Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), human rights treaty adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1979 that defines discrimination against women and commits signatory countries to taking steps toward ending it. The convention, which is also known as the International Bill of Rights for Women, consists of 30 articles and includes an optional protocol (OP). Human rights agreements often include OPs to provide an alternative mechanism to hold governments accountable or to further elaborate on any substantive topic within the treaty itself. In the case of CEDAW, the OP consists of the Communications Procedure, which enables people to complain directly to the CEDAW monitoring committee, and the Inquiry Procedure, which empowers the CEDAW monitoring committee to investigate systematic forms of discrimination against women. After its adoption by the General Assembly in 1979, CEDAW was signed at a July 1980 ceremony in Copenhagen by 64 countries, some of which registered reservations based on the agreement’s conflict with their constitutions or other laws. (A country’s reservations curtail its legal obligation to abide by the treaty.) It entered into force just over a year later, on September 3, 1981, after it had been ratified by 20 member states. Dozens of other member countries followed suit over the next few decades. The United States was an original signatory but remained, into the 21st century, the only industrialized country not to have ratified the treaty. Furthermore, the United States has inserted more reservations to CEDAW than to any other major human rights treaty.

Article 1 defines discrimination against women as follows:

Any 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.

This definition provides the basis for the remainder of the treaty. CEDAW proposed the incorporation of affirmative-action policies and the reenvisioning of education for women and girls to move beyond educational access, and, well into the 21st century, it was the only international treaty to protect reproductive rights. Other topics discussed in CEDAW include sex trafficking and exploitation; political and civil rights, such as the right to vote; health, employment, and marriage; and specific issues affecting rural women, such as access to agricultural credit and loans. Criticisms of CEDAW include its failure to integrate discrimination based on sexual orientation and ethnicity.

Once governments ratify the convention, they are obligated to submit reports on a regular basis to the CEDAW monitoring committee regarding their compliance: first one year following ratification and then at least once every four years thereafter. This reporting process then essentially requires states to adopt concrete actions to eradicate gender-based discrimination. Failure to do so results in being found noncompliant and in violation of international law.