UN Women's Convention
CEDAW, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, was ratified by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1979, and came into effect in1981. The idea behind CEDAW is that existing opinions on the position of men and women in society lead to discrimination of women. Biological and social differences between men and women should not result in women being placed at a disadvantage. Almost al UN member states, including the Netherlands, are party to CEDAW. In 2000 the Optional Protocal entered into force. This made it possible for individuals to complain directly to CEDAW about violations of the Convention.
Discrimination of women
The Convention describes discrimination as every form of distinction, exclusion or restriction which impairs the rights of women. The Convention indicates ways to combat discrimination and what governments must do in order to improve the position of women in their country. The organ charged with ensuring implementation of the Convention is the CEDAW Committee. The Committee issues General Recommendations to add to and further explain the content of the protected rights in the Convention.
Ensuring implementation
The CEDAW Committee, consisting of 23 independent experts. The Committee verifies if the Convention is adhered to by the member states. States parties to the Convention are obligated to report to CEDAW every 4 years on the measures taken to facilitate implementation of the Convention in their countries.
Shadow reports
States tend to paint quite a rosy picture of women’s rights in their country. This is why the CEDAW Committee offers non-governmental organisations the opportunity to present their views on women rights in their countries. By presenting a so-called shadow report, NGOs can express their vision on the implementation of the CEDAW Convention. The CEDAW Committee uses this additional, often more critical, information to make an assessment of the state report. The government and a delegation of the NGOs have the opportunity to present their positions during a meeting with the Committee. After studying the reports the Committee formulates its concluding comments. These Committee pays special attention to the areas in which the state is not fulfilling its obligations under the Convention.
Dutch shadow reports
Aim for human rights is the secretariat of the Dutch CEDAW Network, which monitors the implementation of CEDAW in the Netherlands. In addition, the Dutch CEDAW Network writes the Dutch shadow reports.
