased the budget for the National Crisis Management and Information Telephone Service fourfold. A national representative survey was underway to assess exposure to domestic violence. Every year, the Government developed awareness campaigns on domestic violence.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Hungary had redoubled its efforts to combat human trafficking, and had been providing substantial assistance to 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees, with special focus to the needs of women and girls in already vulnerable situations. The National Strategy against Trafficking in Human Beings 2020-2023 identified children, young people and juvenile women leaving the child protection care system as priority vulnerable groups.
The Government had developed maternity and infant nutrition guidelines and established a training system on maternity care and breastfeeding support. The Government had spent almost 27 million United States dollars on developing the infrastructure of 59 institutions. The Family-Friendly Workplace Award was renewed in 2011. The Year of the Family campaign held in 2018 aimed to highlight measures supporting responsible childbearing and the upbringing of children, as well as to promote family values and a family friendly attitude in society. Following the 'Empowering Women in the Family and Society’ Action Plan 2021-2030, the Government had introduced measures to protect women and mothers with small children, increase female employment, support female entrepreneurs, promote health awareness among disadvantaged women, and to reconcile work and family more effectively.
Hungary had taken part in international climate negotiations on the topic of “Gender and climate change”. It had appointed a National Gender and Climate Change Focal Point to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change since 2019. Last year, the Government appointed a woman for the third consecutive time as Deputy State Secretary for climate change. Ambassadors at-large for climate were also all women.
In the upcoming period, the Hungarian Government would focus on continuing the housing programme, creating seven children's methodological centres, promoting access to affordable childcare services and workplace nursery services, and providing incentive support for early childhood educators. Targeted support for nursery care fees would be continued. The Government planned to develop a national integrated nursery database. It also intended to allocate nearly 28 million United States dollars to fight against domestic violence. It would increase the number of crisis management clinics from seven to 21 and provide resources for these clinics. It planned to train another 5,000 teachers and early childhood educators.
Hungary’s President Katalin Novák was a role model for Hungarian women, encouraging them to engage in public life and showing that having children and a career were not mutually exclusive. The Hungarian Government had made progress in reaching gender equality, however, there were still tasks to do, and the Government was ready to identify them.
Questions by Committee Experts
BANDANA RANA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Hungary, said that it had been 10 years since the Committee had its last dialogue with Hungary in 2013. The Committee had noted some progress in the implementation of the concluding observations issued then. However, challenges remained, such as discrimination against Roma women as well as discrimination faced by migrant and asylum-seeking women, issues related to gender identity and sexual orientation, the security of women human rights defenders, and the impact of the war in Ukraine. Ms. Rana expressed hope that the dialogue would help to identify gaps and promote gender equality. How did the Fundamental Law of Hungary make women more independent and how did it ensure freedom of choice and bodily rights?
BANDANA RANA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Hungary, said that it had been 10 years since the Committee had its last dialogue with Hungary in 2013. The Committee had noted some progress in the implementation of the concluding observations issued then. However, challenges remained, such as discrimination against Roma women as well as discrimination faced by migrant and asylum-seeking women, issues related to gender identity and sexual orientation, the security of women human rights defenders, and the impact of the war in Ukraine. Ms. Rana expressed hope that the dialogue would help to identify gaps and promote gender equality. How did the Fundamental Law of Hungary make women more independent and how did it ensure freedom of choice and bodily rights?
Ms. Rana said she was happy to note Hungary’s active deliberations on the role of women in climate negotiations. She congratulated Hungary on its national gender and climate change focal point. She looked forward to the dialogue, which she hoped would promote gender equality.
A Committee Expert said that Hungary had built back after its independence based on freedom, European values and international law and the integration of Hungary into Europe had been supported. Women’s rights represented a vital pillar of the rule of law and the Expert commended Hungary on progress made, including the new strategy on equality in 2021, legislative amendments to the Labour Law, and strengthening measures to combat violence and trafficking in humans. There was no general law on violence, and backsliding had been seen on issues such as abortion rights and limitations on asylum rights. Parliament had refused to ratify the Istanbul Convention. Did the Government envisage revising its decision on the Istanbul Convention. What measures were planned to implement the concluding observations? Did the Government plan to develop a parliamentary structure focused on equality? Did the Government plan to promote the women, peace and security agenda? Would comprehensive legislation on discrimination be introduced? The Convention did not promote gender ideology. Equality policy was based on the concept of the family. A broader policy was required. The State party was currently reorganising its justice system. What initiatives were being taken to ensure that judges received training on the Convention? Why were lawyers charged with committing “crimes of solidarity” when supporting asylum seekers?
