Ratifying CEDAW
November 28, 2010
by Ann Harmon
|The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, or CEDAW, is finally getting a chance at ratification. Often called an international “Bill of Rights” for women, CEDAW is the culmination of more than thirty years of work by the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. The United States is the only developed nation that has not ratified this treaty.
“In my travels, the No. 1 question I am asked time and time again is, ‘Why hasn’t the United States ratified CEDAW?’” said Melane Verveer, U.S. ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues, during her testimony. By ratifying CEDAW, the U.S. could advocate more effectively when sending representatives to meet with mass-rape victims in the Democratic Republic of Congo, for instance, or when denouncing discriminatory laws against women. Without it, when we speak about women’s rights abroad, we seem like hypocrites; even Afghanistan and Iraq have managed to ratify CEDAW.
Not ratifying puts us in agreement with only seven nations, including Iran, Sudan and Somalia. Is this really where we want America to be? If you want to help encourage the ratification of CEDAW, please:
- Contact your Senators and urge them to support CEDAW.
- Contact President Obama and urge him to make CEDAW a priority.
You can do both of those things for free here.
Also, PLEASE contact Senator John Kerry, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairperson, and urge him to hold a vote on CEDAW now. After the new Congress comes in in January, partisan fighting will probably prevent CEDAW from coming to a vote. Right now we have the momentum, as a historic Senate hearing on CEDAW was held Nov. 18th, but we’ve got to keep the pressure on. Contact Senator John Kerry here.
Thank you!
Well the USA is very backward when it comes to women, that was made very obvious in the 2008 election and continued right into this election season. Not signing CEDAW fits right in with our behavior. I am still waiting for the Liberal Women to come up with a slate of approved women candidates who aren’t “embarrassing” and therefore don’t deserve the Corporate Medias misogyny. Liberals say they want to move women forward so stop talking about it and DO something. I would also like to see a list what they find “embarrassing and disqualifying” in women candidates and a separate list for what they find embarrassing and disqualifying in male Congress people since they clearly have two different standards.
“Right now we have the momentum, as a historic Senate hearing on CEDAW was held Nov. 18th…”
Please forgive me for my doom and gloom, but CEDAW has been around for 30 years. A “historic” meeting, really?! President Carter signed the darn thing! We’ve had literally dozens of meetings since then. And who attended this “historic” meeting besides all the wonderful women’s rights advocates and the CEDAW committee? Senators? Congresscritters? Anybody?! Oh yeah, one did, Senator Durban had to be there, since he is the “Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law.”
No farther votes or hearings have been scheduled. In other words, Sen Durban held a meeting to “humor” CEDAW advocates before sending it off to languish for another 30 years.
But I’m sure Emily’s List will be quick to scold us that we all have to vote for Durbin because … Sharron Angle is the antichrist. Or something.
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