News
Celebrate the 30th Birthday of CEDAW by Joining the Global Justice Center's Campaign to make CEDAW's Legal Guarantees a Reality for Women
December 18, 2009
The Global Justice Center celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women by:
- Calling for a renewed effort to ensure that the 198 countries which have ratified CEDAW enforce this treaty on behalf of women.
- Calling for the United States to ratify and implement a "clean" CEDAW acknowledging that it will expand equality rights for American women.
On December 18, 1979, the UN General Assembly passed CEDAW, acknowledging for the first time that discrimination against women is a fundamental human rights violation. This historic Convention also requires states to take affirmative steps to implement women's equality rights such as gender parity in government. CEDAW makes clear that neither cultural practice, religion, nor national law can be used as an excuse for noncompliance. CEDAW is therefore critical to the Global Justice Center's work to dismantle entrenched patriarchal legal and political systems and protect human rights through the enforcement of international law.
In over 400 cases, courts have cited to CEDAW as legal authority invalidating national laws or practices, such as the criminal abortion law in Colombia and discriminatory citizenship laws in Tanzania. Further, the High Court in India cited to CEDAW in ordering measures to end job-related sexual harassment.
The Global Justice Center calls for the United States to ratify CEDAW without any conditions and to implement it as domestic law. This would radically expand the equality rights of American women. For example, the gender disparity that now exists in Congress and restrictive abortion laws would constitute per se sex discrimination.
Read more about CEDAW's successes and the Global Justice Center's work on the significance of the U.S ratifying a "clean" CEDAW:
- See how domestic and international courts have cited to CEDAW as persuasive precedent for their decisions.
- See article by GJC President Janet Benshoof, "Twisted Treaty Shafts U.S. Women"
- See Policy Brief on U.S. Ratification of CEDAW and Reproductive Rights.
- See how the NOW Foundation uses GJC legal arguments to call for a clean CEDAW.
Join our pledge and celebrate the 30th Birthday of CEDAW by giving to the Global Justice Center. All gifts you make will be matched by an anonymous donor.
Give $30, and your gift becomes $40!
Give $150, and your gift becomes $200!
Give $300, and your gift becomes $400!
The Global Justice Center is a New York based international human rights organization that provides leaders with legal tools and strategies for enforcing human rights law.