Responses by the Delegation and Follow-up Questions and Answers
ATTILA BENEDA, Deputy State Secretary for Family Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary and head of the delegation, said that Hungary had been trying to respond to demographic challenges since 2010. The Government was trying to remove all obstacles to parents having children, and was communicating with members of the society about child-bearing. It was making sure that women could find work that allowed them to raise a family.
The Istanbul Convention was not a United Nations document, and Hungary did not agree with its general approach. Hungary had the legislative tools to uphold women’s rights.
The delegation said that the Fundamental Law of Hungary strictly prohibited all forms of discrimination. Every person was equal before the law, and Hungary was obliged to guarantee the fundamental rights of all persons. The State was obliged to implement special measures to protect women, families and vulnerable groups. Equal treatment in terms of housing, employment and access to goods and services was ensured in legislation.
The Hungarian National Social Inclusion Strategy focused on improving the employment opportunities of disadvantaged women and promoting their access to services. Programmes were in place to improve Roma women’s access to employment, and the Government supported the creation of Roma women’s civil society organizations. No statistics on the participation of Roma persons in education were available, as data on ethnicity was not mandatorily collected by the Government.
ATTILA BENEDA, Deputy State Secretary for Family Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary and head of the delegation, said that female asylum seekers were able to choose the gender of the officer attending to their case. Women were placed separately from men in accommodation facilities, except for families.
The delegation said that judges were provided with detailed thematic training on identifying victims of domestic violence. A subcommittee on gender equality issues had been created in parliament.
A Committee Expert said that no major law on equality had been passed. Did the Government intend to adopt overarching laws on violence and on the implementation of the Convention?
In response, the delegation said that men and women were equal according to the Fundamental Law. Preferential treatment of women in legislation could amount to discrimination. The Government had adopted a women’s policy agenda, and was providing wider opportunities for women through various policy measures. There was no need to advance the rights of women through such legislation.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert said that a Ministry of Family and Youth Affairs had been established in 2014. A gender equality unit had also been established to handle gender considerations of other ministries. How were the various bodies dealing with gender issues separated and what were their responsibilities? No impact assessment had been carried out on the National Strategy on Gender Equality. What were the results of the strategy? The Government was aiming to prevent violence against women through the new action plan. Why had civil society not been consulted in developing this action plan? The Government cooperated mainly with non-governmental organizations that focused on family issues. Did it also work with non-governmental organizations that promoted women’s rights and racial equality?
The equal treatment authority had been disbanded, and its tasks transferred to the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights. The Commissioner had been downgraded to “B” status in 2022. How did the State party intend to ensure that the Commissioner complied with the Paris Principles?
Why had Hungary forced out the Central European University and its gender studies programme from the State? Did the Government plan to close any other gender studies programmes within universities in Hungary?
Another Committee Expert congratulated Hungary on the appointment of its first female President. Hungary had yet to develop a women, peace and security plan. The Expert called for more information on women’s role in security, and for data on women in the judiciary, the public sector and in academia, including on women with disabilities. What measures were in place to eliminate discrimination of women? Minorities could form civil society organizations and serve in Parliament. How many minority women were serving in Parliament? What temporary special measures had been undertaken to increase the number of women with disabilities in decision-making roles?
How was the State party addressing gender stereotyping? Stereotyping limited women’s opportunities to participate in public life. How did the State party reconcile the culture of traditional family values with the promotion of gender equality? How did financial incentives for the technological sector affect women in the sector?
