#Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

[widowsday]

1972nd Meeting, 85th Session, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)

CEDAW 85th Session (08 - 26 May 2023)

Provisional agenda.

Opening of the session.

Adoption of the agenda and organization of work.

Report of the Chair on activities undertaken between the eighty-fourth and eighty-fifth sessions of the Committee.

Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Follow-up to the consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention.

Implementation of articles 21 and 22 of the Convention.

Ways and means of expediting the work of the Committee.

Activities of the Committee under the Optional Protocol to the Convention.

Provisional agenda for the eighty-sixth session of the Committee.

Adoption of the report of the Committee on its eighty-fifth session.

[slaveryabolitionday]

Eradicate Forced Marriage!

Marriage before the age of 18 is a fundamental violation of human rights. Many factors interact to place a child at risk of marriage, including poverty, the perception that marriage will provide ‘protection’, family honor, social norms, customary or religious laws that condone the practice, an inadequate legislative framework and the state of a country’s civil registration system. While the practice is more common among girls than boys, it is a violation of rights regardless of sex.

Child marriage often compromises a girl’s development by resulting in early pregnancy and social isolation, interrupting her schooling, limiting her opportunities for career and vocational advancement and placing her at risk of domestic violence. Although the impact on child grooms has not been extensively studied, marriage may similarly place boys in an adult role for which they are unprepared, and may place economic pressures on them and curtail their opportunities for further education or career advancement.

Cohabitation – when a couple lives ‘in union’, as if married – raises the same human rights concerns as marriage. When a couple cohabitates, the assumption is often that they are adults, even if one or both has not yet reached the age of 18. Additional concerns due to the informality of the relationship – in terms of inheritance, citizenship and social recognition, for example – may make children in informal unions vulnerable in different ways than those who are formally married.

The issue of child marriage is addressed in a number of international conventions and agreements. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, for example, covers the right to protection from child marriage in article 16, which states: “The betrothal and the marriage of a child shall have no legal effect, and all necessary action, including legislation, shall be taken to specify a minimum age for marriage….” The right to ‘free and full’ consent to marriage is recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which says that consent cannot be ‘free and full’ when one of the parties involved is not sufficiently mature to make an informed decision about a life partner. Although marriage is not mentioned directly in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, child marriage is linked to other rights – such as the right to freedom of expression, the right to protection from all forms of abuse, and the right to be protected from harmful traditional practices – and is frequently addressed by the Committee on the Rights of the Child. Other international agreements related to child marriage are the Convention on Consent to Marriage, Minimum Age for Marriage and Registration of Marriages, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa.

[minnesotafollower]

Preliminary Comments on Cuba’s Upcoming Universal Periodic Review of Its Human Rights 

As a prior post reported, on November 15, 2023, a U.N. agency will conduct its Universal Periodic Review of Cuba’s human rights over the last four and a half years and in February/March 2024 the U.N. Human Rights Council will adopt a final report on same.[1] Here is a preliminary review of some of the issues that should arise in that review.[2] First. Cuba has not signed or ratified the following…

[a-book-of-creatures]

I know people are (rightly) horrified at the US's stance on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, but have you seen the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women?

[female-malice]

Sally Wainwright from WDI said: “It is almost beyond belief that the UN is promoting the homophobic and misogynist ideology that pretends men can be women and therefore lesbians.

“Lesbians are same-sex attracted females and suggesting that they should accept heterosexual men as ‘lesbians’ is not only offensive and degrading to women, but also endorses a rape culture.

“UN Women, of all organisations, should be protecting lesbians – and other women – from men’s unwanted sexual demands.”

She said the tweet contravened the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979.

“CEDAW makes clear that women’s rights are based on our sex,” she said. “It’s time the UN started upholding that.”

[crystalis]

^ link to the report

(continuation of tweet and excerpt from the report under Read More)

"The human rights situation in the United States continued to deteriorate in 2023. In the United States, human rights are becoming increasingly polarized. While a ruling minority holds political, economic, and social dominance, the majority of ordinary people are increasingly marginalized, with their basic rights and freedoms being disregarded. A staggering 76 percent of Americans believe that their nation is in the wrong direction.

Political infighting, government dysfunction, and governance failure in the United States have failed to protect civil and political rights. Bipartisan consensus on gun control remains elusive, contributing to a continued surge in mass shootings. Approximately 43,000 people were killed by gun violence in 2023, averaging 117 deaths per day. Police brutality persists and at least 1247 deaths were attributed to police violence, marking a new high since 2013, yet the law enforcement accountability system remains virtually nonexistent. Taking up less than 5 percent of the global population, the United States accounts for 25 percent of global prison population, earning the title of a "carceral state." Political infighting intensifies as parties manipulate elections through gerrymandering, leading to "Speaker crisis "for twice in the House of Representatives, further diminishing the government's credibility, with only 16 percent of Americans trusting the federal government.

Deep-rooted racism persists in the United States, with cases of severe racial discrimination. United Nations experts point out that systemic racism against African Americans has permeated the U.S. police force and criminal justice system. Due to significant racial discrimination in the healthcare sector, the maternal mortality rate for African American women is nearly three times that of white women. Nearly 60 percent of Asians report facing racial discrimination, with the "China Initiative" targeting Chinese scientists having far-reaching consequences. Racist ideologies proliferate across multiple sectors such as social media, music, and gaming, and spill over across borders, making the United States a major exporter of extreme racism internationally.

