HC Deb 23 January 1958 vol 580 cc1237-8
28. Miss Burton

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies which were the Colonial Territories he consulted concerning the political position of women, in so far as this was relevant to the inability of Her Majesty's Government to ratify the Convention on the Political Rights of Women during the sitting of the Assembly of the United Nations; and what were the results of his discussions.

31. Mrs. Emmet

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the results of the inquiries he has made in British Dependent Territories regarding the political disabilities of women in these territories which prevent Her Majesty's Government ratifying the Convention on the Political Rights of Women at the United Nations; and what steps are being taken to draw the attention of interested Governments in these countries to these disabilities.

Mr. Profumo

My right hon. Friend asked the Governments of all the territories for which he is responsible whether they were willing to accept this Convention. I am circulating a summary of their replies in the OFFICIAL REPORT. My right hon. Friend is considering the obstacles which prevent particular territories from accepting the Convention, but I should make it clear that, in the absence of a "colonial application article", it will be necessary, in addition to the United Kingdom itself, for every territory for whose international relations the United Kingdom is responsible to be ready to accept the Convention before Her Majesty's Government can ratify it. Progress is continually being made towards the objectives of the Convention, but, allowing for factors such as the hold of native custom in some territories, I could not predict when ratification may be possible.

Miss Burton

Is the Under-Secretary aware that this matter seems to have dragged on for a very long time? Practically a year ago we were told that these inquiries were being made. Is he able to give us any idea at all, in spite of his last sentence, as to how long matters will take before we make any real progress?

Mr. Profumo

No, Sir; I am afraid that I cannot give any undertaking. As I said, the trouble really arises from there not being a colonial application clause, in spite of what my hon. Friend the Member for East Grinstead (Mrs. Emmet) did when she attended the Convention herself.

Following is the summary of the replies:

  1. (1) 11 territories could accept the Convention. Montserrat, Grenada, St. Kitts, Virgin Islands, British Honduras, Tanganyika, Gambia, Sarawak, Mauritius, Jamaica and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
  2. (2) 13 territories could accept Articles I and II but not Article III. Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malta, Bermuda, Dominica, St. Vincent, Barbados, St. Lucia, British Guiana, Seychelles, Falkland Islands, Antigua. Two common reasons are the absence of equal pay in the Civil Service and the non-eligibility of women for jury service. There are also in some territories marriage bars or other measures of discrimination in branches of the Civil Service.
  3. (3) 7 territories could not accept Article I (or I and II). In Aden, Uganda and Fiji there are at present no votes for women, and in Nigeria no votes for women in the Northern Region. Sierra Leone has different qualifications for male and female electors. In Kenya there is no vote for Arab women and different qualifications for African women and men.
  4. (4) 2 territories (Zanzibar and Bahamas) could not accept any Article.
  5. (5) Six territories (Tonga, North Borneo, New Hebrides, Western Pacific, Somaliland. St Helena) have not sufficiently developed institutions for the Convention to apply to them although there is no actual legal objection.

I have not yet had replies from the remaining territories.