Today, the parliament of the Ukraine struck down three bills concerning gender equality which were introduced in the alternative. The first legislative bill proposed to eliminate all forms of gender discrimination and to achieve equal protection of men and women under the law.
The second legislative bill proposed to establish gender quotas in party lists of candidates. The bill proposed that there be at least 30% of one gender and at most 70% of another gender in party candidate lists. The bill also planned to establish a special commission on the equal protection of men and women under the law at the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
The third legislative bill proposed gender quotas similar to those proposed in the second bill. It also aimed to address the issue of sexual harassment at work.
The defeat of the bills is irrevocable, which means than the bills cannot be afforded another first reading in the Parliament.
For more information, please see the official website of the Parliament of Ukraine. This site provides the voting results in respect of the equal protection bills. For information on efforts to combat violence against women in the Ukraine, please see the Ukraine Country Page on this website.