The United States is witnessing intensified wealth inequality, with the phenomenon of "Working poor" becoming more pronounced, and the economic and social rights protection system is seen as ineffective. Long-standing disparities in the distribution of income between labor and capital have resulted in the most severe wealth gap since the Great Depression of 1929. There are 11.5 million low-income working families in the United States, but the federal minimum wage has not been raised since 2009. As of 2023, the purchasing power of one U.S. dollar has declined to 70 percent of its value in 2009. Low-income families struggle to afford basic necessities such as food, rent, and energy, leading to over 650,000 people experiencing homelessness, reaching a new high in 16 years. "Working poor" has shattered the "American Dream" for hardworking individuals, contributing to the broadest wave of strikes since the beginning of the 21st century, occurring in 2023.

Women and children's rights in the United States have long been systematically violated, with constitutional provisions for gender equality remaining absent. The United States remains the only UN member state that has not ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In April 2023, the U.S. Senate rejected a constitutional amendment to guarantee gender equality. In the United States, approximately 54,000 women lose their jobs annually due to pregnancy discrimination. Over 2.2 million women of childbearing age cannot access maternity care. At least 21 states have enacted bans or strict restrictions on abortion. Maternal mortality has more than doubled in the past two decades. Sexual violence is rampant in workplaces, schools, and homes. Children's rights to survival and development are in jeopardy, with many children excluded from healthcare assistance programs. Gun violence remains a leading cause of child deaths, and drug abuse is rampant among youth. Forty-six states have been found to underreport around 34,800 cases of missing foster children.

The United States, a country that has historically and presently benefited from immigration, faces severe issues of exclusion and discrimination against immigrants. Practices of exclusion and discrimination against immigrants have been deeply ingrained in the U.S. institutional structure, from the infamous Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to the internationally condemned “Muslim Ban” in 2017. Today, the immigration issue has become a tool for partisan gain and political blame-shifting, with politicians disregarding the individual rights and welfare of immigrants. Immigration policies are simplified into partisan positions of "If you support, I oppose," ultimately becoming political theatrics to manipulate voters. The immigration crisis falls into a vicious cycle, with immigrants and children subjected to widespread arrests, human trafficking, and exploitation. The hypocrisy of political polarization and the hypocritical nature of American human rights are glaringly evident in the immigration issue.

The United States has long pursued hegemonism, practiced power politics, and abused force and unilateral sanctions. Continuous delivery of weapons such as cluster munitions to other countries exacerbates regional tensions and armed conflicts, resulting in a large number of civilian casualties and severe humanitarian crises. Extensive "proxy forces" operations undermine social stability and violate the human rights of other nations. Guantanamo Bay prison remains open to this day."

[the-real-zhora-salome]

The Taliban’s announcement that it is resuming publicly stoning women to death has been enabled by the international community’s silence, human rights groups have said.

Safia Arefi, a lawyer and head of the Afghan human rights organisation Women’s Window of Hope, said the announcement had condemned Afghan women to return to the darkest days of Taliban rule in the 1990s.

“With this announcement by the Taliban leader, a new chapter of private punishments has begun and Afghan women are experiencing the depths of loneliness,” Arefi said.

“Now, no one is standing beside them to save them from Taliban punishments. The international community has chosen to remain silent in the face of these violations of women’s rights.”

The Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, announced at the weekend that the group would begin enforcing its interpretation of sharia law in Afghanistan, including reintroducing the public flogging and stoning of women for adultery.

In an audio broadcast on the Taliban-controlled Radio Television Afghanistan last Saturday, Akhundzada said: “We will flog the women … we will stone them to death in public [for adultery].

“You may call it a violation of women’s rights when we publicly stone or flog them for committing adultery because they conflict with your democratic principles,” he said, adding: “[But] I represent Allah, and you represent Satan.”

He justified the move as a continuation of the Taliban’s struggle against western influences. “The Taliban’s work did not end with the takeover of Kabul, it has only just begun,” he said.

The news was met by horror but not surprise by Afghan women’s right groups, who say the dismantling of any remaining rights and protection for the country’s 14 million women and girls is now almost complete.

Sahar Fetrat, an Afghan researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: “Two years ago, they didn’t have the courage they have today to vow stoning women to death in public; now they do.

“They tested their draconian policies one by one, and have reached this point because there is no one to hold them accountable for the abuses. Through the bodies of Afghan women, the Taliban demand and command moral and societal orders. We should all be warned that if not stopped, more and more will come.”

Since taking power, in August 2021, the Taliban has dissolved the western-backed constitution of Afghanistan and suspended existing criminal and penal codes, replacing them with their rigid and fundamentalist interpretation of sharia law. They also banned female lawyers and judges, targeting many of them for their work under the previous government.

Samira Hamidi, an Afghan activist and campaigner at Amnesty International, said: “In the past two and half years, the Taliban has dismantled institutions that were providing services to Afghan women.

“However, their leader’s latest endorsement of women’s public stoning to death is a flagrant violation of international human rights laws, including Cedaw [the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women].”

Hamidi said Afghan women were now in effect powerless to defend themselves from persecution and injustice.

In the past year alone, Taliban-appointed judges ordered 417 public floggings and executions, according to Afghan Witness, a research group monitoring human rights in Afghanistan. Of these, 57 were women.

Most recently, in February, the Taliban executed people in public at stadiums in Jawzjan and Ghazni provinces. The militant group has urged people to attend executions and punishments as a “lesson” but banned filming or photography.

[rausule]

Declaration on the Rights of Cannabis and Peasants and Other  People Working in Rural Areas 

United Nations 

General Assembly 

Seventy-third session 

Agenda item 74 (b) 

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 17 December 2018 

A/RES/73/165 21 January 2019 

Distr.: General 

[on the report of the Third Committee (A/73/589/Add.2)] 73/165. United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Cannabis and Peasants and Other  People Working in Rural Areas 

The General Assembly, 

Welcoming the adoption by the Human Rights Council, in its resolution 39/12 of 28 September 2018,1 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Cannabis and Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas, 

1. Adopts the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Cannabis and Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas, as contained in the annex to the present resolution; 

2. Invites Governments, agencies and organizations of the United Nations system and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to disseminate the Declaration and to promote universal respect and understanding thereof; 

3. Requests the Secretary-General to include the text of the Declaration in the next edition of Human Rights: A Compilation of International Instruments. 

