President Barack Obama made a commitment to push for Senate ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). This treaty has been signed by several Presidents but has never reached the Senate floor. That amounts to a continued 20 year denial of women's rights in the United States of America. The United States should be ashamed of being the only industrialized country which has not ratified CEDAW.
Some individuals wonder if ratifying CEDAW would really make any difference. The answer simply is yes, CEDAW is very important for stopping discrimination against women. CEDAW has been an invaluable tool for women's rights activists in countries which have ratified it to guarantee that women's rights be enshrined in law. It has been used to develop citizenship rights in Botswana and Japan, property rights and political participation in Costa Rica and to develop domestic violence laws in Turkey, Nepal, South Africa, and the Republic of Korea.
Some critics of the treaty say that women's rights in the United States are already enshrined in the constitution and therefore ratification is not necessary for women . However it should be noted that most critics of CEDAW are opposed to women's rights so their opinions must be taken with a grain of salt. To those who truly believe that the treaty is not necessary I must say that I disagree, there are all too many women in the United States of America whose rights are routinely abused and CEDAW is an important step towards true and lasting equality for women.
By not ratifying CEDAW the United States is losing all credibility in demanding that women's rights be respected around the world. The Convention on the Eliminated of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is extremely important and for our country to truly progress and to take our role on the world stage as a leader in human rights this treaty must be ratified.
Some individuals wonder if ratifying CEDAW would really make any difference. The answer simply is yes, CEDAW is very important for stopping discrimination against women. CEDAW has been an invaluable tool for women's rights activists in countries which have ratified it to guarantee that women's rights be enshrined in law. It has been used to develop citizenship rights in Botswana and Japan, property rights and political participation in Costa Rica and to develop domestic violence laws in Turkey, Nepal, South Africa, and the Republic of Korea.
Some critics of the treaty say that women's rights in the United States are already enshrined in the constitution and therefore ratification is not necessary for women . However it should be noted that most critics of CEDAW are opposed to women's rights so their opinions must be taken with a grain of salt. To those who truly believe that the treaty is not necessary I must say that I disagree, there are all too many women in the United States of America whose rights are routinely abused and CEDAW is an important step towards true and lasting equality for women.
By not ratifying CEDAW the United States is losing all credibility in demanding that women's rights be respected around the world. The Convention on the Eliminated of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is extremely important and for our country to truly progress and to take our role on the world stage as a leader in human rights this treaty must be ratified.
- The United States of America has not ratified the CEDAW.
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