Andrea Alajbegovic, Outreach Intern

In 1979, the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). In 1994, Hillary Rodham Clinton made the statement that “women’s rights are human rights” at the U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women. In 2012, gender equality has not been achieved and the United States is still one of six U.N. member states that have not yet ratified CEDAW.

CEDAW provides a blueprint for ensuring gender equality and combatting discrimination throughout the world. Countries have used it to pass laws that address domestic violence, sex trafficking, voting, and inheritance rights. At a special event on CEDAW hosted by the World Bank this past Monday, at which NWLC Co-President Marcia Greenberger spoke, international women leaders emphasized the importance of CEDAW as a tool to achieve equal rights for women everywhere and how U.S. ratification of CEDAW would strengthen the effectiveness of that tool.

Dr. Sima Samar, Chairperson of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, delivered a speech that outlined CEDAW’s accomplishments and its importance for advocates around the globe seeking recognition for the rights of women and girls. “The convention [calls] for societies to guarantee the legal status of women as complete human beings,” Dr. Samar said. As more countries ratify and implement CEDAW, international standards are raised which further aid women’s rights movements. Sameena Nazi, Founder of Potohar Organization for Development Advocacy, discussed her home country of Pakistan as an example of how the international standards established by CEDAW influenced the government to pass bills which outlawed sexual harassment and made sure that women are not deprived of their inheritance rights.

First of all, I want to congratulate the New York Giants, winners of Super Bowl XLVI, and Mario Manningham, fellow Michigan Wolverine, on a well-played victory.