Originally published on the CGS blog on December 17, 2009.
Looking for an icebreaker at your next holiday dinner party? How about asking guests what the United States has in common with Sudan, Somalia, Iran, Nauru, Palau, and Tonga? It’s not weather or cuisine, and it certainly isn’t number of Starbucks; it’s the fact that none of these countries have ratified the United Nations Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (also known as CEDAW). CEDAW came into force on December 18, 1979 which is 30 years ago today and then President of the United States Jimmy Carter signed the Convention. Even today, as the rights of women around the world and in the United States suffer, the United States has not ratified the treaty.
Trafficking in women, maternal mortality, rape as a weapon of war, bride burning, acid burning, and female infanticide are a few of the many issues that plague the women of the world every day, yet these issues barely make waves on the world agenda. One way to get these problems noticed is to get the United States to ratify CEDAW. This is your chance to help in this effort. Click here to get started.
