Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2025, published 114th ILC session (2026)

Rwanda

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) (Ratification: 1980)
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) (Ratification: 1981)

In order to provide a comprehensive view of the issues relating to the application of ratified Conventions on equality, the Committee considers it appropriate to examine the Conventions Nos 100 (equal remuneration) and 111 (discrimination in employment and occupation) together.

Convention No. 111 – National policy to promote equality of opportunity and treatment in respect of employment and occupation

Articles 1, 2 and 3(b). Anti-discrimination legislation. Private sector. Further to its previous comments regarding the protection afforded under article 9 of the Law regulating labour in Rwanda (Law No. 66/2018), the Committee notes the Government’s indication in its report that: (i) article 9 prohibits discrimination of any kind, whether direct or indirect; (ii) the grounds of national extraction, political opinion and social origin are covered under any other form of discrimination; and (iii) for the purpose of being more explicit, a future labour law review would consider the opportunity of mentioning specifically that the scope of the protection covers recruitment. The Committee invites the Government to also consider specifically mentioning the grounds of national extraction, political opinion and social origin in article 9 in the context of a future labour law review.

Public sector. Further to its previous comments, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that: (i) public servants are protected by the non-discrimination provision in the Constitution (article 16); (ii) article 163 of Law No. 68/2018 of 30 August 2018 determining offences and penalties in general, as amended, punishes any kind of discrimination referred to in the Constitution; and (iii) discrimination cases are handled in accordance with the Law No. 027/2019 of 19 September 2019 on criminal procedures. The Committee notes that article 163 of Law No. 68/2018 covers all the grounds under Article 1(1)(a) of the Convention. It also notes that the Government does not provide any information regarding cases of discrimination addressed by the courts. The Committee considers that addressing discrimination in employment only through criminal proceedings may not provide sufficient protection as criminal proceedings usually require a higher threshold and burden of proof. The Committee therefore invites the Government to consider inserting protections against discrimination in employment in Law No. 017/2020 establishing the general statute governing public servants.

Sexual harassment. Noting the ratification of the Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190), by Rwanda, in 2023, the Committee will continue its consideration of this matter when examining the first report under that Convention.

Articles 1 to 3. National policy for equality of opportunity and treatment. Historically marginalized populations, including Batwa people. Further to its previous comments, the Committee notes that the Government reiterates its previous statement that it does not consider any group of Rwandans as distinct of others and it ensures that its socio-economic interventions benefit all citizens, with a focus on the most vulnerable. The Committee notes that in its concluding observations of 2025, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights expressed concern that the Batwa remained disproportionately affected by poverty, lower school attendance, higher dropout rates and poorer educational outcomes, among other issues. The CESCR recommended that the State Party take effective measures to address the disparities affecting the Batwa in the enjoyment of their economic, social and cultural rights, including by implementing targeted interventions to tackle the administrative, financial, material and other barriers that they face with regard to access to education, and employment, among others. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on any progress made to address these issues.

Gender equality. Measures to address educational and occupational gender segregation. Further to its previous comments, the Committee notes the information provided by the Government regarding: (i) measures taken for equal opportunities of boys and girls to pursue their studies in tertiary education (such as specific programmes to promote female participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics); (ii) statistics showing female students outnumbering male students in lower and upper secondary education, whereas the opposite trend is observed in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training sector and in higher education institutions; (iii) statistics showing an increase in the overall percentage of female managers (+7 per cent between 2017 and 2023); and (iv) measures taken to facilitate the access of women to the labour market (such as advisory services to support the development of small businesses, especially for women). The Government also refers to: (i) the Revised National Gender Policy (2021) to accelerate women economic empowerment, including gender-responsive employment promotion; and (ii) the Gender Mainstreaming Strategy engaging men and women to ensure men’s role in gender equality promotion including in employment sector development. The Committee notes from the Revised National Gender Policy that women are heavily involved in domestic activities including unpaid care work, limiting their ability to devote more time to other productive activities, and that a policy action identified to address this issue is to devise mechanisms and programmes to ensure shared responsibility between men and women over domestic work/unpaid work. The Committee also notes the Government’s recognition of the existing occupational gender segregation in the country. It recalls that occupation gender segregation and unbalanced distribution of family responsibilities are key obstacles for achieving gender equality at work. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the measures taken to achieve better equality for women in all aspects of employment, including measures to address educational and occupation gender segregation, and on the impact of such measures. In particular, please provide information on measures taken to address the gender imbalance in unpaid care work.

Convention No. 100 – Principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value

Articles 1 to 4. Gender pay gap. Further to its previous comments, the Committee notes that, while stating that the labour force survey indicated that there was no gender pay gap in the country, the Government acknowledges the existing differentiation in the total wage bill per gender and considers that it is explained by occupation gender segregation. The Committee notes that where there is a notable difference in the total wage bill between men and women, there is a gender pay gap that needs to be addressed. It recalls that occupational gender segregation (and, hence, the likelihood of women being employed in the least well-paid branches of activity and occupations), and differences between women’s and men’s occupational careers resulting from the difficulty of reconciling work and family responsibilities, are factors contributing to the gender pay gap more than direct discrimination between men and women carrying out work of the same value. The Committee invites the Government to continue to examine the gender pay gap in the country and recalls that the Government may avail itself of ILO technical assistance in this regard.

Articles 1 and 2. Principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value. Further to its previous request regarding the need to remove the reference to the “same employer” in the definition of “works of equal value” in Law No. 66/2018, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that it would assess the alignment of the Law with the definition of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value under Convention No. 100 and make the necessary changes depending on the assessment outcomes. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on progress made in this regard.

Article 3. Objective job evaluation methods.Please provide information on: (i) any measures taken to promote objective appraisal of jobs on the basis of the work to be performed, (ii) the results of any job assessments done in the private and public sectors to ensure the principle of the Convention is applied; and (iii) the objective job evaluation methods used to conduct these assessments.

Article 2. Minimum wage fixing. Further to its previous request, the Committee notes the Government’s indication it is still in consultations with social partners and stakeholders on the minimum wage. It refers to its comments under C26 in this regard.

Collective agreements. Further to its previous request, the Committee notes the Government’s commitment to continue raising awareness through social partners compliance forums on avoiding the use of gender stereotypes or gender bias when fixing wages. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the manner in which the principle of the Convention is applied through collective agreements in the country.

Enforcement. Further to its previous request, the Committee notes that the Government indicates that the labour inspectorate is responsible for monitoring compliance with Law No. 66/2018 and that there were no reported cases of non-compliance with the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value. The Committee recalls that where no cases or complaints, or very few, are being lodged, this is likely to indicate a lack of an appropriate legal framework, lack of awareness of rights, lack of confidence in or absence of practical access to procedures, or fear of reprisals. The Committee requests the Government to examine this matter and provide information on any measures taken to address it.