22. The report of the Working Group read as follows: "The Working Group on Communications concerning the Status of Women was guided in its deliberations by the mandate given in resolution 1983/27 of 26 May 1983 of the Economic and Social Council. "The Working Group considered the confidential list of communications concerning the status of women (S.W. Communications List No. 28) and the non-confidential list of communications concerning the status of women (E/CN.6/1994/CR.30). "The Working Group had before it all communications received by the Division for the Advancement of Women of the United Nations Secretariat as well as those that had been taken from the confidential list of communications concerning human rights received by the Division from the Centre for Human Rights, United Nations Office at Geneva. "The Working Group noted that among the few confidential communications received directly by the Division for the Advancement of Women there was a diversity of alleged acts of discrimination, including discrimination in employment, restricted access to safe and legal abortion and limited access to prenatal examinations, intimidation of women, and lack of legal protection. "The Working Group noted further that the non-confidential communications received by the Division alleged lack of effective international instruments on women’s rights, systematic rape and sexual abuse of women as a weapon of war, exclusion of women from war crimes tribunals, gender-based discrimination in sports, and sexual harassment and discrimination of employees of the United Nations. "Among the confidential communications received from the Centre for Human Rights, the Working Group noted numerous allegations of systematic rape and abuse by paramilitary forces, alleged acts of rape and other forms of violence perpetrated by armed forces during situations of armed conflicts, harsh prison conditions, alleged restricted and/or coercive family-planning policies, and denial of the right to freedom of movement. "Having considered all those communications, the Working Group took the view that there had been a variety of cases received from different sources but that the recurrent theme was one of violence against women perpetrated during situations of armed conflict. "The Working Group noted that the Division for Women received no replies from Governments and that Rights received only a small number of replies from Working Group appreciated. The Working Group noted replies received and the clarifications given. the Advancement of the Centre for Human Governments, which the the usefulness of the "The Working Group drew the Commission’s attention to the current communications procedure and proposed that the Commission consider ways of improving the mechanism. It proposed that the Commission on the Status of Women should publicize as widely as possible the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the goals of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies and the existing communications mechanism. The Working Group also drew the Commission’s attention to the importance of Governments replying to communications. -64-