International Empowerment of Women
- Latest Actions by the Australian Human Rights Commission
- The United Nations
- The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
- UN Mechanisms for Protecting Women’s Human Rights
- International Monitoring of Gender Equality in Australia
- Your Role as a Human Rights Defender
Latest Actions by the Australian Human Rights Commission
The 57th session of the UN Commission on Status of Women (CSW) was held from 4-15 March 2013, at the UN Headquarters in New York. The priority theme for CSW 57 was the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls. The Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick, attended CSW 57 3-10 March 2013, as a member of the Australian Government Delegation. For information about the 57th session of CSW and Commissioner Broderick's attendence click here
The 56th session of the Commission on Status of Women (CSW) was held from 27 February – 9 March 2012 at UN Headquarters in New York. The priority theme for the fifty-sixth session of CSW is the empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current challenges. The Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick, attended CSW 56 from 27 February – 2 March 2012, as a member of the Australian Government Delegation. For information about the fifty-sixth session of CSW and Commissioner Broderick’s attendance click here.
The 55th session of the Commission on Status of Women (CSW) was held at UN Headquarters in New York from Tuesday, 22 February to Friday, 4 March 2011.[1]The priority theme for the fifty-fifth session of CSW was Access and participation of women and girls to education, training, science and technology, including for the promotion of women’s equal access to full employment and decent work.The Agreed Conclusions are available here. Commissioner Broderick attended CSW 55 from 20 – 25 February 2011. For information about the fifty-fifth session of CSW and Commissioner Broderick’s attendance click here.
- In July 2010 the Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick, addressed the CEDAW Committee and presented the Commission’s first independent report. The CEDAW Committee has issued its Concluding Observations on Australia’s review.
The Human Rights of Women
Human rights are about everyone. We are all entitled to the enjoyment of all human rights without discrimination of any kind, including discrimination on the basis of our sex.
However, some social structures, traditions, stereotypes and attitudes about women and their role in society mean that women do not always have equal opportunity and an ability to access and enforce their rights.
What is CEDAW?
Equality of rights between women and men is a basic principle of human rights. The United Nations (UN) Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is the key international human rights agreement that seeks to ensure that the human rights of women and men are equally protected and fulfilled. It sets out key principles of equality and an agenda for national action to end discrimination against women.
Countries that have signed CEDAW, including Australia, are legally bound to put it into practice.
The Australian Human Rights Commission
The Australian Human Rights Commission (Commission) promotes gender equality and encourages the protection of human rights in Australia, including the human rights of women.
The Sex Discrimination Commissioner independently monitors Australia’s progress on the implementation of CEDAW and promotes gender equality in Australia.
More information and links:
- CEDAW
- Optional Protocol to the CEDAW
- Optional Protocol to the CEDAW blog
- Mechanisms for Advancing Women’s Human Rights: A Guide to Using the Optional Protocol to CEDAW and Other International Complaint Mechanisms.
- Information Note and Model Form for Submission of Communications to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women under the Optional Protocol of the Convention on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women.
- Further information about the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women – Education Kit produced by the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Australian Government Office for Women
- Make a Complaint about Sex Discrimination
[1] Commission on the Status of Women, http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/55sess.htm#part, (viewed 20 December 2010).