we promote the rights of young women & girls!
CEDAW is the United Nations
Convention on Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination Against Women.
 





A Bit of


Herstory




December 18, 1979 was an important day because CEDAW was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. It also took place during the UN Decade for Women. The Philippines came on board on July 15, 1980 and ratified CEDAW a year later on August 5, 1981. CEDAW itself came into force on September 3, 1981. And this makes us one of 185 governments or State Parties to the Convention as of August 2006. And as a State Party, our government is “bound to Respect, Protect and Fulfill women’s rights” by recognizing the need for state action all because of problems that go back to discrimination and inequality against women.

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cedawwatch
CEDAW 101:

Say What?

It’s an acronym for the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Now if that’s a mouthful, you can always refer to it as “The Women’s Convention” or, more loosely, “The Convention”. It is also known as the United Nations Treaty for the Rights of Women.

Being the first and only international treaty of its kind, CEDAW addresses women’s rights in a comprehensive manner. It taps all areas – civil, political, economic, social, cultural and family life. Of course, you may ask – what makes this so much more special if there’s already a UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights in place? Well, CEDAW pretty much seals the deal by setting binding legal standards for achieving this equality, and at the same time, protecting our human rights in the process. Our laws and policies are given the CEDAW spin before they are implemented.

Our right to choose is not only limited to laws - it applies to cultural practices as well. CEDAW happens to be the only human rights treaty that supports our reproductive rights. It’s also the only treaty that places culture and tradition when it comes to shaping our gender roles and how we relate to our families.