World Health Organization, Data and dtatistics
Bhutan
COUNTRY POLICY AND STRATEGIES FOR COMBATING GBV
Legal framework
! Constitution of the Kingdom
of Bhutan
! The Marriage Act of Bhutan
was enacted in 1980 and
amended in 1996; the
Bhutan Citizenship Acts in
1958, 1977 and 1985; the
Inheritance Act in 1980; and
the Penal Code of Bhutan
enacted in 2004.
! Bhutan is a party to the
Convention on Elimination
of All Forms of
Discrimination Against
Women (CEDAW).
! Bhutan is a party to the
SAARC Convention on
Prevention and Combating
Trafficking in Women and
Children for Prostitution
2002.
Policies/strategies and plan
of action
! National Plan of Action for
Gender (NPAG).
! The RGoB has adopted
policy, organizational and
procedural measures to
ensure the continuity of
policies and programmes
related to women's and
children's issues.
COUNTRY SITUATION OF GBV
! The Gender Pilot Study (GPS) 2001, the first
study on gender in the country conducted by
Gross National Happiness Commission
(GNHC) & the National Statistics Bureau
(NSB), found that although no overt gender
discrimination existed in Bhutan, subtle forms
were found in the areas of education,
employment and public decision-making.
! A study on gender stereotypes and prejudices to
assess women's low participation in
governance.
PARTNERSHIP IN COMBATING GBV
Government initiatives
The National Commission for Women and
Children (NCWC) established through a special
government order in 2004 is the national
mechanism for coordinating and monitoring
activities related to women and child rights, and
reporting to treaty bodies.
Bhutan has a comprehensive range of social,
economic, political and legal frameworks that
seek to further enhance the relatively equal status
of women in Bhutan, and eliminate any
discrimination and violence that might exist
against women and girls.
The RGoB is working with its development
partners in developing disaggregated data in all
sectors. Training and capacity building have been
provided to improve data collection.
The RGoB has undertaken a number of measures
to enhance women's health status. Emphasis is
being given to quality and coverage of health
Country Contact Information:
Mr Kinley Dorji
WHO Country Office, Bhutan
Email : dorjik@searo.who.int
services. Health care services in Bhutan are based
on integrated primary health care and referral
curative systems. Bhutan is among those very few
countries where women's life expectancy at birth
(66.2) is higher than that of men (66). With the
overall goal to reduce maternal/neonatal
mortality/morbidity during pregnancy and
childbirth, a plan of action for safe motherhood
programme has been prepared.
Civil society organization initiatives
The National Women's Association of Bhutan
( N WA B ) a n d o t h e r n o n g o v e r n m e n t a l
organizations such as RENEW (Respect, Educate,
Nurture and Empower Women),Tarayana
Foundation, and the Youth Development Fund are
also concerned with improving women's socioeconomic conditions and promoting their
participation in development activities.
Produced by:
Gender, Women and Health (GWH)
Department of Family Health and Research
World Health Organization, Regional Office for South-East Asia
World Health House, Indraprastha Estate
Mahatma Gandhi Marg, New Delhi-110002
Phone: 91 11 23370804, Ext 26301
Fax: 91-11-23379507, 23379395, 23370197
Email: suchaxayp@searo.who.int
COUNTRY POLICY AND STRATEGIES FOR COMBATING GBV
Legal framework
! Constitution of the Kingdom
of Bhutan
! The Marriage Act of Bhutan
was enacted in 1980 and
amended in 1996; the
Bhutan Citizenship Acts in
1958, 1977 and 1985; the
Inheritance Act in 1980; and
the Penal Code of Bhutan
enacted in 2004.
! Bhutan is a party to the
Convention on Elimination
of All Forms of
Discrimination Against
Women (CEDAW).
! Bhutan is a party to the
SAARC Convention on
Prevention and Combating
Trafficking in Women and
Children for Prostitution
2002.
Policies/strategies and plan
of action
! National Plan of Action for
Gender (NPAG).
! The RGoB has adopted
policy, organizational and
procedural measures to
ensure the continuity of
policies and programmes
related to women's and
children's issues.
COUNTRY SITUATION OF GBV
! The Gender Pilot Study (GPS) 2001, the first
study on gender in the country conducted by
Gross National Happiness Commission
(GNHC) & the National Statistics Bureau
(NSB), found that although no overt gender
discrimination existed in Bhutan, subtle forms
were found in the areas of education,
employment and public decision-making.
! A study on gender stereotypes and prejudices to
assess women's low participation in
governance.
PARTNERSHIP IN COMBATING GBV
Government initiatives
The National Commission for Women and
Children (NCWC) established through a special
government order in 2004 is the national
mechanism for coordinating and monitoring
activities related to women and child rights, and
reporting to treaty bodies.
Bhutan has a comprehensive range of social,
economic, political and legal frameworks that
seek to further enhance the relatively equal status
of women in Bhutan, and eliminate any
discrimination and violence that might exist
against women and girls.
The RGoB is working with its development
partners in developing disaggregated data in all
sectors. Training and capacity building have been
provided to improve data collection.
The RGoB has undertaken a number of measures
to enhance women's health status. Emphasis is
being given to quality and coverage of health
Country Contact Information:
Mr Kinley Dorji
WHO Country Office, Bhutan
Email : dorjik@searo.who.int
services. Health care services in Bhutan are based
on integrated primary health care and referral
curative systems. Bhutan is among those very few
countries where women's life expectancy at birth
(66.2) is higher than that of men (66). With the
overall goal to reduce maternal/neonatal
mortality/morbidity during pregnancy and
childbirth, a plan of action for safe motherhood
programme has been prepared.
Civil society organization initiatives
The National Women's Association of Bhutan
( N WA B ) a n d o t h e r n o n g o v e r n m e n t a l
organizations such as RENEW (Respect, Educate,
Nurture and Empower Women),Tarayana
Foundation, and the Youth Development Fund are
also concerned with improving women's socioeconomic conditions and promoting their
participation in development activities.
Produced by:
Gender, Women and Health (GWH)
Department of Family Health and Research
World Health Organization, Regional Office for South-East Asia
World Health House, Indraprastha Estate
Mahatma Gandhi Marg, New Delhi-110002
Phone: 91 11 23370804, Ext 26301
Fax: 91-11-23379507, 23379395, 23370197
Email: suchaxayp@searo.who.int