Fact Sheet
No. 9
Human
Rights of Women
The Fourth World Conference
on Women, held in Beijing in 1995, reaffirmed that the full and equal
enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by women and girls
was a priority for governments and the United Nations, and essential for
the advancement of women. It stressed that governments must not only refrain
from violating the human rights of women but must work actively to promote
and protect these rights.
The Platform for Action,
adopted by the Beijing Conference, identified the lack of respect for
the human rights of women as one of the 12 areas of concern requiring
government and international action. The Platform called for the full
implementation of all human rights instruments, especially the Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. It
also stressed the importance of ensuring equality and non-discrimination,
under law and in practice, and the achievement of legal literacy.
The United Nations Commission
on the Status of Women has been instrumental in bringing to light all
the areas in which women are denied equality with men. During its forty-second
session in 1998, the Commission proposed further action by states, the
international community and civil society to promote the human rights
of women.
International Legal Instruments
The Platform for Action
highlights the central role of the Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination against Women in the advancement of women
and the achievement of gender equality. The Convention establishes not
only an international bill of rights for women, but also an agenda for
action by governments to guarantee the enjoyment of those rights.
The Convention was adopted
by the UN General Assembly in December 1979 and entered into force as
an international treaty on 3 September 1981. The Platform for Action
envisaged universal ratification of the Convention by the year 2000.
- As of 1 November 1999,
the number of states parties to the Convention had grown to 165, with
New Zealand's ratification also incorporating the Cook Islands and
Niue. Most have accepted their obligations unconditionally, although
several have entered substantive reservations, some based on religious
law and cultural traditions.
- The Optional Protocol
to the Convention was opened for signature on Human Rights Day, 10
December 1999. Upon its entry into force three months after the receipt
of the tenth instrument of ratification or accession, the Optional
Protocol will put the Convention on an equal footing with other international
human rights instruments having individual complaints procedures.
It will enable women victims of sex discrimination to submit complaints
to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW), the treaty body established under the Convention.
International Human Rights Machinery and Mechanisms
The Platform for Action
emphasizes the important role of the Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women. The Committee reviews the reports of States
parties on the implementation of the Convention. Other human rights
treaty bodies also increasingly recognize human rights situations that
are specific to women.
- Since 1995, the Committee
has considered 57 reports of States parties. As of 1 August 1999,
there were 252 overdue reports to the Committee.
- The United Nations Commission
on Human Rights now includes in its agenda a regular item on the integration
of the human rights of women and the gender perspective, while at
the same time emphasizing the need to mainstream a gender perspective
under all items on its agenda.
- Many governments actively
promote the human rights of women in international fora and cooperate
with special rapporteurs of the Commission on Human Rights. The countries
which the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women visited in
1999 include Cuba, Indonesia and East Timor, and the United States.
Ensuring Equality and
Non-discrimination
In all regions, progress
has been made in strengthening the legal framework for equality, and
in ensuring adherence to legislation. Mechanisms to remedy violations
of rights have become better established, with courts in a growing number
of countries actively fostering compliance with women's human rights.
Governments have also recognized the need to complement legislation
with other measures, including social reform, to ensure de facto realization
of the human rights of women.
- Eritrea, Ethiopia, Morocco
and Poland have strengthened provisions in their Constitutions guaranteeing
equality between women and men and the protection of women's human
rights.
- In Oman, the political
rights of women were enhanced when they were granted the right to
vote in 1997.
- Monaco and the Republic
of Korea are among the countries that have eliminated provisions in
their nationality laws that discriminated against women.
- Brunei Darussalam, with
the introduction of a new Islamic Family Law, is among the countries
that have revised civil and family codes. In many countries, the revisions
reflect the equal sharing of communal property between spouses, equality
between women and men in marriage and divorce law, and standardization
of inheritance.
- Mongolia, Nepal and Tanzania
have replaced discriminatory legislation or introduced new legislation
with regard to inheritance, property, land and other ownership rights.
- Several African countries,
including Ghana and Senegal, have introduced legislation criminalizing
harmful traditional practices, such as female genital mutilation.
- Turkey is one of several
countries that have made changes in their penal codes eliminating
the differential treatment of men and women with respect to adultery,
as well as for the murder of a spouse.
- Canada has made the criminal
justice system more accessible to vulnerable groups, including aboriginal
women and women with disabilities.
- Iran and Nepal have made
progress in establishing special family courts, and women's offices
in the judiciary.
- The Mexican National Commission
on Human Rights undertook a study comparing federal and state standards
relating to women and children with the Convention on the Elimination
of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on
the Rights of the Child. Based on the findings, recommendations were
made for legislative reform in several areas.
- In the Russian Federation,
the State Duma adopted guidelines on legislative action to ensure
equal rights and equal opportunities for women and men.
Achieving Legal Literacy
Steps have been taken to promote legal literacy by publicizing and disseminating
information on laws relating to the equal status and human rights of
all women.
- Albania, Burkina Faso,
Chile, Ecuador and Senegal are among the governments that have launched
legal education programmes, with a focus on the human rights of women.
These include the training of judges and law enforcement officials.
- The Mexican National Commission
for Women issued a handbook entitled "How to legislate from a
gender perspective" and used it in information workshops for
legislators.
- In many countries that
have carried out awareness raising and sensitization efforts on the
human rights of women, national machineries have been instrumental
in the systematic dissemination of information to women about their
rights. International treaties and domestic codes have been translated
into local languages and widely disseminated.
- A number of governments
have supported the creation of chapters dedicated to women's rights
within non-governmental organizations.
This fact sheet
is based on "Review and Appraisal of the Implementation of the Beijing
Platform for Action: Report of the Secretary-General" (E/CN.6/2000/PC/2).
Published by the
United Nations Department of Public Information
DPI/2035/I—May 2000
