Women and children's rights
The status of women and the well-being of children are deeply intertwined. The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is an internationally binding instrument that protects the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women. The treaty was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979; while the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which focuses on the inalienable rights of children, followed a decade later. The two conventions are sister treaties, inexorably linked in moving communities towards full human rights. Each delineates specific entitlements that cannot be abrogated due to age, gender, economic class or nationality. The two treaties are complementary, overlapping in their call for precise rights and responsibilities and filling in crucial gaps that may exist when either stands alone. Although both treaties have gained widespread endorsement, CEDAW has had the tougher road to acceptance and ratification. Some nations that readily accept the concept that children have rights are less willing to concede that women also have rights. And while 184 countries are parties to CEDAW, many of the signatures were submitted with reservations to specific articles. In fact, CEDAW contains among the highest number of reservations of any United Nations treaty, underscoring worldwide resistance to women’s rights.
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