Responses by the Delegation and Follow-up Questions and Answers
ATTILA BENEDA, Deputy State Secretary for Family Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary and head of the delegation, said a new secretariat of State responsible for family affairs had been established in 2016, but the head of the secretariat had since become the President, and the secretariat’s role was now carried out by the Ministry of Family Affairs. The Ministry had a wide range of mandates. Working groups had been established to develop policies promoting women’s rights, and these groups included representatives of non-governmental organizations that held different views to those of the Government; 15 organizations were part of the working group developing the action plan on women’s rights. Non-governmental organizations focusing on women’s careers were part of these working groups. Hungary had signed the Beijing Convention. The Government believed that biological gender could not be challenged.
A national action plan on women, peace and security was being developed, although progress had been slowed by the war in Ukraine.
Training in Hungarian universities was driven by labour market demand. Gender studies programmes were not able to meet labour demand, but two universities continued to provide such courses. The number of students in such courses was declining.
The unemployment rate had decreased from 10 per cent to three per cent, and 76 per cent of employees in judiciary services were women. There were also a higher number of women employed in academic and research services than men.
The action plan to 2030 focused on analysing various areas to combat inequalities faced by women. It sought to improve women’s careers and support improved work-life balance. More concrete measures were needed to increase the number of female managers and strengthen efforts to combat domestic violence. There were measures in place to reduce the prevalence of unpaid work and strengthen the participation of Roma women in the labour market. A monitoring mechanism had been developed to monitor progress in implementing the action plan, and the action plan was reviewed each year. In 2018, a women’s leader programme had been established to strengthen the training of young women leaders.
The delegation said that training was provided for women with disabilities, and an action plan on promoting the rights of women with disabilities had been established. A strategy and connecting action plan were also in place to support persons from vulnerable groups, and each Ministry developed polices under these strategies. There was a representative of the Roma community in the European Parliament.
A Committee Expert asked if women in Hungary had a role in the armed forces. Why had the Government not encouraged undergraduates to study gender equality and the Convention?
Another Committee Expert said that gender studies programmes trained students to promote gender equality in various professional fields. How could such training be provided without such programmes?
In response, the delegation said that women were represented in the armed forces, including in leadership positions. It was the Government’s goal to increase women’s representation in the armed forces.
Improving the rights of women was more important than philosophical issues involving gender.
Questions by a Committee Expert
BANDANA RANA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Hungary, said that the Committee had previously raised concerns about gender stereotypes within families and society. The law on hate speech did not cover gender-based hate speech. Government communications and school textbooks contained gender stereotypes. What measures were in place to counter such stereotypes?
Access to free legal aid and support services for victims of gender-based violence was reportedly limited. How would this be improved? What training was provided to staff? Sexual violence by an intimate partner was not recorded as domestic violence. What measures were in place to ensure that all forms of domestic violence were punished in law and practice? Civil restraining orders were issued for a maximum of 60 days, and requests for extension took too long to process. Victims of domestic violence were sometimes forced to pay mediation fees. Violence was sometimes deemed irrelevant in custody procedures. What measures had the State party taken to address these issues?
Responses by the Delegation and Follow-up Questions and Responses
ATTILA BENEDA, Deputy State Secretary for Family Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary and head of the delegation, said since 2010, both men and women had been able to access parental leave, contributing to the elimination of gender stereotypes. Women were entitled to tax benefits when they gave birth to children. Family allowances had been increased.
If there was a suspicion of domestic violence, the judiciary was required to investigate, regardless of whether the persons involved were in wedlock.
Around 21 crisis centres had been established and secret shelters had been set up for victims of domestic violence, and the Government planned to triple the number of crisis centres in the future. “Ambulance” systems helped women to report cases of domestic violence. Various awareness raising campaigns had been developed on support services. A mobile application for reporting cases of domestic violence had been developed. Training was provided to social workers every three to six months.
A provision on incitement against certain groups of society had been implemented, and legislation prevented all forms of hate speech. Legislation had been introduced to criminalise all forms of domestic violence. There were various types of restraining orders. Criminal restraining orders did not last 60 days, but for four months, and were extended until charges were dropped. Police could take measures on the spot in response to domestic violence cases. Guidelines on dealing with cases of domestic violence had been developed for police. Support could be given for victims and restraining orders could be issued on the spot. In 2021 and 2022, around 2,000 restraining orders were issued on the spot.
