Women's Issues & CEDAW
CEDAW is the acronym for the "Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women" - the Women's Human Rights Treaty.
The treaty defines discrimination against women and requires states to eliminate that discrimination in civil, political, social, economic, and cultural arenas. The treaty was adopted by the United Nations in 1979. The United States was active in drafting the Convention and President Carter signed it in 1980. He then sent it to the Senate for its advice and consent. (For the treaty to be ratified the Senate needed to agree by a two-thirds majority vote--67 Senators.)
The Women's Human Rights Treaty (CEDAW) is helping women throughout the world, but the fact that the United States is one of the very few countries in the world that has not ratified CEDAW is hurting women! The treaty establishes a minimum set of standards for combating discrimination against women. It has been ratified by over 165 countries. And, its universality counters inevitable claims that in certain cultures discrimination, domestic violence, and other forms of oppression are acceptable. Without the United States as a party to the treaty, however, repressive governments can easily discount the treaty's provisions.