Ms. Patten said that in spite of the progress that had been noted in some areas of employment gross inequalities persisted. Was there a clear national policy for the promotion of equality of opportunity and treatment in regard to employment?

Peggy Battin, the most prominent American bioethicist working on assisted dying and euthanasia, also took the stand.

Ms. Patten said that both reports were very candid and realistic about the differences in the employment situation of women and men.

Ms. Patten noted that Benin was among the few countries whose Constitution guaranteed universal education and that the Government had not been idle in that regard.

Ms. Patten asked whether the Government envisaged repealing the discriminatory provision whereby, in the case of disagreement concerning the first surname of a child, the father's surname would be placed before the mother's surname.

Ms. Patten said that the Government's efforts in the area of access to health care were commendable, as the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare was aware of the grave situation prevailing in the country.

Ms. Patten expressed concern at the persistence of discriminatory provisions in national laws and asked whether lack of resources, political will or support were obstacles to the proper functioning of the inter ministerial committee.

Ms. Patten said that she commended all the State party's initiatives to eliminate discrimination in education, but she was concerned about disparities between regions and between public and private education and about the lack of preschool education and adequate financial and human resources.

In fact, the current near uprising is the culmination of a long series of demonstrations since Hong Kong s handover from the United Kingdom to China in 1997, after Chris Patten, the last British governor failed to persuade China to allow Hong Kong to establish a genuine democratic government.