A/73/178/Rev.1 limited access to justice, since they are not always eligible for free legal aid and, in some countries, they may lose their jobs for reporting harassment or abuse. The Committee therefore recommends training and awareness-raising programmes concerning the rights of women workers for State employees. 66. In the African system, the rights of women to justice and equal protection under the law are protected under article 8 of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, according to which States parties must ensure that women have effective access to judicial and legal services, including legal aid, and must support initiatives directed at providing women with access to legal services, including legal aid. 67. With regard to access to justice for women who are victims of sexual or genderbased violence, in accordance with the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women (Convention of Belém do Pará), States must establish fair and effective legal procedures and ensure effective access to such procedures (art. 7). The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has identified undue delays in investigations and judicial inefficiencies in connection with cases of gender-based violence as obstacles to access to justice. 70 Migrant women face similar obstacles, given the protracted nature of administrative immigration procedures and the gender-based violence they experience in countries of origin, transit and destination. 68. Migrant women who are victims of trafficking often prefer to move on rather than seek justice to avoid the accompanying social stigma, being labelled as victims and the possibility of being traumatized anew. Women caught in the cycle of social stigma are seen not only as victims but also as having violated the community’s moral code regardless of the path they choose, which is why women would often rather pretend that nothing happened and not seek redress. Consequently, one of the challenges faced by NGOs and other stakeholders that help migrant women who are victims of trafficking is convincing them that they have experienced a violation of their human rights and are entitled to redress. 71 69. In the case of migrant women who are employed by diplomatic staff as domestic workers, the power imbalance makes them more vulnerable to exploitation and makes it harder for them to gain access to justice. In some countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NGOs have worked together to facilitate mediation. Employer participation in such mediation is voluntary, however, and authorities are reluctant to employ effective means of compelling them to take part. In that connection, the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families has recommended that States designate an ombudsperson for domestic workers to help them have access to redress mechanisms. Furthermore, the Committee encourages States to adopt time-bound or expedited legal proceedings to address complaints submitted by migrant domestic workers, and to conclude bilateral agreements to ensure that migrants have access to justice in their country of employment upon their return to their country of origin, particularly when reporting abuse or claiming unpaid wages and benefits. 72 One example of good practice is the bilateral agreement concluded between Mauritania and Saudi Arabia designed to protect Mauritanian migrant women workers in Saudi Arabia, which allows workers and employers alike to bring labour disputes to the attention of the competent authorities. 73 __________________ 70 71 72 73 18-15902 Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Annual Report 2009 and Annual Report 2014. Submission by Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women. See general comment No. 1 (2011) on migrant domestic workers. Submission by IOM. 17/20