CWA Supports the US joining CEDAW

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is the only international human rights treaty to focus exclusively on the rights of women.  To date, it has only been ratified 186 of 193 countries worldwide.  Sadly missing, like Iran, Somalia and Sudan, is the United States. The treaty protects fundamental rights, addressing violence against women, the right to vote, sex trafficking, and access to education among other important issues to women.

Examples of the practical impact that CEDAW has made in women’s lives around the world can be found in the report of the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) entitled “Recognizing Rights in Progress, The Global Impact of the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, available at http://www.icrw.org/files/publications/Recognizing-Rights-Promoting-Progress-CEDAW.pdf .

The US has long been a world leader in championing human rights and women’s rights.  Ratification of CEDAW would forward this leadership, to the benefit of women and girls globally.

Senator Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, has scheduled the first hearing on CEDAW since 2002 on Thursday, November 18, 2010 in Washington DC.  It is also the first ever hearing on the ratification of a human rights treaty in the Senate Judiciary Committee.  The hearing is open to the public at the Dirksen Senate Office building, Room 226, at 2 PM.

CWA has signed on to a letter of support that will be submitted in conjunction with the hearing.  The National Women’s Committee will keep you informed of the hearing outcomes – so stay tuned!