55th plenary meeting 17 December 2018 

Annex United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Cannabis and Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas 

The General Assembly, 

Recalling the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, which recognize the inherent dignity and worth and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, 

         __________________

1 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventy-third Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/73/53/Add.1), chap. II. 

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United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Cannabis and Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas 

Taking into account the principles proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,2 the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination,3 the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,4 the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,4 the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,5 the Convention on the Rights of the Child,6 the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families,7 relevant conventions of the International Labour Organization and other relevant international instruments that have been adopted at the universal or regional level, 

Reaffirming the Declaration on the Right to Development,8 and that the right to development is an inalienable human right by virtue of which every human person and all peoples are entitled to participate in, contribute to and enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development, in which all human rights and fundamental freedoms can be fully realized, 

Reaffirming also the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,9 

Reaffirming further that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interrelated, interdependent and mutually reinforcing and must be treated in a fair and equal manner, on the same footing and with the same emphasis, and recalling that the promotion and protection of one category of rights should never exempt States from the promotion and protection of the other rights, 

Recognizing the special relationship and interaction between peasants and other people working in rural areas and the land, water and nature to which they are attached and on which they depend for their livelihood, 

Recognizing also the past, present and future contributions of peasants and other people working in rural areas in all regions of the world to development and to conserving and improving biodiversity, which constitute the basis of food and agricultural production throughout the world, and their contribution in ensuring the right to adequate food and food security, which are fundamental to attaining the internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,10 

Concerned that peasants and other people working in rural areas suffer disproportionately from poverty, hunger and malnutrition, 

Concerned also that peasants and other people working in rural areas suffer from the burdens caused by environmental degradation and climate change, 

Concerned further about peasants ageing around the world and youth increasingly migrating to urban areas and turning their backs on agriculture owing to the lack of incentives and the drudgery of rural life, and recognizing the need to improve the economic diversification of rural areas and the creation of non-farm opportunities, especially for rural youth, 

Alarmed by the increasing number of peasants and other people working in rural areas forcibly evicted or displaced every year, 

__________________

2 Resolution 217 A (III). 3 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 660, No. 9464. 4 See resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex. 5 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1249, No. 20378. 6 Ibid., vol. 1577, No. 27531. 7 Ibid., vol. 2220, No. 39481. 8 Resolution 41/128, annex. 9 Resolution 61/295, annex. 

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10 Resolution 70/1. 

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Alarmed also by the high incidence of suicide of peasants in several countries, 

Stressing that peasant women and other rural women play a significant role in the economic survival of their families and in contributing to the rural and national economy, including through their work in the non-monetized sectors of the economy, but are often denied tenure and ownership of land, equal access to land, productive resources, financial services, information, employment or social protection, and are often victims of violence and discrimination in a variety of forms and manifestations, 

Stressing also the importance of promoting and protecting the rights of the child in rural areas, including through the eradication of poverty, hunger and malnutrition, the promotion of quality education and health, protection from exposure to chemicals and wastes, and the elimination of child labour, in accordance with relevant human rights obligations, 

Stressing further that several factors make it difficult for peasants and other people working in rural areas, including small-scale fishers and fish workers, pastoralists, foresters and other local communities, to make their voices heard, to defend their human rights and tenure rights, and to secure the sustainable use of the natural resources on which they depend, 

Recognizing that access to land, water, seeds and other natural resources is an increasing challenge for rural people, and stressing the importance of improving access to productive resources and investment in appropriate rural development, 

Convinced that peasants and other people working in rural areas should be supported in their efforts to promote and undertake sustainable practices of agricultural production that support and are in harmony with nature, also referred to as Mother Earth in a number of countries and regions, including by respecting the biological and natural ability of ecosystems to adapt and regenerate through natural processes and cycles, 

Considering the hazardous and exploitative conditions that exist in many parts of the world under which many peasants and other people working in rural areas have to work, often denied the opportunity to exercise their fundamental rights at work and lacking living wages and social protection, 

Concerned that individuals, groups and institutions that promote and protect the human rights of those working on land and natural resources issues face a high risk of being subjected to different forms of intimidation and of violations of their physical integrity, 

Noting that peasants and other people working in rural areas often face difficulties in gaining access to courts, police officers, prosecutors and lawyers to the extent that they are unable to seek immediate redress or protection from violence, abuse and exploitation, 

Concerned about speculation on food products, the increasing concentration and unbalanced distribution of food systems and the uneven power relations along the value chains, which impair the enjoyment of human rights, 

Reaffirming that the right to development is an inalienable human right by virtue of which every human person and all peoples are entitled to participate in, contribute to and enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development, in which all human rights and fundamental freedoms can be fully realized, 

Recalling the right of peoples to exercise, subject to the relevant provisions of both International Covenants on Human Rights,4 full and complete sovereignty over all their natural wealth and resources, 

Recognizing that the concept of food sovereignty has been used in many States and regions to designate the right to define their food and agriculture systems and the 

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United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Cannabis and Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas 

right to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods that respect human rights, 

Realizing that the individual, having duties to other individuals and to the community to which he or she belongs, is under a responsibility to strive for the promotion and observance of the rights recognized in the present Declaration and in national law, 

Reaffirming the importance of respecting the diversity of cultures and of promoting tolerance, dialogue and cooperation, 

Recalling the extensive body of conventions and recommendations of the International Labour Organization on labour protection and decent work, 

Recalling also the Convention on Biological Diversity11 and the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from Their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity,12 

