Summary

In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus examines women’s rights and gender equality, highlighting how structural discrimination has increasingly intersected with politically motivated repression since the 2020 presidential election. The report documents discrimination in employment, restrictions on civic space, gender-based violence, transnational repression of women in exile and serious gender-specific violations against women in detention, particularly affecting those imprisoned under politically motivated charges. The Special Rapporteur concludes that existing reforms remain insufficient to address structural discrimination and to ensure effective protection of women’s rights and calls for comprehensive legislative and institutional reforms, accountability for violations, the restoration of civic space and the implementation of the recommendations of United Nations human rights mechanisms.