Child custody decisions were made by the guardianship office, which assessed the best interests of the child, the delegation said. Visitation rights were regulated by legislation.
BANDANA RANA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Hungary, said that a national survey was underway on domestic violence. What was the modality of this survey, when would it be completed and were non-governmental organizations involved?
In response, the delegation said the development of the survey on domestic violence was in progress. Interviews had been carried out with 50 victims of domestic violence. A representative survey of 1,000 members of the public would be conducted to investigate awareness of domestic violence.
Questions by a Committee Expert
A Committee Expert said that the national strategy on trafficking in human beings contained many positive points. Hungary was a transit country for trafficking in women for sexual and labour exploitation. Most victims were young women who did not have family support networks, and more than half of victims were children. Hungary did not have an effective mechanism to identify victims of trafficking. There were problems with the implementation of trafficking legislation. What measures were in place to eliminate trafficking and stigma of women working in prostitution? How many cases of trafficking had been identified in 2021 and 2022? Hungary had adopted the Budapest Convention on fighting online crimes. How was the State implementing that Convention? Did the State criminalise the sexual exploitation of girls?
Responses by the Delegation
ATTILA BENEDA, Deputy State Secretary for Family Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary and head of the delegation, said that perpetrators of trafficking, rather than victims, should be criminalised. The State had taken all necessary measures to combat illegal trafficking and sexual exploitation of vulnerable groups. Further steps needed to be taken to eliminate criminal groups seeking to exploit migrants fleeing the war in Ukraine.
The delegation said that three shelters had been established for victims of trafficking that were maintained by non-governmental organizations, and six support centres had also been established. Vehicles were provided by the Government to these organizations to assist in the transport of victims. Legislative measures had been introduced to prohibit child pornography, and legislation on trafficking specifically addressed forced labour and child prostitution. The police force had paid special attention to preventing migrants from Ukraine from becoming victims of trafficking, coordinating response measures with the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation. A central body for monitoring trafficking of migrants from Ukraine had been established.
The Government was developing an action plan on supporting children in vulnerable situations, including Roma and migrant children. The plan aimed to provide suitable housing to children in need, among other support measures.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert asked whether legislation included trafficking of children as an aggravating circumstance. How many victims of trafficking had received compensation? What measures were in place to prevent online abuse of children?
Another Committee Expert commended Hungary’s rescue efforts in response to the recent earthquakes. The high numbers of women in the Foreign Affairs Ministry were welcomed, and it was commendable that Hungary’s President was a woman. However, the overall percentage of women represented in Parliament was low. Was there a gender quota in place? Were there temporary special measures to promote women as candidates in elections, including minority women, and to improve the gender balance in company boards and in the private sector? What measures were in place to combat gender stereotypes and sexism within political circles?
BANDANA RANA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Hungary, commended the Government on its positive policies regarding nationality and citizenship. It was common for Ukrainians to hold Hungarian citizenship, and many such Hungarians had fled to Hungary because of the war. As they were citizens, they were not able to access support services for refugees. What measures were in place to support such persons to access these services?
Responses by the Delegation
ATTILA BENEDA, Deputy State Secretary for Family Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary and head of the delegation , said ethnic Hungarians who lived in Ukraine respected the laws of the State in which they lived. Ukraine did not accept dual citizenship, so these persons had only Ukrainian citizenship. Hungary provided support to these people when they required it.
Over 20 per cent of directors of private companies were women. This was close to the European Union average. A scholarship programme and training programmes preparing women for leadership roles was offered by the Government. There was no legislation that hindered the participation of women in public life. The “Women for Hungary” programme brought together women in leadership positions to discuss methods of eliminating obstacles to women’s leadership.
In response to a follow-up question on whether the State party would consider tangible, temporary special measures such as quotas to promote women’s participation in political life, Mr. Beneda said that Hungary did not intend to introduce quotas for representation, as there was no glass ceiling within Hungarian public institutions. There was no legislation focused on increasing the participation of women. The Government did not have a sexist approach to women’s careers.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert said that Hungary had banned sex education in schools. How was this in line with guarantees of equality within the Constitution? A Government report on the “pinking of education” claimed that education focusing on “feminine” matters was to be avoided. Were assumptions of masculinity and femininity not detrimental to students’ education? The Convention called for the elimination of gender stereotypes in textbooks. The Government appeared to be injecting into education harmful ideologies. How would the ban of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex education impact persons from those groups? Was there an anti-sexual harassment policy in schools? Why had Hungary not endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration?