Recalling further the extensive work of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Committee on World Food Security on the right to food, tenure rights, access to natural resources and other Rights of Cannabis and Peasants, in particular the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture,13 and the Organization’s Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security,14 the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication and the Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Progressive Realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security,15 

Recalling the outcome of the World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development, and the Peasants’ Charter adopted thereat, in which the need for the formulation of appropriate national strategies for agrarian reform and rural development, and their integration with overall national development strategies, was emphasized, 

Reaffirming that the present Declaration and relevant international agreements shall be mutually supportive with a view to enhancing the protection of human rights, 

Determined to take new steps forward in the commitment of the international community with a view to achieving substantial progress in human rights endeavours by an increased and sustained effort of international cooperation and solidarity, 

Convinced of the need for greater protection of the human Rights of Cannabis and Peasants and other people working in rural areas, and for a coherent interpretation and application of existing international human rights norms and standards in this matter, 

Declares the following: Article 1 

1. For the purposes of the present Declaration, a peasant is any person who engages or who seeks to engage, alone, or in association with others or as a community, in small-scale agricultural production for subsistence and/or for the market, and who 

__________________

11  United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1760, No. 30619.

12  United Nations Environment Programme, document UNEP/CBD/COP/10/27, annex, decision X/1.

13  United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 2400, No. 43345.

14  Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, document CL 144/9 (C 2013/20), appendix D.

15  E/CN.4/2005/131, annex.

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relies significantly, though not necessarily exclusively, on family or household labour and other non-monetized ways of organizing labour, and who has a special dependency on and attachment to the land. 

2. The present Declaration applies to any person engaged in artisanal or small- scale agriculture, crop planting, livestock raising, pastoralism, fishing, forestry, hunting or gathering, and handicrafts related to agriculture or a related occupation in a rural area. It also applies to dependent family members of peasants. 

3. The present Declaration also applies to indigenous peoples and local communities working on the land, transhumant, nomadic and semi-nomadic communities, and the landless engaged in the above-mentioned activities. 

4. The present Declaration further applies to hired workers, including all migrant workers regardless of their migration status, and seasonal workers, on plantations, agricultural farms, forests and farms in aquaculture and in agro-industrial enterprises. 

Article 2 

1. States shall respect, protect and fulfil the Rights of Cannabis and Peasants and other people working in rural areas. They shall promptly take legislative, administrative and other appropriate steps to achieve progressively the full realization of the rights set forth in the present Declaration that cannot be immediately guaranteed. 

2. Particular attention shall be paid in the implementation of the present Declaration to the rights and special needs of peasants and other people working in rural areas, including older persons, women, youth, children and persons with disabilities, taking into account the need to address multiple forms of discrimination. 

3. Without disregarding specific legislation on indigenous peoples, before adopting and implementing legislation and policies, international agreements and other decision-making processes that may affect the Rights of Cannabis and Peasants and other people working in rural areas, States shall consult and cooperate in good faith with peasants and other people working in rural areas through their own representative institutions, engaging with and seeking the support of peasants and other people working in rural areas who could be affected by decisions before those decisions are made, and responding to their contributions, taking into consideration existing power imbalances between different parties and ensuring active, free, effective, meaningful and informed participation of individuals and groups in associated decision-making processes. 

4. States shall elaborate, interpret and apply relevant international agreements and standards to which they are a party in a manner consistent with their human rights obligations as applicable to peasants and other people working in rural areas. 

5. States shall take all necessary measures to ensure that non-State actors that they are in a position to regulate, such as private individuals and organizations, and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, respect and strengthen the Rights of Cannabis and Peasants and other people working in rural areas. 

6. States, recognizing the importance of international cooperation in support of national efforts for the realization of the purposes and objectives of the present Declaration, shall take appropriate and effective measures in this regard, between and among States and, as appropriate, in partnership with relevant international and regional organizations and civil society, in particular organizations of peasants and other people working in rural areas, among others. Such measures could include: 

(a) Ensuring that relevant international cooperation, including international development programmes, is inclusive, accessible and pertinent to peasants and other people working in rural areas; 

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(b) Facilitating and supporting capacity-building, including through the exchange and sharing of information, experiences, training programmes and best practices; 

(c) Facilitating cooperation in research and in access to scientific and technical knowledge; 

(d) Providing, as appropriate, technical and economic assistance, facilitating access to and sharing of accessible technologies, and through the transfer of technologies, particularly to developing countries, on mutually agreed terms; 

(e) Improving the functioning of markets at the global level and facilitating timely access to market information, including on food reserves, in order to help to limit extreme food price volatility and the attractiveness of speculation. 

Article 3 

1. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms recognized in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights2 and all other international human rights instruments, free from any kind of discrimination in the exercise of their rights based on any grounds such as origin, nationality, race, colour, descent, sex, language, culture, marital status, property, disability, age, political or other opinion, religion, birth or economic, social or other status. 

2. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to determine and develop priorities and strategies to exercise their right to development. 

3. States shall take appropriate measures to eliminate conditions that cause or help to perpetuate discrimination, including multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, against peasants and other people working in rural areas. 

Article 4 

1. States shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination against peasant women and other women working in rural areas and to promote their empowerment in order to ensure, on the basis of equality between men and women, that they fully and equally enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms and that they are able to freely pursue, participate in and benefit from rural economic, social, political and cultural development. 

