A/HRC/54/31/Add.1 punishments, the Special Rapporteur expresses his preoccupation with the fact that 24.3 per cent of inmates in the prison system of Greenland have a custodial sentence of indefinite length,24 while in Denmark, the percentage of those serving life sentences or indeterminate terms is only 2 per cent. There is a lack of disaggregated data on the composition of the inmate population; however, a study suggests that most of the inmates have a background of poverty and social marginalization. Inmates from east Greenland, one of the poorest parts of the country, make up 21 per cent of the inmate population, while only 6 per cent of the population resides in this area.25 68. The administrative system of Greenland, which was inherited from Denmark, is not well suited to its cultural and geographical specificities. The Special Rapporteur noted that barriers in appealing administrative decisions of government bodies due to the unclear distribution of competencies, administrative structures and inefficiency of remedies prevented Inuit people from enjoying their fundamental rights, including the right to education, resources and health. Persons with disabilities face even more significant barriers in appealing administrative decisions due to physical obstacles, non-prioritization of their requests by administrative staff and lack of knowledge of their rights. H. Gender equality and violence against women and girls 69. Society in Greenland still faces numerous challenges in relation to the promotion and protection of the rights of Inuit women and girls. There is a high level of mental, physical and sexual violence against women in Greenland, as well as various manifestations of gender inequality, which includes inequality of income. Allegedly, the rate of crimes related to sexual and domestic violence against women that are reported to the police is 10 times higher in Greenland than in Denmark. 70. In November 2022, the Parliament of Greenland approved an amendment to the criminal law regarding rape, which shifts the focus from whether the victim objects enough to whether all parties consent to sexual activity of their own free will. The relevant bill has reportedly been submitted to the Parliament of Denmark and it is expected to come into force during 2023. 71. Legislation on equal treatment in Greenland prohibits gender‐based discrimination through the Gender Equality Act, which mainly protects against discrimination within the labour market. In accordance with the Act, Greenland has set up an Equality Council. However, the mandate of the Equality Council is restricted to gender equality; it is not obliged to work at the request of citizens but can assess whether an issue requires its attention. Greenlanders who feel discriminated against cannot complain to an independent appeals board but must bring their case to court. If a complaint concerns discrimination by a public authority, complaints can be brought to the Ombudsperson of the Parliament of Greenland. 72. In terms of health, there is limited access to maternity care, which in turn requires pregnant women to travel significant distances to give birth. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has raised concerns over the high prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases and abortions in Greenland. 26 Furthermore, among women, young women are a particularly vulnerable group in relation to suicide. According to a recent study, 22 per cent of women aged 15–24 responded that they had considered suicide and 13 per cent had attempted suicide. 73. Regarding political participation, at the time of the country visit, 3 out of 10 members of the Government (Naalakkersuisut) were female. In Parliament (Inatsisartut), there were 9 women out of a total of 31 parliamentarians. There are more tertiary-educated women than men in Greenland. 24 25 26 GE.23-13414 If defendants are considered to pose a continuous threat to the safety and security of others, the court can issue custodial sentences of an indefinite length, subject to regular review. In some cases, they can be a de facto lifelong sentence. See https://tidsskrift.dk/NTfK/article/view/115040 (in Danish). CEDAW/C/DNK/CO/9, para. 34 (c). 13