Women's Campaign International » CEDAW http://www.womenscampaigninternational.org Empowering Women to Transform Their Communities. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:17:21 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 Celebrating the Thirtieth Anniversary of CEDAW http://www.womenscampaigninternational.org/2009/12/celebrating-the-thirtieth-anniversary-of-cedaw/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=celebrating-the-thirtieth-anniversary-of-cedaw http://www.womenscampaigninternational.org/2009/12/celebrating-the-thirtieth-anniversary-of-cedaw/#comments Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:33:05 +0000 kerri http://www.womenscampaigninternational.org/?p=1769 Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, released a statement celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and urging for its ratification in the U.S. CEDAW was adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly. The Convention consists of a preamble and 30 articles and is often called an international bill of rights for women.

CEDAW defines discrimination against women as “…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.”

The U.S. is one of only a small number of countries, and the only developed nation, that has yet to ratify it.

In her statement, Ambassador Rice says, “CEDAW has been an instrumental tool in the ongoing struggle for women’s rights, offering an important blueprint for action to assure basic human rights and equality for half of the world’s population. CEDAW has assisted in boosting women’s access to land ownership, strengthened their inheritance rights, and increased access to justice within court systems. Despite clear progress, there are still great inequalities and discrimination against women persists. We must close remaining gender gaps, both at home and abroad.”

Sources: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/

http://usun.state.gov/briefing/statements/2009/133840.htm

]]> http://www.womenscampaigninternational.org/2009/12/celebrating-the-thirtieth-anniversary-of-cedaw/feed/ 0 Discord likely over new push for US ratification of CEDAW http://www.womenscampaigninternational.org/2009/03/discord-likely-over-us-ratification-of-cedaw/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=discord-likely-over-us-ratification-of-cedaw http://www.womenscampaigninternational.org/2009/03/discord-likely-over-us-ratification-of-cedaw/#comments Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:33:31 +0000 WCI http://www.womenscampaigninternational.org/?p=1034 With a new democratic president in office, Sen. Barbara Boxer is planning a push to have the US ratify CEDAW, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.  The US is one of only eight UN member states that has not ratified the Convention, which was passed in 1979.  Some conservatives oppose ratification because they believe the document supports legalizing prostitution, increased government interference in family matters, and state-funded abortions.  Democrats are concerned that the treaty will only be ratified with reservations, understandings and declarations (RUDs) that would harm the integrity of the Convention.  WCI supports CEDAW as a key legal document supporting the rights of women around the world, and strongly encourages the Senate and President Obama to ratify the treaty.

Read More on this topic: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/03/07/america/Womens-Rights-Treaty.php

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