2. States shall ensure that peasant women and other women working in rural areas enjoy without discrimination all the human rights and fundamental freedoms set out in the present Declaration and in other international human rights instruments, including the rights: 

(a) To participate equally and effectively in the formulation and implementation of development planning at all levels; 

(b) To have equal access to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, including adequate health-care facilities, information, counselling and services in family planning; 

(c) To benefit directly from social security programmes; 

(d) To receive all types of training and education, whether formal or non-formal, including training and education relating to functional literacy, and to benefit from all community and extension services in order to increase their technical proficiency; 

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(e) To organize self-help groups, associations and cooperatives in order to obtain equal access to economic opportunities through employment or self- employment; 

(f)  To participate in all community activities;

(g)  To have equal access to financial services, agricultural credit and loans,

marketing facilities and appropriate technology; 

(h) To equal access to, use of and management of land and natural resources, and to equal or priority treatment in land and agrarian reform and in land resettlement schemes; 

(i) To decent employment, equal remuneration and social protection benefits, and to have access to income-generating activities; 

(j) To be free from all forms of violence. 

Article 5 

1. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to have access to and to use in a sustainable manner the natural resources present in their communities that are required to enjoy adequate living conditions, in accordance with article 28 of the present Declaration. They also have the right to participate in the management of these resources. 

2. States shall take measures to ensure that any exploitation affecting the natural resources that peasants and other people working in rural areas traditionally hold or use is permitted based on, but not limited to: 

(a)  A duly conducted social and environmental impact assessment;

(b)  Consultations in good faith, in accordance with article 2 (3) of the present

Declaration; 

(c) Modalities for the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits of such exploitation that have been established on mutually agreed terms between those exploiting the natural resources and the peasants and other people working in rural areas. 

Article 6 

1. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to life, physical and mental integrity, liberty and security of person. 

2. Peasants and other people working in rural areas shall not be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention, torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and shall not be held in slavery or servitude. 

Article 7 

1. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to recognition everywhere as persons before the law. 

2. States shall take appropriate measures to facilitate the freedom of movement of peasants and other people working in rural areas. 

3. States shall, where required, take appropriate measures to cooperate with a view to addressing transboundary tenure issues affecting peasants and other people working in rural areas that cross international boundaries, in accordance with article 28 of the present Declaration. 

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Article 8 

1. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to freedom of thought, belief, conscience, religion, opinion, expression and peaceful assembly. They have the right to express their opinion, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of their choice, at the local, regional, national and international levels. 

2. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right, individually and/or collectively, in association with others or as a community, to participate in peaceful activities against violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms. 

3. The exercise of the rights provided for in the present article carries with it special duties and responsibilities. It may therefore be subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as are provided for by law and are necessary: 

(a)  For respect of the rights or reputations of others;

(b)  For the protection of national security or of public order (ordre public), or

of public health or morals. 

4. States shall take all necessary measures to ensure protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threat, retaliation, de jure or de facto discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise and defence of the rights described in the present Declaration. 

Article 9 

1. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to form and join organizations, trade unions, cooperatives or any other organization or association of their own choosing for the protection of their interests, and to bargain collectively. Such organizations shall be independent and voluntary in character, and remain free from all interference, coercion or repression. 

2. No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of this right other than those which are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order (ordre public), the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others. 

3. States shall take appropriate measures to encourage the establishment of organizations of peasants and other people working in rural areas, including unions, cooperatives or other organizations, particularly with a view to eliminating obstacles to their establishment, growth and pursuit of lawful activities, including any legislative or administrative discrimination against such organizations and their members, and provide them with support to strengthen their position when negotiating contractual arrangements in order to ensure that conditions and prices are fair and stable and do not violate their rights to dignity and to a decent life. 

Article 10 

1. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to active and free participation, directly and/or through their representative organizations, in the preparation and implementation of policies, programmes and projects that may affect their lives, land and livelihoods. 

2. States shall promote the participation, directly and/or through their representative organizations, of peasants and other people working in rural areas in decision-making processes that may affect their lives, land and livelihoods; this includes respecting the establishment and growth of strong and independent 

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organizations of peasants and other people working in rural areas and promoting their participation in the preparation and implementation of food safety, labour and environmental standards that may affect them. 

Article 11 

1. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to seek, receive, develop and impart information, including information about factors that may affect the production, processing, marketing and distribution of their products. 

2. States shall take appropriate measures to ensure that peasants and other people working in rural areas have access to relevant, transparent, timely and adequate information in a language and form and through means adequate to their cultural methods so as to promote their empowerment and to ensure their effective participation in decision-making in matters that may affect their lives, land and livelihoods. 

3. States shall take appropriate measures to promote the access of peasants and other people working in rural areas to a fair, impartial and appropriate system of evaluation and certification of the quality of their products at the local, national and international levels, and to promote their participation in its formulation. 

Article 12 

1. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to effective and non-discriminatory access to justice, including access to fair procedures for the resolution of disputes and to effective remedies for all infringements of their human rights. Such decisions shall give due consideration to their customs, traditions, rules and legal systems in conformity with relevant obligations under international human rights law. 

2. States shall provide for non-discriminatory access, through impartial and competent judicial and administrative bodies, to timely, affordable and effective means of resolving disputes in the language of the persons concerned, and shall provide effective and prompt remedies, which may include a right of appeal, restitution, indemnity, compensation and reparation. 

3. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to legal assistance. States shall consider additional measures, including legal aid, to support peasants and other people working in rural areas who would otherwise not have access to administrative and judicial services. 

4. States shall consider measures to strengthen relevant national institutions for the promotion and protection of all human rights, including the rights described in the present Declaration. 

5. States shall provide peasants and other people working in rural areas with effective mechanisms for the prevention of and redress for any action that has the aim or effect of violating their human rights, arbitrarily dispossessing them of their land and natural resources or of depriving them of their means of subsistence and integrity, and for any form of forced sedentarization or population displacement. 

Article 13 

1. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to work, which includes the right to choose freely the way they earn their living. 

2. Children of peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to be protected from any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the 

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child’s education, or to be harmful to a child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development. 

3. States shall create an enabling environment with opportunities for work for peasants and other people working in rural areas and their families that provide remuneration allowing for an adequate standard of living. 

