By Brendan Sweeney
As well as CEDAW, 2009 also marks the 10th anniversary of the Optional Protocol to the Convention, which empowers the CEDAW Committee to hear complaints of rights violations brought by individuals. So far, 186 countries have ratified the Convention and - of these - 98 have ratified the Optional Protocol.
The Convention’s 30th Anniversary is a good occasion to celebrate the fact that it has received close to universal ratification across the globe. It is also worth recalling the recent progress that has been made at the national level to implement CEDAW which has boosted the rights of women and girls on a practical, day-to-day level.
Throughout the world new constitutions as well as national laws and policies have been based on the principle of gender equality, and women’s rights have now become an integral part of most countries’ national legislative systems.
DIHR's Research Director, Eva Maria Lassen, believes that the Convention has been of great international significance.
“Since the Convention came into force in 1979 it’s clear that it has been an important lever for women's rights around the world. It has strengthened civil society's ability to voice their case, and the states have committed to respect human rights of women,” she said.
However, she also emphasized that there is still a long way to go for women worldwide and especially in the poorest regions.
In Denmark, Eva Maria Lassen, suggests that the Convention has also had some significance despite the high-quality of Danish legislation on gender-equality.
“In a Danish context CEDAW has at best been of marginal importance as Denmark was already well advanced in relation to women's rights, when it acceded to the Convention, and the Convention has never played a particularly prominent role in either the Danish courts or in parliament, or the various governments.”
However it has had considerable influence in more peripheral areas, she said.
“CEDAW has often played an important instrumental role for civil society and given it the opportunity to sound the alarm when the rights of women in Denmark are being threatened. In Denmark we have quite a number of organizations such as the Women's Council or the Danish Women's Society, which work towards promoting equality for women, and they use the Convention as a means of getting attention from politicians or the media. In this way, the Convention still has a direct influences on Danish policies," explained Eva Maria Lassen.
As an example she points to questions about prostitution and trafficking in women, where Danish NGOs have used the Convention as a means to pursue cases in the Danish media.
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