CEDAW, also known as the Women's Treaty and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, calls for the equal treatment of women everywhere with regards to domestic violence, maternal health, economic security, and human trafficking.

The Convention defines discrimination against women as "...any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field1."

CEDAW is the only international human rights treaty that specifically addresses the rights of women. It calls on States Parties to take measures to eliminate discrimination against women in all areas of life, including political participation, employment, education, healthcare, and family structure2.

CEDAW has been ratified or acceded to by 189 countries. The United States is one of the the only countries to have signed but not ratified the Convention.

This binding international treaty on violence against women is essential to reducing the high levels of gender-based violence and gender-related killings against women and girls. CEDAW would assist in bringing together the fragmented systems and obligations of states through3:

• Adoption of legislation prohibiting all forms of gender-based violence against women and girls, harmonising domestic law with the Convention.
• Adoption of and adequately budgeting for diverse institutional measures, including to design focused public policies, to develop and implement monitoring mechanisms and to establish and/or fund competent national tribunals.
• Requiring judicial bodies to refrain from any discrimination or gender-based violence against women.
• Applying criminal law strictly to punish this violence, ensuring the fairness and impartiality of legal procedures in cases involving allegations of gender-based violence against women.

The treaty has already been submitted to the Senate. Presidential support will go a long way in lending legitimacy and urgency to this matter, but It is now time the Senate Foreign Relations Committee consent to ratification of the Convention.

The US needs to ratify CEDAW in order to continue the discussion of women's rights and equality in an international forum. Sign the petition asking Congress to do the right thing for women around the world and ratify the Women's Treaty.

More on this issue:

1. United Nations (2009), "Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women."
2. Every CRS Report (23 July 2015), "The U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW): Issues in the U.S. Ratification Debate."
3. Christine Chinkin and Keina Yoshida, Centre for Women, Peace & Security (2020), "40 Years Of The Convention On The Elimination Of All Forms Of Discrimination Against Women."