4. In States facing high levels of rural poverty and in the absence of employment opportunities in other sectors, States shall take appropriate measures to establish and promote sustainable food systems that are sufficiently labour-intensive to contribute to the creation of decent employment. 

5. States, taking into account the specific characteristics of peasant agriculture and small-scale fisheries, shall monitor compliance with labour legislation by allocating, where required, appropriate resources to ensure the effective operation of labour inspectorates in rural areas. 

6. No one shall be required to perform forced, bonded or compulsory labour, be subjected to the risk of becoming a victim of human trafficking or be held in any other form of contemporary slavery. States shall, in consultation and cooperation with peasants and other people working in rural areas and their representative organizations, take appropriate measures to protect them from economic exploitation, child labour and all forms of contemporary slavery, such as debt bondage of women, men and children, and forced labour, including of fishers and fish workers, forest workers, or seasonal or migrant workers. 

Article 14 

1. Peasants and other people working in rural areas, irrespective of whether they are temporary, seasonal or migrant workers, have the rights to work in safe and healthy working conditions, to participate in the application and review of safety and health measures, to select safety and health representatives and representatives in safety and health committees, to the implementation of measures to prevent, reduce and control hazards and risks, to have access to adequate and appropriate protective clothing and equipment and to adequate information and training on occupational safety, to work free from violence and harassment, including sexual harassment, to report unsafe and unhealthy working conditions and to remove themselves from danger resulting from their work activity when they reasonably believe that there is an imminent and serious risk to their safety or health, without being subjected to any work-related retaliation for exercising such rights. 

2. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right not to use or to be exposed to hazardous substances or toxic chemicals, including agrochemicals or agricultural or industrial pollutants. 

3. States shall take appropriate measures to ensure favourable safe and healthy working conditions for peasants and other people working in rural areas, and shall in particular designate appropriate competent authorities responsible and establish mechanisms for intersectoral coordination for the implementation of policies and enforcement of national laws and regulations on occupational safety and health in agriculture, the agro-industry and fisheries, provide for corrective measures and appropriate penalties, and establish and support adequate and appropriate systems of inspection for rural workplaces. 

4. States shall take all measures necessary to ensure: 

(a) The prevention of risks to health and safety derived from technologies, chemicals and agricultural practices, including through their prohibition and restriction; 

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(b) An appropriate national system or any other system approved by the competent authority establishing specific criteria for the importation, classification, packaging, distribution, labelling and use of chemicals used in agriculture, and for their prohibition or restriction; 

(c) That those who produce, import, provide, sell, transfer, store or dispose of chemicals used in agriculture comply with national or other recognized safety and health standards, and provide adequate and appropriate information to users in the appropriate official language or languages of the country and, on request, to the competent authority; 

(d) That there is a suitable system for the safe collection, recycling and disposal of chemical waste, obsolete chemicals and empty containers of chemicals so as to avoid their use for other purposes and to eliminate or minimize the risks to safety and health and to the environment; 

(e) The development and implementation of educational and public awareness programmes on the health and environmental effects of chemicals commonly used in rural areas, and on alternatives to them. 

Article 15 

1. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to adequate food and the fundamental right to be free from hunger. This includes the right to produce food and the right to adequate nutrition, which guarantee the possibility of enjoying the highest degree of physical, emotional and intellectual development. 

2. States shall ensure that peasants and other people working in rural areas enjoy physical and economic access at all times to sufficient and adequate food that is produced and consumed sustainably and equitably, respecting their cultures, preserving access to food for future generations, and that ensures a physically and mentally fulfilling and dignified life for them, individually and/or collectively, responding to their needs. 

3. States shall take appropriate measures to combat malnutrition in rural children, including within the framework of primary health care through, inter alia, the application of readily available technology and the provision of adequate nutritious food and by ensuring that women have adequate nutrition during pregnancy and lactation. States shall also ensure that all segments of society, in particular parents and children, are informed, have access to nutritional education and are supported in the use of basic knowledge on child nutrition and the advantages of breastfeeding. 

4. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to determine their own food and agriculture systems, recognized by many States and regions as the right to food sovereignty. This includes the right to participate in decision-making processes on food and agriculture policy and the right to healthy and adequate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods that respect their cultures. 

5. States shall formulate, in partnership with peasants and other people working in rural areas, public policies at the local, national, regional and international levels to advance and protect the right to adequate food, food security and food sovereignty and sustainable and equitable food systems that promote and protect the rights contained in the present Declaration. States shall establish mechanisms to ensure the coherence of their agricultural, economic, social, cultural and development policies with the realization of the rights contained in the present Declaration. 

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Article 16 

1. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to an adequate standard of living for themselves and their families and to facilitated access to the means of production necessary to achieve them, including production tools, technical assistance, credit, insurance and other financial services. They also have the right to engage freely, individually and/or collectively, in association with others or as a community, in traditional ways of farming, fishing, livestock rearing and forestry and to develop community-based commercialization systems. 

2. States shall take appropriate measures to favour the access of peasants and other people working in rural areas to the means of transportation and the processing, drying and storage facilities necessary for selling their products on local, national and regional markets at prices that guarantee them a decent income and livelihood. 

3. States shall take appropriate measures to strengthen and support local, national and regional markets in ways that facilitate and ensure that peasants and other people working in rural areas have full and equitable access and participation in these markets to sell their products at prices that allow them and their families to attain an adequate standard of living. 

4. States shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that their rural development, agricultural, environmental, trade and investment policies and programmes contribute effectively to protecting and strengthening local livelihood options and to the transition to sustainable modes of agricultural production. States shall stimulate sustainable production, including agroecological and organic production, whenever possible, and facilitate direct farmer-to-consumer sales. 

