Emily
MikeOne of the very good things to come out of yesterday’s International Women’s Day was a call from NOW for President Obama to support ratification of CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women). CEDAW was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979 and is the most complete international agreement on basic human rights for women. It “promotes not only women’s empowerment, but is also a foundation for peace and justice around the world.” (NOW has a very good set of information about CEDAW, showing the importance of why the U.S. should ratify it.)
Since CEDAW was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979, 185 countries have ratified it. However, even though the U.S. helped draft the treaty, it is the only industrialized country not to have ratified it. It is another of the many failures of the United States to fully participate in important world-wide treaties. CEDAW is extremely important for women’s rights. But, in addition, since a large part of the reason that President Obama was elected was to improve relations with the rest of the world, his support of CEDAW would be a very good step to show that he is engaged internationally. CEDAW absolutely needs to be ratified by the U.S.
NOW has created a petition to send to President Obama. Please go to NOW’s web site to sign the petition!! Here is what it says:
Dear President Obama:
While our nation has made an undeniable progress in advancing women’s rights in recent decades, we still have a long way to go. One significant milestone on our way to the equality will be the ratification of Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Women’s Rights Treaty.
Women continue to be targets of sexual and domestic violence — at home and abroad. We are discriminated against in the workplace and elsewhere. Women in the U.S. and every other nation suffer from more poverty, less access to health care, less access to a liveable wage, and barriers to equal education. The Women’s Rights Treaty is a valuable instrument for combating these wrongs. CEDAW embodies the basic democratic values of fairness and equal opportunity. Ratification does not require any federal appropriations. Moreover, women across the political spectrum support CEDAW’s ratification.
I urge you to take leadership on this critical women’s rights issue. The public and the U.S. Senate must hear that you support women’s human rights and that ratification of CEDAW should wait no longer.
Filed under: International, Politics Tagged: | CEDAW, National Organization for Women, NOW
