Legal framework Policies/strategies and plan of action

! Bhutan is a party to the Convention on Elimination

! Constitution of the Kingdom o f A l l F o r m s o f of Bhutan ! National Plan of Action for Discrimination Against

Gender (NPAG).! The Marriage Act of Bhutan Women (CEDAW).was enacted in 1980 and ! The RGoB has adopted

! Bhutan is a party to the amended in 1996; the policy, organizational and SAARC Convention on Bhutan Citizenship Acts in procedural measures to Prevention and Combating 1958, 1977 and 1985; the ensure the continuity of Trafficking in Women and Inheritance Act in 1980; and policies and programmes Children for Prostitution the Penal Code of Bhutan related to women's and 2002.enacted in 2004. children's issues.

Bhutan

COUNTRY POLICY AND STRATEGIES FOR COMBATING GBV

COUNTRY SITUATION OF GBV

! The Gender Pilot Study (GPS) 2001, the first were found in the areas of education, study on gender in the country conducted by employment and public decision-making.Gross National Happiness Commission

! A study on gender stereotypes and prejudices to (GNHC) & the National Statistics Bureau assess women's low participation in (NSB), found that although no overt gender governance.discrimination existed in Bhutan, subtle forms

Government initiatives

Civil society organization initiatives

services. Health care services in Bhutan are based on integrated primary health care and referral The National Commission for Women and curative systems. Bhutan is among those very few Children (NCWC) established through a special countries where women's life expectancy at birth government order in 2004 is the national (66.2) is higher than that of men (66). With the mechanism for coordinating and monitoring overall goal to reduce maternal/neonatal activities related to women and child rights, and mortality/morbidity during pregnancy and reporting to treaty bodies. childbirth, a plan of action for safe motherhood

Bhutan has a comprehensive range of social, programme has been prepared. economic, political and legal frameworks that seek to further enhance the relatively equal status of women in Bhutan, and eliminate any The National Women's Association of Bhutan discrimination and violence that might exist (NWAB) and o the r nongovernmen ta l against women and girls. organizations such as RENEW (Respect, Educate,

Nurture and Empower Women),Tarayana The RGoB is working with its development Foundation, and the Youth Development Fund are partners in developing disaggregated data in all also concerned with improving women's socio-sectors. Training and capacity building have been economic conditions and promoting their provided to improve data collection.participation in development activities.

The RGoB has undertaken a number of measures to enhance women's health status. Emphasis is being given to quality and coverage of health

PARTNERSHIP IN COMBATING GBV

Country Contact Information:

Mr Kinley DorjiWHO Country Office, BhutanEmail : dorjik@searo.who.int

Produced by: Gender, Women and Health (GWH)Department of Family Health and ResearchWorld Health Organization, Regional Office for South-East AsiaWorld Health House, Indraprastha EstateMahatma Gandhi Marg, New Delhi-110002Phone: 91 11 23370804, Ext 26301Fax: 91-11-23379507, 23379395, 23370197Email: suchaxayp@searo.who.int