CEDAW

"For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." – Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom (Nelson Mandela Quotes) 

Nelson Mandela, the South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and subsequent President of the newly unified nation, is known for dedicating his life to dismantling the legacy of the apartheid. While his tireless efforts to end institutionalized racism and poverty have garnered the most attention, as he lays in critical condition we think it's important to note that his efforts to increase gender equality are just as significant. 

South Africa offers women, at least on paper, one of the most comprehensive sets of rights and protections in the world (South Africa Women's Rights). The nation signed the U.N Convention to End All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), often referred to as an international bill of rights for women, in 1993, and ratified it in 1995, something the United States has yet to do. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, promulgated by President Mandela in 1996 and taking effect in 1997, states: "Everyone has the right to bodily and psychological integrity, which includes the right (a) to make decisions concerning reproduction and (b) to security in and control over their body." The constitution also provides legal protection for women from discrimination, rape, and domestic violence. Read more »

Last Saturday, at the U.S. National Committee UN Women Annual Conference, Emily Martin (NWLC's Vice President and General Counsel, and my boss for the summer) spoke on a panel about women's political participation, domestically and abroad. The other panelists were Laura A. Liswood, Secretary General of the Council of Women World Leaders, Tiffany Dufu, President of The White House Project, and Farah Pandith, the Department of State's Special Representative to Muslim Communities — a group of women who have been there, done that when it comes to political participation and leadership.

NWLC's particular role on the panel was to speak about CEDAW, the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. One of CEDAW's primary goals is to increase women's political participation — and it has been effective in doing just that in countries like Kuwait and Rwanda. Today, the United States remains one of only six countries in the world that haven't ratified the treaty; our illustrious co-holders-out include Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Tonga, and Palau. Why haven't we ratified CEDAW? Maybe because CEDAW promotes women's reproductive health, which in our strange domestic political context causes many to eye it with suspicion. Read more »

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. Read more »

On Monday, President Obama issued the first ever National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security, which recognizes that women’s meaningful participation in decisions regarding war and peace promotes national security and stability, and advances nations’ economic and social development. The plan, and the executive order implementing it, commit the United States to undertake steps to promote women’s roles in conflict prevention, peace processes, and decision making; to protect women and children from sexual and gender-based violence and trafficking in conflict zones; and to take women’s particular needs into account in providing humanitarian assistance. The plan recognizes that rape and violence against women is often used as a weapon in armed conflict and that efforts to prevent and end conflicts must address these forms of violence. It also recognizes that investing in women and girls’ health, education, and economic oppor­tunity pays dividends in the form of stable societies and lasting peace, because no nation can thrive when it fails to tap the potential of half its population. The plan is a strong and welcome commitment by the United States to foster women’s participation and leadership in diplomacy, defense, and development initiatives around the world. Read more »

At a Senate hearing on women and the Arab Spring on Wednesday, witnesses emphasized the importance of U.S. ratification of the Convention for Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) for women’s government reform efforts in the Middle East and North Africa, leading Senator Boxer of California to strongly endorse U.S. ratification of the treaty. The United States is currently one of only six nations in the world that has not ratified CEDAW.

The witnesses at the hearing described this as a moment with tremendous and unique potential, but also tremendous risk, for women in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and other countries in the region where activists are seeking fundamental reforms ensuring women’s participation in new governments and the protection of women’s interests. They explained how women’s full participation in government and society was necessary to achieve stability and prosperity in the region. And they also made clear that U.S. ratification of CEDAW would provide real assistance to these women’s efforts. Read more »

This Wednesday, November 2^nd, two subcommittees of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, headed by Senator Boxer and Senator Casey, are holding a hearing on “Women and the Arab Spring: Spotlight on Egypt, Tunisia and Libya.” The hearing will examine the critical role women have played in the Arab Spring, how they can continue to participate as these countries establish new governments, and what the United States can do to be supportive.

One key way for the U.S to show its support for these women’s efforts is for the Senate to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), a comprehensive women’s human rights treaty. One of CEDAW’s primary goals is to ensure that women are able to exercise the full rights of citizenship and emerge as leaders in their own societies. The United States is one of only six countries that have not yet ratified the treaty, putting it in the company of Iran, Somalia, Sudan and two small Pacific Islands. In many of the 187 countries that have ratified CEDAW, it has been used to reduce sex trafficking and domestic abuse; provide access to education and vocational training; ensure the right to vote; ensure the ability to work and own a business without discrimination; ensure inheritance rights; improve maternal health; and end forced marriage and child marriage. Read more »

Last week, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee of Liberia and Tawakkul Karman of Yemen were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize based on their “non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work.” Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia, is Africa's first female elected head of state; Gbowee is a Liberian peace activist; and Karman is a leader of the Arab Spring in Yemen. Read more »