Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
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What is the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)?
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), also known as the International Bill of Rights for Women, is a human rights treaty adopted by the UN in 1979 that defines discrimination against women and requires signatory countries to take steps to end it. CEDAW consists of 30 articles and includes an optional protocol (OP). The OP consists of the Communications Procedure, which enables people to complain directly to the CEDAW monitoring committee, and the Inquiry Procedure, which empowers the CEDAW monitoring committee to investigate systematic forms of discrimination against women.
Article 1 defines discrimination against women as any distinction or restriction based on sex that impairs women's enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms in any field.
CEDAW addresses a range of issues, including sex trafficking, political and civil rights, health, employment, marriage, and issues affecting rural women. Once governments ratify the convention, they must submit regular reports to the CEDAW monitoring committee regarding their compliance.
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When and why was CEDAW created by the United Nations?
The United Nations adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1979. It went into effect on September 3, 1981, after being ratified by 20 member states.
CEDAW defines discrimination against women and obligates signatory countries to take steps to end it. It is also known as the International Bill of Rights for Women. The treaty consists of 30 articles and includes an optional protocol.
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What forms of discrimination against women does CEDAW address?
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) defines discrimination as any distinction or restriction based on sex that impairs women's enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms in political, economic, social, cultural, civil, or other fields, irrespective of marital status.
CEDAW addresses sex trafficking and exploitation; political and civil rights, such as the right to vote; health, employment, and marriage; and issues impacting rural women, like access to agricultural credit and loans. It advocates for affirmative-action policies and the revisioning of education for women and girls, and it is the only international treaty to protect reproductive rights.
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How do countries show that they agree to follow CEDAW?
Countries demonstrate their agreement to follow the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) by signing and ratifying the treaty. Ratification commits signatory countries to take steps toward ending discrimination against women.
Once governments ratify the convention, they must submit regular reports to the CEDAW monitoring committee about their compliance. The first report is due one year after ratification, and then at least once every four years. This reporting process requires countries to adopt concrete actions to eradicate gender-based discrimination. Failure to do so results in being found noncompliant and in violation of international law. A country’s reservations curtail its legal obligation to abide by the treaty.
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What rights and protections does CEDAW guarantee for women?
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is an international human rights treaty that defines discrimination against women and requires signatory countries to eliminate it.
CEDAW ensures women have equal rights and fundamental freedoms in political, economic, social, cultural, and civil fields. It advocates for affirmative action and inclusive education, and it is the only international treaty that protects reproductive rights. CEDAW addresses issues such as sex trafficking, political and civil rights, health, employment, marriage, and the rights of rural women.
Countries that ratify CEDAW must report regularly to the CEDAW monitoring committee and take action to eliminate gender-based discrimination.
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How does CEDAW help improve women’s lives around the world?
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) requires countries that have ratified the treaty to act to end gender-based discrimination. It defines discrimination against women and commits signatory countries to take steps to end it.
CEDAW is also known as the International Bill of Rights for Women. It is the only international treaty to protect reproductive rights well into the 21st century. The treaty also addresses issues such as sex trafficking, political and civil rights, health, employment, marriage, and issues impacting rural women.
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Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), human rights treaty adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1979 that defines discrimination against women and commits signatory countries to taking steps toward ending it. The convention, which is also known as the International Bill of Rights for Women, consists of 30 articles and includes an optional protocol (OP). Human rights agreements often include OPs to provide an alternative mechanism to hold governments accountable or to further elaborate on any substantive topic within the treaty itself. In the case of CEDAW, the OP consists of the Communications Procedure, which enables people to complain directly to the CEDAW monitoring committee, and the Inquiry Procedure, which empowers the CEDAW monitoring committee to investigate systematic forms of discrimination against women. After its adoption by the General Assembly in 1979, CEDAW was signed at a July 1980 ceremony in Copenhagen by 64 countries, some of which registered reservations based on the agreement’s conflict with their constitutions or other laws. (A country’s reservations curtail its legal obligation to abide by the treaty.) It entered into force just over a year later, on September 3, 1981, after it had been ratified by 20 member states. Dozens of other member countries followed suit over the next few decades. The United States was an original signatory but remained, into the 21st century, the only industrialized country not to have ratified the treaty. Furthermore, the United States has inserted more reservations to CEDAW than to any other major human rights treaty.
Article 1 defines discrimination against women as follows:
Any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field.
This definition provides the basis for the remainder of the treaty. CEDAW proposed the incorporation of affirmative-action policies and the reenvisioning of education for women and girls to move beyond educational access, and, well into the 21st century, it was the only international treaty to protect reproductive rights. Other topics discussed in CEDAW include sex trafficking and exploitation; political and civil rights, such as the right to vote; health, employment, and marriage; and specific issues affecting rural women, such as access to agricultural credit and loans. Criticisms of CEDAW include its failure to integrate discrimination based on sexual orientation and ethnicity.
Once governments ratify the convention, they are obligated to submit reports on a regular basis to the CEDAW monitoring committee regarding their compliance: first one year following ratification and then at least once every four years thereafter. This reporting process then essentially requires states to adopt concrete actions to eradicate gender-based discrimination. Failure to do so results in being found noncompliant and in violation of international law.