UNIFEM celebrates the 30th anniversary of CEDAW

Progress for Women Is Progress for All

The Convention is often described as an international bill of rights for women. By accepting it, states commit themselves to undertaking a series of measures to end discrimination against women in all forms, including:

• Incorporating the principle of equality of men and women in their legal system, abolishing all discriminatory laws and adopting appropriate ones prohibiting discrimination against women.
• Establishing tribunals and other public institutions to ensure the effective protection of women against discrimination.
• Ensuring the elimination of all acts of discrimination against women by persons, organisations and enterprises.

The Convention provides the basis for realising equality between men and women through ensuring equal access to, and equal opportunities in political and public life, including the right to vote and to stand for election. It is the only human rights treaty which affirms the reproductive rights of women and targets culture and tradition as influential forces shaping gender roles and family relations. When signing up to CEDAW, states also agree to take appropriate measures against all forms of trafficking in women and exploitation of women.

There is a special UNIFEM website celebrating the 30th anniversary and highlighting success stories about the implementation of CEDAW around the world.
The website is at www.unifem.org/cedaw30

In a recent interview with the Inter Press Service news agency, UNIFEM Executive Director Ines Alberdi talked about the UN member states, including the US, who have not yet ratified CEDAW.
The link is www.ipsnews.net/news.asp

This meeting was an opportunity for women in the UK to learn from the experience of women from other countries and to discuss how to make CEDAW relevant to women here.
There were presentations from five remarkable, courageous and hard working women:-

• GHANA – Dorcas Coker-Appiah, Member of the CEDAW Committee, and Executive Director of Gender Studies and Human Rights Documentation Centre A monitoring group of women continuously engaged the government on violence against women and, using CEDAW, had input into a new law.
• PERU - Maria Ysabel Cedano Garcia, former Director of DEMUS (Institute for the Defence of Women's Rights) Peru adopted CEDAW in the 1980s. Women have used its recommendations to remove sexist advertising, and to change laws and perceptions. They are collecting cases to use with the Optional Protocol.
• NEPAL – Durga Sob, President for FEDO (Feminist Dalit Organisation) The government signs many international agreements but with zero implementation, so gender discrimination remains. From 2006 a new constitution has addressed poverty and health, but women still need to be educated to use CEDAW.
• SOUTH AFRICA - Kathleen Dey, Director of Rape Crisis There are high rates of rape in the country. A shadow report was prepared for CEDAW in 1994 without much consultation because of the fast political changes. In future they will be better prepared as a study group has been set up.
• ZIMBABWE – Emilia Muchawa, Director of ZWLA (Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association) The laws were not enough to help poor women who were represented in court by men. The judiciary needs training and women lawyers are working to use the CEDAW framework and to build a women's movement.

Key messages include:

1. Educate: explain CEDAW simply.
2. Make use of CEDAW: it is the framework within which all our campaigning sits.
3. Consulting and networking: women’s organisations and government officials should exchange information on CEDAW and more training is needed.
4. Think about test cases: these are for use with the Optional Protocol which empowers the CEDAW Committee to hear complaints of rights violations.
5. Apply for funding: properly funded work is required, otherwise women find it difficult to access gender equality.
6. Prepare Shadow Reports: these need broad and diverse input; start now for 2012.
7. Lobby: mobilise and work together – ask how local and national representatives are implementing CEDAW
8. What about a UK woman rep on the CEDAW Committee? There is currently no UK on the international Committee so we should nominate a suitable woman soon.
9. The elections in the UK: a time of transition when lobbying is effective. This is especially important as Conservatives plan to repeal the Human Rights Act, replacing it with a British Bill of Rights - but this could mean withdrawing support for the European Convention on Human Rights too.

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