CEDAW Helps Women Worldwide!

• Helps stop bride burnings, sexual slavery, honor killings, & other forms of violence against women
• Ensures women’s legal and political rights
• Improves women’s access to health care
• Promotes girls’ education & improves women’s work condition

CEDAW: The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

The Treaty for the Rights of Women (known as CEDAW, the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination) is often described as an international “Bill of Rights” for women. Many nations have passed laws supporting women’s basic human rights a result of the Treaty.

U.S. Senate ratification has long been stalled by far-right conservatives, even though the U.S. helped draft the Treaty and President Carter signed it in 1980! Since then, 170 countries have ratified the Treaty. The failure of the U.S. Senate to ratify this important document places us in the company of countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, and Sudan. Because the U.S. Senate has not ratified the Treaty, some governments feel free to violate women’s most basic human rights!

Now, for the first time in years, the Senate has taken measurable steps toward ratification. After favorable hearings in late July, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved ratification in a bipartisan 12-7 vote. This is a very promising development!

The Bush administration has recently decided to assign Attorney General John Ashcroft to re-review the Treaty, even though they had previously seemed supportive. Make your voice heard to persuade the administration NOT to retreat from supporting the Treaty for the Rights of Women!

Take Action Now: 

On July 30, 2002, thanks to the committed leadership of Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), \ the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved U.S. ratification of CEDAW in a bipartisan 12-7 vote, bringing the
U.S. one step closer to ratification.

The Bush Administration has previously designated the Treaty as one that is "generally favorable and should be approved."
However, the Administration has decided to re-review the treaty and could back off from its support of the treaty if your voice is not heard now. U.S. ratification of the Treaty for the Rights of Women is long overdue.

Your help is needed:

Call the White House comment line at (202) 456-1111, and urge President Bush
to use the full powers of his office to strongly support ratification.

Tell your Senators that you want them to support ratification of the Treaty.
Call the Senate switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

When leaving your message with the White House or your Senators, tell them:

• I urge you to fully support the immediate ratification of the Treaty for the Rights of Women.
  Women around the world need our support for ending sex trafficking, educating girls and promoting women's health.
• Our failure to ratify the treaty puts us in the company of nations such as Iran and Syria.
  U.S. ratification will demonstrate our commitment to basic human rights for women.