CEDAW

Subject : International Conventions

Context : Pune RS MP demands criminalisation of marital rape.

Concept :

The Convention on the Elimination of ALL Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is an international treaty adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly.
Described as an international bill of rights for women, consisting of a preamble and 30 articles.
It defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination.
It was instituted on 3 September 1981 and has been ratified by 189 states.
India signed CEDAW on July 39, 1980 and ratified it on July 9, 1993, with certain reservations. India has not yet ratified the Optional Protocol to CEDAW.
By accepting the Convention, States commit themselves to undertake a series of measures to end discrimination against women in all forms, including:
to incorporate the principle of equality of men and women in their legal system, abolish all discriminatory laws and adopt appropriate ones prohibiting discrimination against women;
to establish tribunals and other public institutions to ensure the effective protection of women against discrimination; and
to ensure elimination of all acts of discrimination against women by persons, organizations or enterprises.
The treaty is monitored by a 23-member expert committee called the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.
The members are elected by state parties with the tenure of membership lasting four years.

Optional Protocol to CEDAW

The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (OP-CEDAW) is an international treaty which establishes complaint and inquiry mechanisms for the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
Parties to the Protocol allow the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to hear complaints from individuals or inquire into “grave or systematic violations” of the Convention.