ren and A guide for cehilindEngland young peopl
women human rights for and girls
Ma kin g th e m o st of th e U N f o n o ti a in m li E e th n o n o ti n e v n o C n rs can help childre lawyee n m d in st Woan agna A n n o e ti r a d d young people in il m h c r o D is cA ri f e guid England young people in Summary
Every human being has human rights. But girls and women do not get all their rights. That’s why the United Nations made a human rights agreement especially to protect girls and women from unfair treatment. This agreement is called the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. Even though the name of the human rights agreement refers only to women, it protects girls as well. The agreement was passed by the United Nations in December 1979.
ren and d il h c r o f e id u g A ansured that l g n E in e l Our government agreed in April 1986 to make p o e p g youn girls and women get all the rights in the Convention on
tion on European Conven Human Rights
the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. In December 2004, our government agreed that girls and women could take human rights complaints to the United Nations if it has not been possible to sort them out in this country. This guide covers: • What is the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women? • How do I make a human rights complaint? • What’s the point of making a complaint? • Where can I find out more and get help? This guide only gives general information. For advice about your own situation, you should talk to a lawyer. There is information at the end of this guide about how you can find a lawyer or get legal advice by telephone or email.
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What is the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women? The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Ho w CEDAW protec ts right s: Discrimination Against Women is an international exam ple 1 agreement signed by most of the countries in the world including the United Kingdom. It is known as ‘CEDAW’ for short. CEDAW says that girls and women must enjoy their rights in the same way that boys and men can. This includes: • The right to education • The right to health • The right to participate freely in sports • The right to take part in politics and campaign groups. Governments that agree to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women must do everything possible to achieve equality between girls and boys, and women and men. They must take action to stop negative attitudes and assumptions that harm the lives and choices of girls and women. CEDAW has a committee of women’s rights experts which meets twice a year in Geneva in Switzerland. The Committee checks that countries are putting CEDAW into practice. It also makes decisions about human rights complaints. Girls and women in the UK can complain to the CEDAW Committee when they believe that their human rights under CEDAW have been ignored or not protected.
In 2004, two Austrian charities made complaints to the CEDAW Comm ittee for two women who had been badly hurt by their husbands over a long period of time, and then killed by them. The women had told the police and the courts what was happening before they were killed. The courts had refused to put their husbands in prison because they said this would bre ak the husbands’ right to freedom. The Committee agreed that the women’s rights had been broken and sai d that the women’s right to life was mo re important than their husbands’ right to freedom. The Committee sai d the Austrian Government should giv e better protection to women. The Austr ian Government agreed to do this.
How do I make a human rights complaint? If you believe your rights are not being followed, there are lots of other laws that may give you quicker and better protection. But sometimes CEDAW will be the only way to get your complaint sorted.
Although there is no time limit for contacting the Committee, it is best to do this as soon as possible after you have tried to sort out your complaint in the UK. It is also important that your claim:
A lawyer or a human rights or women’s rights organisation can help you write your complaint. There are two important points to consider first:
• Includes your full name (but you can ask the Committee to keep it secret)
• You must have done everything possible in the UK to get your complaint sorted • You must make sure that the Committee (or another international legal group) is not already looking, or has not already looked, at your complaint.
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• Is written down
• Includes all important information and documents • Says which human rights in CEDAW you believe have been ignored or not protected.
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ts: exam ple 2 gh ri ts ec ot pr W DA CE ow H W Committee that plained to the CEDA
Hungary com would not be A Roma woman from spital that meant she ho in n io at er op an n en she was she had been give ked to sign a form wh as s wa e Sh n. re ild d e ch d out the operation ha able to have any mor un fo en th d an it ad re could not giving birth. But she and gone ahead. hts had been broken rig W DA CE ’s an m wo ed that the d of thing The Committee agre e changes so this kin ak m ld ou sh t en m rn and ve ent changed the law said the Hungarian Go m rn ve Go ian ar ng Hu again. The could never happen the woman. paid compensation to
What’s the point of making a complaint? First, the Committee will decide whether to accept your claim. If it does, the Committee will then send a copy of your complaint to the UK Government, which has 6 months to reply. You will then have a chance to reply to what the UK Government says. The Committee may ask for more information or documents to help it consider your complaint. The Committee will then decide whether your human rights have been ignored or not protected. If the Committee decides your rights have been broken, it will probably tell the UK Government to take action. This may include giving you money (compensation), making or changing a law or Government rule, giving training on human rights or something else. The Committee will usually ask for its decision to be made public, and for the UK to say what it has done. Your complaint could lead to the change you wanted for yourself, and it could lead to change for other children and young people whose rights have also been broken. Although the UK Government cannot be forced to follow what the Committee tells it to do, it will be under a lot of pressure to act. Cases from other countries show that using CEDAW can result in stronger human rights protection for women and children.
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Whe re ca n I fin d ou t mo re an d ge t some he lp? You can read the full copy of CEDA W here: http:// www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw /convention.htm Read more about the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/ cedaw/index.htm The Equality and Human Rights Com mission has written a publication about how CEDAW protects women and girls. You can download the publication here: http://www.equality humanrights.com/ human-rights/international-framework/u n-conventionon-the-elimination-of-discrimination-a gainst-women/ For advice about equality law and your human rights, contact the Children’s Rig hts Alliance for England – Telephone 0800 32 88 759 (no charge except from a mobile; textphone use rs dial 18001 first) 3.30pm to 5.30pm on Tuesda ys, Wednesdays and Thursdays; email – advice@crae .org.uk Equality and Human Rights Co mmission’s helpline (England) – Telephone 084 5 604 6610 (textphone 0845 604 6620) 8am to 6pm every weekday; email: info@equalityhuman rights.com
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