belarus executive summary - US Department of State

BELARUS 44
The National Statistics Committee reported that as of November 1, 62.8 percent of
the unemployed were women compared with 52.8 percent in November 2010.
Staravoytau also noted that it took one month on average for men to find new
employment and more than two months for women. Women also accounted for
two-thirds of all officially unemployed persons seeking a job for more than a year.
There were very few women in the upper ranks of management or government,
and most women were concentrated in the lower-paid public sector. Women’s
groups also voiced concerns about the feminization of poverty, particularly among
women with more than two children, female-headed households, women taking
care of family members with disabilities or older family members, and rural and
older women.
The law grants women the right to three years of maternity leave with assurance of
job availability upon return. However, employers often circumvented employment
protections by using short-term contracts, then refusing to renew a woman’s
contract when she became pregnant. During an inspection of 29 enterprises in the
Vitsyebsk region in 2009, the local prosecutor’s office found that employed
women who were taking care of minor children at times were forced to travel on
business and work overnight and overtime without their prior consent and in
violation of laws. A number of women worked in extreme and hazardous
conditions.
Children
Birth Registration: Citizenship is derived either by birth within the country’s
territory or from one’s parents. A child of a citizen is a citizen regardless of place
of birth, even if one of the parents is not a citizen.
Education: In contrast with previous years, there were few and isolated reports
that Romani children were subject to harassment from non-Romani children and
teachers. The majority of Romani youth did not finish secondary school and failed
to enroll in university programs, although the situation improved as more Romani
children from mixed families were enrolling and obtaining bachelor degrees,
including in the regions. There were no special school programs for Roma,
although there were such programs for Jews, ethnic Lithuanians, and Poles.
Child Abuse: Rape or sexual assault of a person known to be a minor is
punishable by up to 15 years in jail. Sexual acts between a person older than 18
years of age and a person known to be younger than age 16 carry penalties of up to
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011
United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor