The English version of our short film about CEDAW is here! The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is the UN Women’s Convention, which aims to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women.
UN Women’s Convention, CEDAW, adopted in 1979 and has been ratified by 90% of UN member states, they are legally bound to align its legislation with CEDAW and live up to the requirements of the Convention. CEDAW is needed just as much today as when it was adopted, beacause we are far from the goal of gender equality.
Men owns almost all of the planet’s resources, the poorest in the world, the vast majority of women, even though women account for a large part of the work, and men’s violence against women is still today’s most widespread public health problem. It includes abuse that takes place in the context of armed conflict. Women refugees are a particularly vulnerable group. And it has even been shown that women abused by soldiers from the UN peacekeeping forces.
A fundamental problem is the patriarchal structures that are both the prerequisite for the violence and that excludes the participation of women in peace processes.
That’s why we have the CEDAW, but a UN Convention can not itself solve the problem if there are voices that are raised when countries or even the United Nations, violating it. States are required to report on their compliance with the Convention on a regular basis, but the US domestic investigations are not sufficient. Therefore, the shadow report is important! It consists of civil society observations, experiences and reports of violations of CEDAW. The more people that get involved, the more attention will be directed toward the CEDAW and the more powerful, the Convention will be. A strong civil society provides a durable peace.
