The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 18 December 1979 and entered into force on 3 September 1981 after the twentieth state ratification. Often described as an international bill of rights for women, it defines discrimination against women and sets a binding agenda for states parties to end it.
CEDAW contains 30 articles. It obliges states parties to:
- Embody the principle of equality of men and women in their legal systems, abolish discriminatory laws, and adopt laws prohibiting discrimination.
- Establish tribunals and public institutions to ensure effective protection against discrimination.
- Eliminate discrimination by persons, organizations, or enterprises.
- Take measures in political and public life, education, employment, health, marriage, and family relations.
Article 4 explicitly permits temporary special measures (often called affirmative action) to accelerate de facto equality. Article 5 addresses stereotyped roles and cultural patterns. Articles 7–9 cover political participation and nationality; Articles 10–14 cover economic and social rights, including a dedicated article on rural women.
Implementation is monitored by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, a body of 23 independent experts that reviews periodic state reports under Article 18. An Optional Protocol, adopted in 1999 and in force 22 December 2000, allows individual communications and an inquiry procedure.
CEDAW is one of the most widely ratified human rights treaties, with the large majority of UN member states as parties. It is, however, also among the most heavily reserved treaties, with many reservations entered to Articles 2 and 16 on grounds of religious or personal-status law. The United States signed CEDAW in 1980 under President Carter but has never ratified it, making it one of the few states outside the regime.
The Committee has issued General Recommendations elaborating obligations, including No. 19 (1992) and No. 35 (2017) on gender-based violence against women, which is treated as a form of discrimination under the Convention.
Example
In 2017, the CEDAW Committee issued General Recommendation No. 35, updating its 1992 guidance to states parties on combating gender-based violence as a form of discrimination.