Human Rights Watch: Women's Human Rights: Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

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Women's Rights > CEDAW

CEDAW: The Women's Rights Treaty

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Background Information

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Although the United States has long claimed to be at the forefront of the women's rights movement, failing to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) hurts women in the US and diminishes the US's credibility when it critiques other countries' records on women's rights. By ratifying CEDAW, the US would send a strong message that it is serious about the protection of women's human rights around the world. Ratification would also enable the US to nominate experts to the CEDAW Committee, and thereby be in a position to take part in interpreting CEDAW.

Urge your senators and other government officials to support CEDAW ratification now!

Find your senator's contact information by calling the Capitol Hill Switchboard (202) 224-3121. Or click here to find their contact information. To find out if your senator is a member of the Foreign Relations Committee see below.

Contact your senators by sending a letter, e-mail, or fax and urge them to support CEDAW.

Contact President George W. Bush by sending him a letter, e-mail, or fax to urge his support of CEDAW. Or call the White House at (202) 456-1111.

Contact the Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice by sending a letter, e-mail, or fax to urge her support of CEDAW. Or call (202) 647-4000 or (202) 647-7098.

Another option is to contact relevant nongovernmental organizations in states with newly elected senators and urge them to support ratification.

Please send copies of your letters to the Women's Rights Division of Human Rights Watch at 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor, NY, NY 10118 or by e-mail to wrdsupportcedaw@hrw.org.

Background Information

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is often described as an international bill of rights for women. CEDAW defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets a framework for national action to end such discrimination. CEDAW is the most authoritative U.N. human rights instrument to protect women from discrimination. It is the first international treaty to comprehensively address fundamental rights for women in politics, health care, education, economics, employment, law, property, and marriage and family relations.

CEDAW defines discrimination against women as:

"[A]ny 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)

CEDAW's text can be read here.

CEDAW History

CEDAW represents the culmination of decades of work by the United Nations, governments, and women's rights activists. The First World Conference on Women, held in Mexico City in 1975, resulted in a call for a treaty for women's rights. On December 18, 1979, the U.N. General Assembly adopted CEDAW. As of December 2004, there are 177 parties to CEDAW.

For more information about CEDAW's history click here.

CEDAW's Optional Protocol

The Optional Protocol to CEDAW provides women whose rights are violated a way to seek an international remedy. The Optional Protocol, which came into force in December 2000, offers two mechanisms to hold governments accountable for their obligations under CEDAW: (1) a communications procedure, which provides individuals and groups the right to lodge complaints with the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee); and (2) an inquiry procedure, which enables the CEDAW Committee to conduct inquiries into serious and systematic abuses of women's rights. These mechanisms are only applicable in countries that are states parties to the Optional Protocol.

To find out which countries have ratified CEDAW click here.

The CEDAW Committee

The CEDAW Committee monitors progress for women made in countries that are states parties to CEDAW. The CEDAW Committee reviews periodic reports of CEDAW states parties on national implementation of CEDAW obligations, and issues general recommendations, which elaborate the CEDAW Committee's view of the treaty's obligations.

The CEDAW Committee is made up of twenty-three experts on women's rights. The members are nominated and elected by CEDAW states parties. They serve four-year terms and can be re-elected. Although nominated by governments, members of the CEDAW Committee serve in their individual capacities, not as government representatives.

United States Ratification of CEDAW

The United States is the only industrialized country that has not ratified CEDAW. By not ratifying, the US is in the company of countries like Iran, Sudan, and Somalia.

CEDAW has been in limbo in the US Senate since President Carter signed it and sent it to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for a vote in 1980. Not only did the Senate Foreign Relations Committee fail to vote on CEDAW at that time, it failed to even hold a hearing on it until 1990, ten years later. In 1993, sixty-eight senators signed a letter asking President Clinton to support ratification of CEDAW. After a thirteen-to-five favorable vote (with one abstention) by the Foreign Relations Committee in 1994, a group of conservative senators blocked a Senate floor vote on CEDAW.

In June 2002, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on CEDAW. On July 30, 2002, the Committee voted twelve to seven in favor of sending CEDAW to the full Senate for ratification.

The votes IN FAVOR of ratification of CEDAW were:

The votes AGAINST ratification of CEDAW were:

Unfortunately, the full Senate did not vote on CEDAW before the end of the 107th Congress. For CEDAW to move forward, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will again need to vote in favor of sending the treaty to the full Senate for ratification, which is why your support is so important.

Current members of the 110th Congress US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations are:

Additional Links

CEDAW
Text of the Convention, States parties, and Reservations

Working Group on Ratification of CEDAW

Amnesty International USA

The Bahá'í Faith

U.S. Senate Committee Backs Women's Treaty
July 30, 2002 Press Release

Letter to Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Urging that CEDAW Move to the Full Senate
July 29, 2002 Letter

Human Rights Watch Statement in Support of U.S. Senate Ratification of CEDAW (PDF)
June 13, 2002 Memorandum

(Last updated on March 12, 2007 )

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