Project report

on
United nations declarations on
women rights

Submitted to: Submitted by :

Dr. Dazy zarabi Bhawna

20/11

Semester 8th
 Acknowledgement

The success and outcome of this project required a lot of guidance and support
from many people and I am extremely fortunate to have got this all along the
completion of the project work. Whatever I have done is only due to such
guidance and I will not forget to thank them.

I respect and thank Dr. Dazy zarabi for giving me an opportunity to do the
project work and providing me all support and guidance which made me
complete the project on time.
What are human rights?

Human rights define the value and worth of each person and their relationship
to government and society. They identify standards regarding the quality of life
that each of us can expect to enjoy.

Human rights have the following qualities:

 Human rights are inherent: human rights do not have to be given to us by

a government to exist. They are our birthright and belong to us simply
because we exist as human beings.

 Human rights are inalienable: human rights cannot be given away or

taken away.

 Human rights are universal: human rights belong to everyone,

irrespective of their sex, race, colour, religion, national or social origin or
other status.

The United Nations (UN) has enshrined many human rights in international
human rights instruments. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted
in 1948, forms the basis of these documents. Its Preamble says, in part, that the
‘recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all
members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in
the world’.

Women’s rights are human rights

Due to some social structures, traditions, stereotypes and attitudes about women
and their role in society, women do not always have the opportunity and ability
to access and enforce their rights on the same basis as men.

The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against

Women (CEDAW) is the key international human rights document that seeks to
ensure the enforcement of the human rights of women on an equal basis with
men.

This package focuses on women’s rights as human rights in the context of

CEDAW. It focuses on the reality of women’s lives and the experiences they
have specifically because of their gender.

CEDAW deals with rights including the right to vote and stand for election,
equal rights to education, protection from discrimination in the workplace and
equality before the law. This pack outlines these rights in section 7.

The UN: Protecting the rights of women

The United Nations (UN) deals with many aspects of human rights and other
international issues. Several specialised departments and agencies have been
established within the UN to deal specifically with concerns relating to women.

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)

The CSW is an intergovernmental body that forms part of the Economic and
Social Council of the UN (ECOSOC). Every year, representatives of member
states gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress
on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate
concrete policies to promote gender equality and the advancement of women
worldwide.

At each of these meetings, the member states of CSW develop a document

called ‘agreed conclusions’ about the priority theme set for that year. The
agreed conclusions contain an analysis of the priority theme of concern and a
set of concrete recommendations for governments, intergovernmental bodies,
NGOs and other relevant bodies, for implementation at the international,
national, regional and local level.
The CSW consists of 45 members elected by the ECOSOC for a period of four
years. Members are nominated by their respective national governments and are
elected on the following basis: thirteen from African states; eleven from Asian
states; four from Eastern European states; nine from Latin American and
Caribbean states; and eight from Western European and Other states.

The Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW)

The DAW is part of the UN Secretariat and specialises in issues concerning the
status of women. It is the major part of the UN bureaucracy that advocates for
the improvement of the status of women of the world, and the achievement of
their equality with men.

The DAW works with all international Conventions and Treaties relating to
women, including CEDAW, and the CEDAW Optional Protocol. The DAW
acted as the secretariat for the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing
(1995). This was the largest conference in the history of the UN. The
Conference was the culmination of twenty years of work by the global women’s
movement, and resulted in the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA). The BPFA
is one of the most influential, international policy documents regarding
women’s human rights. The BPFA has been considered one of the most
progressive blueprints for achieving gender equality for women. It was
negotiated and adopted by the 189 countries that attended the Beijing
Conference.

The DAW was responsible for the preparations for the three previous World
Conferences on Women (Mexico, 1975, Copenhagen, 1980, and Nairobi, 1985)
and has since done the preparatory work for the 23rd Special Review Session of
the UN General Assembly in 2000, commonly known as Beijing + 5, and
assisted CSW to conduct the Ten-year Review and Appraisal of the Beijing
Platform for Action in 2005.
UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)

Commonly known as UNIFEM, this specialised agency of the UN works with

national governments to promote women's empowerment and gender equality.
UNIFEM’s mandate is based on international women’s rights documents,
particularly CEDAW and the Beijing Platform for Action.

Since its creation in 1976, UNIFEM has supported numerous projects and
initiatives throughout the developing world that promote the political,
economic, and social empowerment of women. These have ranged from small
grassroots enterprises that improved working conditions for women to public
education campaigns and the design of new gender-sensitive laws and
marketing campaigns.

