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International Human Rights of Women pp 85–105Cite as

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

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Part of the book series: International Human Rights ((IHR))

Abstract

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, adopted by the United Nations in 1979, has been called “a bill of rights for women.” We would suggest that it is far more than that: it is a comprehensive set of guidelines for governments as to their responsibilities to protect, promote, and fulfill the human rights of half the world’s population. With 189 ratifications, it is a near-universal framework for achieving equality between women and men in all aspects of family, community, civic, and economic life. Its monitoring body, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee), engages ratifying governments in a continuing effort to achieve substantive equality – equality in fact as well as in law.

Marsha A. Freeman has retired.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Minnesota Human Rights Center, Mondale Hall, University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Marsha A. Freeman

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  1. Marsha A. Freeman
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Correspondence to Marsha A. Freeman .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Political Science and Sociology, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland

    Niamh Reilly

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Freeman, M.A. (2019). The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. In: Reilly, N. (eds) International Human Rights of Women. International Human Rights. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8905-3_7

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