Another Committee Expert commended the State party on its measures strengthening day-care services and amendments to the Labour Code increasing opportunities for women to return to the workforce after childbirth. There was still a considerable gender employment gap and pay gap. Most mothers with very young children took an extended period of leave after childbirth. Did the Government intend to adopt explicit regulations promoting equal pay for equal work? How would the new parental and paternal leave scheme benefit women and men? What measures were in place to encourage fathers to take parental leave, and which authority would be responsible for overseeing these policies? The Commission for Fundamental Rights had investigated only one case of sexual harassment in 2021. There was limited public knowledge about where to report cases of harassment. How would this be addressed?
Responses by the Delegation
ATTILA BENEDA, Deputy State Secretary for Family Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary and head of the delegation, said that there were six Hungarian universities where gender studies were offered. The report on the “pinking of education” discussed fields and professions where women were overrepresented. There was a large percentage of female teachers, for example, and there was a need to encourage more men to become teachers. Mechanisms were in place to prevent bullying in schools.
The delegation said that the Labour Code covered atypical forms of employment, enabling women to work on multiple jobs or via teleworking. Parents with young children were entitled to request part-time and remote work, and employers were required to provide appropriate grounds for rejecting such requests. A study on the Labour Code amendments was being carried out, and their effectiveness would be assessed. Parents were entitled to 36 months of paternity leave, and could take 44 days of paid leave per year to take care of their children. For 20 years, fathers could take five days of paid leave after their children were born, but this had been doubled to 10 days. The ratio of women in employment had increased from 50 to around 70 per cent. In 2010, there were 270,000 unemployed women, but this number had decreased to around 100,000. Financial subsidies for childcare were provided to women wishing to return to work. There was a pay gap of 17 per cent between women and men. This gap had decreased in recent years, although there was still work to do.
A programme was in place to improve Roma women’s access to employment services. The programme had reached 1,200 disadvantaged Roma women.
The Hungarian Government financed the studies of 200,000 persons in higher education. Non-State universities were free to decide which courses they offered. In 2011, around 21 per cent of researchers in universities were women, but this had risen to 43 per cent. Financial support was provided to female students studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Gender topics were covered within undergraduate ethics courses. A committee had been established to investigate cases of sexual harassment occurring in higher education.
The national curriculum was based on the principle of the full respect of human rights. Stereotypes could only be eliminated through education. Textbooks referring to stereotypical gender differences were no longer in circulation.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert said that she appreciated Hungary’s aim of achieving gender balance in various professions. Education choices should not be tied to the goal of marriage eligibility for both women and men.
Another Committee Expert said that there were certain professions that were previously considered to be “male” or “female” professions, but these gender stereotypes were being challenged in many States. Hungary also needed to work to tackle gender stereotypes related to professions.
One Committee Expert said that although abortion was legal in Hungary, it was expensive, and the women who received abortions were stigmatised. How would the State party ensure that organizations supporting women to receive abortions were able to operate freely? What measures were in place to make contraception easier to access for women, to make abortions freely available and safe, and to reduce stigmatisation of women who received abortions? Hungary did not currently have an HIV/AIDS policy. Did it intend to develop such a policy?
Responses by the Delegation
ATTILA BENEDA, Deputy State Secretary for Family Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary and head of the delegation, said that caution was necessary regarding the topic of abortions. The number of abortions was declining in Hungary, but there were still too many abortions. Sexual education needed to be improved. Access to abortions was strictly regulated by legislation. Women needed to be able to make an informed decision regarding abortions.
Financing was provided for HIV health services. The number of HIV cases had not increased in recent years in Hungary, showing that health services were effective.
Women had the right to decide whether to receive an abortion. Hungary did not allow forced sterilisation of persons with disabilities.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert asked whether measures helping couples to obtain financial loans made women more dependent on family relationships, even when they were harmful. What concrete steps had been taken by the Government to expand the number of female entrepreneurs in Hungary?
