There is one woman in the cabinet. Women hold 17 of the 63 seats in Parliament. There is an active feminist political party, the Women's List, which won 3 seats in the 1995 parliamentary elections. One of the three female Parliamentarians left the Women's List in 1998 due to differences over the future of the movement, thereby reducing the Women's List to 2 seats. Section 4 Governmental Attitude Regarding International and Nongovernmental Investigation of Alleged Violations of Human Rights A number of human rights groups operate without government restriction, investigating and publishing their findings on human rights cases.
Government officials are generally cooperative and responsive to their views.
The culture of the ethnically homogeneous population is strongly egalitarian and opposed to discrimination based on any of these factors. Government legislation and practice generally reflect this attitude. Women Increased governmental awareness of violence against women, resulting from extensive media coverage, has led to stiffer sentences for sex offenders. The tougher sentencing derives from improved action by the courts in more strictly enforcing existing laws. A police program to train officers in correct interrogation procedures in rape and sexual abuse cases appears to be addressing prior concerns that police indifference and hostility to female victims did not assure proper attention and consideration for victims of such abuses.