Brazil

Specialized body - Gender equality

Women´s Rights Committee
(April 2016)

About

Nature
Permanent

Members

Number of members
All MembersBelow 45 years of age
Total218
Men20
Women198
See historical data for this field.
Political affiliation of members
Majority parties
11
See historical data for this field.
Opposition parties
8
See historical data for this field.
Independent
2
See historical data for this field.

Chairperson(s)

Chair 1
Lêda Borges
Chairperson: Sex
Female
Date of birth
02 Nov 1961
Political affiliation
Independent
See historical data for this field.

Chairperson

Chairperson: Sex
Female
Age: Chairperson is below 45 years of age
No
Political affiliation
Opposition

Committee functions

Mainstream gender equality into the work of (other) parliamentary committees and of Parliament as a whole
Yes
Scrutinise all Bills from a gender perspective
Yes
Scrutinise the Executive’s policy from a gender perspective
Yes
Obtain information from the Executive about the justification for actions or inaction which affect gender equality and women’s rights
Yes
Scrutinise State compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
No
Initiate inquiries of its own choosing
No
Scrutinise proposed treaties on gender equality, and other international treaties with implications for gender equality and women’s rights, and report to Parliament thereon, prior to ratification
No
Ascertain and review the Executive’s reasons for not acceding to or ratifying existing international human rights treaties on gender equality and women’s rights
No
Scrutinise the Executive’s response to human rights judgments - of national, regional and international courts – that have gender considerations
Yes
Monitor the adequacy of the existing national system for the promotion of gender equality
Yes
Review the allocation and expenditure of funds in the State budget to support measures to promote gender equality and protect women’s rights
Yes

Committee involvement in international and national reporting mechanisms

Such as the UN Human Rights Council and its' Universal Periodic Review, the UN CEDAW Committee etc.
Consulted in the preparation of the most recent national report to the CEDAW Committee
No
Included in the official delegation which orally presented the most recent national report to the CEDAW Committee
No
Discussed the conclusions and recommendations which the CEDAW Committee adopted as a result
No
Conducted hearings with the Executive about its plans to implement CEDAW conclusions and recommendations
No
Involved in the preparation of national reports to other international or regional mechanisms (Resolution 1325 of the United Nations Security Council on Women, peace and security, the Beijing Platform for action…)
No

Committee powers

The Committee has the power to:
Propose amendments to legislation
Yes
Introduce bills into Parliament
Yes
Initiate parliamentary debates on its reports or on subjects of its choosing
Yes
Carry out inquiries
No
Hold oral evidence hearings
No
Compel witnesses to attend
No
Compel the production of documents and papers
Yes
Make recommendations to the Executive
Yes
Conduct visits, including visits abroad
Yes
Access places of detention without notice
No

Committee working methods

The Committee:
Adopts an annual or longer-term work plan
Yes
Publishes reports on its work on the parliamentary website
No
Usually reaches consensus on the issues on which it reports
No
Systematically follows up its reports and recommendations
No
Reports regularly to Parliament on its activities
No
Number of specialised staff to service committee
11

Cooperation and coordination

The Committee regularly cooperates and coordinates (e.g. through sharing of reports; meetings; joint follow-up action) with:
Other parliamentary committees
Always
Civil society organisations
Always
National Human Rights Institution(s) and National Institution(s) for the promotion of gender equality Often called “Commissions” and/or “Ombudspersons” in the area of human rights
Always
Academic institutions, including human rights and gender equality research institutes
Always
The media
Always