Another Committee Expert said that the State party needed to address the obstacles faced by disadvantaged women. Roma women and girls faced discrimination in asylum application processing. What measures were in place to ensure a fair and efficient asylum procedure for disadvantaged women and girls? Roma women continued to experience marginalisation and segregation, had high rates of illiteracy, lower rates of employment, and less access to public services. A comprehensive national action plan was needed to address discrimination of the Roma community. Were Roma children integrated into the national education system? The State party needed to improve the quality of schools in Roma communities. Intersectional data on discrimination needed to be collected and analysed.
The human rights situation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons had reportedly deteriorated in recent years. A 2019 survey had found that 13 per cent had been physically attacked and around 50 per cent had been verbally abused in the previous six months, but only around 10 per cent had reported such abuse. Were there plans to support these persons to report abuse, and to introduce measures to tackle these various forms of discrimination?
Responses by the Delegation
ATTILA BENEDA, Deputy State Secretary for Family Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary and head of the delegation, said that a programme was in place targeting the social inclusion of Roma persons. The Government was working to strengthen education and access to labour markets for Roma persons. There was currently a record number of Roma persons participating in vocational education. Roma mentors had been placed in schools to encourage Roma children to continue their education.
There was no discrimination of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons within the judicial system, or regarding the provision of services and access to employment.
Education and mentoring programmes supporting women to become entrepreneurs, create business models and increase their digital skills had been developed. Career guidance was provided in secondary education for young women. The Government aimed to encourage over 600,000 girls and young women to study mathematics, science, technology and engineering by 2025.
Guidelines for investigating and responding to hate crimes had been developed for police.
Questions by a Committee Expert
A Committee Expert said that above the age of 16, minors could marry with the prior consent of the Guardianship Authority. Why did Hungary not prohibit child marriage? Did the State intend to explicitly prohibit child marriage by law and adequately sanction or criminalise those who were involved in child marriage?
How did the State party ensure that State policies did not compel some women to stay with abusive partners due to the need for housing, loan repayment support, and other benefits?
Same-sex couples could enter registered partnerships, but not marry. Did the State party intend to realise the right of lesbian, bisexual and transgender women to freely choose a spouse and to enter marriage? How did the State party ensure that policies, including the Family Protection Action Plan, did not discriminate based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status? The registered partnership system granted same-sex couples most rights and duties that came with marriage, except for joint and second parent adoption. What measures were in place to remove discriminatory legislative restrictions and administrative barriers concerning adoption by non-married persons?
Responses by the Delegation
ATTILA BENEDA, Deputy State Secretary for Family Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary and head of the delegation , said that children over the age of 16 were permitted to marry due to cultural considerations, however, the number of children who were married was decreasing, and the Government aimed to completely end child marriage in the future.
Marriage was only acknowledged between a woman and a man, but there were measures in place to recognise other unions. Same-sex couples could adopt children. Efforts had been made to provide psychological help to women who were victims of domestic abuse, and the loan support system did not force women to stay in abusive relationships.
Concluding Remarks
ATTILA BENEDA, Deputy State Secretary for Family Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary and head of the delegation, said that the dialogue had been fruitful. There were open issues that needed to be addressed. The delegation did not agree with the Committee on all issues, but was committed to improving the situation of women. There was a need to move forward and enhance women’s rights in family, work and public spheres. The Hungarian Government was committed to supporting all refugees, especially women, who had been forced to leave their countries. It hoped that peace could soon be reached in Ukraine. The Hungarian Government was helping in Türkiye to provide aid in response to the recent earthquake. Hungary considered women’s rights to be of upmost importance, and women played an important role in the growth of the State.
ANA PELÁEZ NARVÁEZ, Committee Chair, thanked the delegation for participating in the dialogue, and invited Hungary to accept the amendment to the Convention regarding the Committee’s meeting time. The Committee encouraged the State party to take all necessary measures to comprehensively enforce the provisions of the Convention for the benefit of all Hungarian women and girls. In closing, Ms. Peláez Narváez encouraged the State party to address the Committee’s concluding observations.
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CEDAW23.003E