Recent initiatives by UNIFEM include funding a project in Cambodia to

facilitate handicraft development and upgrade productions and marketing skills
of women producers of baskets and clay pottery; and supporting projects in
Indonesia, China and other parts of the Asia-Pacific region to improve the
collection of statistics on gender issues.
 CEDAW

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against

Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, is often
described as an international bill of rights for women. Consisting of a preamble
and 30 articles, it defines what constitutes discrimination against women and
sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination.

The Convention 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 Convention provides the basis for realizing equality between women and
men through ensuring women's equal access to, and equal opportunities in,
political and public life -- including the right to vote and to stand for election --
as well as education, health and employment. States parties agree to take all
appropriate measures, including legislation and temporary special measures, so
that women can enjoy all their human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The Convention is the only human rights treaty which affirms the reproductive
rights of women and targets culture and tradition as influential forces shaping
gender roles and family relations. It affirms women's rights to acquire, change
or retain their nationality and the nationality of their children. States parties
also agree to take appropriate measures against all forms of traffic in women
and exploitation of women.

Countries that have ratified or acceded to the Convention are legally bound to
put its provisions into practice. They are also committed to submit national
reports, at least every four years, on measures they have taken to comply with
their treaty obligations.
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against
Women (CEDAW) was adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly and
entered into force on 3 September 1981. Australia has been a party to CEDAW
since 17 August 1983.

CEDAW has often been described as an ‘international bill of rights’ for women.
Enshrined within its preamble and 30 Articles are key principles of equality and
an agenda for national action to end discrimination against women. It is based
on the belief that basic human rights include the true equality of men and
women. As of November 2008, 185 countries are parties to CEDAW.

The rights enshrined in CEDAW broadly cover many aspects of women’s lives.
Rights include political participation, health, education, employment, marriage,
family relations and equality before the law.

Rights contained in CEDAW

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. (Article 1)

By accepting the Convention, States commit themselves to undertake a series of

measures to end discrimination against women in all forms, including:
  to incorporate the principle of equality of men and women in their legal
system, abolish all discriminatory laws and adopt appropriate ones
prohibiting discrimination against women;
 to establish tribunals and other public institutions to ensure the effective
protection of women against discrimination; and
 to ensure elimination of all acts of discrimination against women by
persons, organizations or enterprises.

Global Norms and Standards: Ending Violence against Women

A number of internationally agreed norms and standards relate to ending

violence against women.

The 1979 Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against

Women (CEDAW) does not explicitly mention violence against women and
girls, but General Recommendations 12 and 19 clarify that the Convention
includes violence against women and makes detailed recommendations to States
parties.

The 1993 World Conference on Human Rights recognized violence against

women as a human rights violation and called for the appointment of a Special
Rapporteur on violence against women in the Vienna Declaration and
Programme of Action. It contributed to the 1993 Declaration on the Elimination
of Violence against Women.

The 1993 Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women became

the first international instrument explicitly addressing violence against women,
providing a framework for national and international action. It defines violence
against women as any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to
result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women,
including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty,
whether occurring in public or in private life.

The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development drew links

between violence against women and reproductive health and rights. Its
Programme of Action calls on Governments to take legal and policy measures
to respond to and prevent violence against women and girls.

The 1995 Beijing Platform for Action identifies specific actions for
Governments to take to prevent and respond to violence against women and
girls. Ending violence is one of 12 areas for priority action. The platform
includes an expansive definition of forms of violence.

In 2006 the Secretary-General’s In-Depth Study on All Forms of Violence

against Women was released, the first comprehensive report on the issue.

The 2011 Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence

against women and domestic violence became the second legally binding
regional instrument on violence against women and girls but, unlike other
regional agreements, it can be signed and ratified by any State.

The UN General Assembly adopts bi-annual resolutions on the issue of violence

against women. The most recent resolutions adopted in 2012 include
the intensification of efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against
women and trafficking in women and girls.

The UN Human Rights Council adopts annual resolutions on accelerating

efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women, the most recent being
in 2012.

In 2013, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) adopted, by

consensus, Agreed Conclusions on the elimination and prevention of all forms
of violence against women and girls. This represents a historic outcome as
there had been no agreed conclusions on this issue when it was last considered
by CSW in 2003.

References

1. www.un.org/Overview/rights.html
2. www.umn.edu/humanrts/instree/women/engl-wmn.html
3. www.un.org/documents/ga/res/48/a48r104.htm
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_on_the_Elimination_of_Violenc
e_Against_Women
5. www.unfpa.org/resources/human-rights-women
6.