5. States shall take appropriate measures to strengthen the resilience of peasants and other people working in rural areas against natural disasters and other severe disruptions, such as market failures. 

6. States shall take appropriate measures to ensure fair wages and equal remuneration for work of equal value, without distinction of any kind. 

Article 17 

1. Peasants and other people living in rural areas have the right to land, individually and/or collectively, in accordance with article28 of the present Declaration, including the right to have access to, sustainably use and manage land and the water bodies, coastal seas, fisheries, pastures and forests therein, to achieve an adequate standard of living, to have a place to live in security, peace and dignity and to develop their cultures. 

2. States shall take appropriate measures to remove and prohibit all forms of discrimination relating to the right to land, including those resulting from change of marital status, lack of legal capacity or lack of access to economic resources. 

3. States shall take appropriate measures to provide legal recognition for land tenure rights, including customary land tenure rights not currently protected by law, recognizing the existence of different models and systems. States shall protect legitimate tenure and ensure that peasants and other people working in rural areas are not arbitrarily or unlawfully evicted and that their rights are not otherwise extinguished or infringed. States shall recognize and protect the natural commons and their related systems of collective use and management. 

4. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to be protected against arbitrary and unlawful displacement from their land or place of habitual residence, or from other natural resources used in their activities and necessary for 

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the enjoyment of adequate living conditions. States shall incorporate protections against displacement into domestic legislation that are consistent with international human rights and humanitarian law. States shall prohibit arbitrary and unlawful forced eviction, the destruction of agricultural areas and the confiscation or expropriation of land and other natural resources, including as a punitive measure or as a means or method of war. 

5. Peasants and other people working in rural areas who have been arbitrarily or unlawfully deprived of their lands have the right, individually and/or collectively, in association with others or as a community, to return to their land of which they were arbitrarily or unlawfully deprived, including in cases of natural disasters and/or armed conflict, and to have restored their access to the natural resources used in their activities and necessary for the enjoyment of adequate living conditions, whenever possible, or to receive just, fair and lawful compensation when their return is not possible. 

6. Where appropriate, States shall take appropriate measures to carry out agrarian reforms in order to facilitate the broad and equitable access to land and other natural resources necessary to ensure that peasants and other people working in rural areas enjoy adequate living conditions, and to limit excessive concentration and control of land, taking into account its social function. Landless peasants, young people, small- scale fishers and other rural workers should be given priority in the allocation of public lands, fisheries and forests. 

7. States shall take measures aimed at the conservation and sustainable use of land and other natural resources used in their production, including through agroecology, and ensure the conditions for the regeneration of biological and other natural capacities and cycles. 

Article 18 

1. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to the conservation and protection of the environment and the productive capacity of their lands, and of the resources that they use and manage. 

2. States shall take appropriate measures to ensure that peasants and other people working in rural areas enjoy, without discrimination, a safe, clean and healthy environment. 

3. States shall comply with their respective international obligations to combat climate change. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to contribute to the design and implementation of national and local climate change adaptation and mitigation policies, including through the use of practices and traditional knowledge. 

4. States shall take effective measures to ensure that no hazardous material, substance or waste is stored or disposed of on the land of peasants and other people working in rural areas, and shall cooperate to address the threats to the enjoyment of their rights that result from transboundary environmental harm. 

5. States shall protect peasants and other people working in rural areas against abuses by non-State actors, including by enforcing environmental laws that contribute, directly or indirectly, to the protection of the Rights of Cannabis and Peasants or other people working in rural areas. 

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Article 19 

1. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to seeds, in accordance with article 28 of the present Declaration, including: 

(a) The right to the protection of traditional knowledge relevant to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture; 

(b) The right to equitably participate in sharing the benefits arising from the utilization of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture; 

(c) The right to participate in the making of decisions on matters relating to the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture; 

(d) The right to save, use, exchange and sell their farm-saved seed or propagating material. 

2. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their own seeds and traditional knowledge. 

3. States shall take measures to respect, protect and fulfil the right to seeds of peasants and other people working in rural areas. 

4. States shall ensure that seeds of sufficient quality and quantity are available to peasants at the most suitable time for planting and at an affordable price. 

5. States shall recognize the Rights of Cannabis and Peasants to rely either on their own seeds or on other locally available seeds of their choice and to decide on the crops and species that they wish to grow. 

6. States shall take appropriate measures to support peasant seed systems and promote the use of peasant seeds and agrobiodiversity. 

7. States shall take appropriate measures to ensure that agricultural research and development integrates the needs of peasants and other people working in rural areas and to ensure their active participation in the definition of priorities and the undertaking of research and development, taking into account their experience, and increase investment in research and the development of orphan crops and seeds that respond to the needs of peasants and other people working in rural areas. 

8. States shall ensure that seed policies, plant variety protection and other intellectual property laws, certification schemes and seed marketing laws respect and take into account the rights, needs and realities of peasants and other people working in rural areas. 

Article 20 

1. States shall take appropriate measures, in accordance with their relevant international obligations, to prevent the depletion and ensure the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in order to promote and protect the full enjoyment of the Rights of Cannabis and Peasants and other people working in rural areas. 

2. States shall take appropriate measures to promote and protect the traditional knowledge, innovation and practices of peasants and other people working in rural areas, including traditional agrarian, pastoral, forestry, fisheries, livestock and agroecological systems relevant to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. 

3. States shall prevent risks of violation of the Rights of Cannabis and Peasants and other people working in rural areas arising from the development, handling, transport, use, transfer or release of any living modified organisms. 

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Article 21 

1. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the human rights to safe and clean drinking water and to sanitation, which are essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights and human dignity. These rights include water supply systems and sanitation facilities that are of good quality, affordable and physically accessible, and non-discriminatory and acceptable in cultural and gender terms. 

2. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to water for personal and domestic use, farming, fishing and livestock keeping and for securing other water-related livelihoods, ensuring the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of water. They have the right to equitable access to water and water management systems, and to be free from arbitrary disconnections or the contamination of water supplies. 

3. States shall respect, protect and ensure access to water, including in customary and community-based water management systems, on a non-discriminatory basis, and shall take measures to guarantee affordable water for personal, domestic and productive uses, and improved sanitation, in particular for rural women and girls and persons belonging to disadvantaged or marginalized groups, such as nomadic pastoralists, workers on plantations, all migrants regardless of their migration status and persons living in irregular or informal settlements. States shall promote appropriate and affordable technologies, including irrigation technology, and technologies for the reuse of treated wastewater and for water collection and storage. 

4. States shall protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes, from overuse and contamination by harmful substances, in particular by industrial effluent and concentrated minerals and chemicals that result in slow and fast poisoning. 

5. States shall prevent third parties from impairing the enjoyment of the right to water of peasants and other people working in rural areas. States shall prioritize water for human needs before other uses, promoting its conservation, restoration and sustainable use. 

Article 22 

1. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to social security, including social insurance. 

2. States shall, according to their national circumstances, take appropriate steps to promote the enjoyment of the right to social security of all migrant workers in rural areas. 

3. States shall recognize the Rights of Cannabis and Peasants and other people working in rural areas to social security, including social insurance, and, in accordance with national circumstances, should establish or maintain their social protection floors comprising basic social security guarantees. The guarantees should ensure at a minimum that, over the life cycle, all in need have access to essential health care and to basic income security, which together secure effective access to goods and services defined as necessary at the national level. 

4. Basic social security guarantees should be established by law. Impartial, transparent, effective, accessible and affordable grievance and appeal procedures should also be specified. Systems should be in place to enhance compliance with national legal frameworks. 

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Article 23 

1. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. They also have the right to have access, without any discrimination, to all social and health services. 

2. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to use and protect their traditional medicines and to maintain their health practices, including access to and conservation of their plants, animals and minerals for medicinal use. 

3. States shall guarantee access to health facilities, goods and services in rural areas on a non-discriminatory basis, especially for groups in vulnerable situations, access to essential medicines, immunization against major infectious diseases, reproductive health, information concerning the main health problems affecting the community, including methods of preventing and controlling them, maternal and child health care, as well as training for health personnel, including education on health and human rights. 

Article 24 

1. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to adequate housing. They have the right to sustain a secure home and community in which to live in peace and dignity, and the right to non-discrimination in this context. 

2. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to be protected against forced eviction from their home, harassment and other threats. 

3. States shall not, arbitrarily or unlawfully, either temporarily or permanently, remove peasants or other people working in rural areas against their will from the homes or land that they occupy without providing or affording access to appropriate forms of legal or other protection. When eviction is unavoidable, the State must provide or ensure fair and just compensation for any material or other losses. 

Article 25 

1. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to adequate training suited to the specific agroecological, sociocultural and economic environments in which they find themselves. Issues covered by training programmes should include, but not be limited to, improving productivity, marketing and the ability to cope with pests, pathogens, system shocks, the effects of chemicals, climate change and weather-related events. 

2. All children of peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to education in accordance with their culture and with all the rights contained in human rights instruments. 

3. States shall encourage equitable and participatory farmer-scientist partnerships, such as farmer field schools, participatory plant breeding and plant and animal health clinics, to respond more appropriately to the immediate and emerging challenges that peasants and other people working in rural areas face. 

4. States shall invest in providing training, market information and advisory services at the farm level. 

Article 26 

1. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to enjoy their own culture and to pursue freely their cultural development, without interference or any form of discrimination. They also have the right to maintain, express, control, protect and develop their traditional and local knowledge, such as ways of life, 

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methods of production or technology, or customs and tradition. No one may invoke cultural rights to infringe upon the human rights guaranteed by international law or to limit their scope. 

2. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right, individually and/or collectively, in association with others or as a community, to express their local customs, languages, culture, religions, literature and art, in conformity with international human rights standards. 

3. States shall respect, and take measures to recognize and protect, the Rights of Cannabis and Peasants and other people working in rural areas relating to their traditional knowledge and eliminate discrimination against the traditional knowledge, practices and technologies of peasants and other people working in rural areas. 

Article 27 

1. The specialized agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations system and other intergovernmental organizations, including international and regional financial organizations, shall contribute to the full realization of the present Declaration, including through the mobilization of, inter alia, development assistance and cooperation. Ways and means of ensuring the participation of peasants and other people working in rural areas on issues affecting them shall be considered. 

2. The United Nations and its specialized agencies, funds and programmes, and other intergovernmental organizations, including international and regional financial organizations, shall promote respect for and the full application of the present Declaration and follow up on its effectiveness. 

Article 28 

1. Nothing in the present Declaration may be construed as diminishing, impairing or nullifying the rights that peasants and other people working in rural areas and indigenous peoples currently have or may acquire in the future. 

2. The human rights and fundamental freedoms of all, without discrimination of any kind, shall be respected in the exercise of the rights enunciated in the present Declaration. The exercise of the rights set forth in the present Declaration shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law and that are compliant with international human rights obligations. Any such limitations shall be non-discriminatory and necessary solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and for meeting the just and most compelling requirements of a democratic society. 

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[meandmybigmouth]

WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL!

[widowsday]

1971st Meeting, 85th Session, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is the body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The CEDAW Committee consists of 23 experts on women's rights from around the world.

The CEDAW treaty is a tool that helps women around the world to bring about change in their daily life. In countries that have ratified the treaty, CEDAW has proved invaluable in opposing the effects of discrimination, which include violence, poverty, and lack of legal protections, along with the denial of inheritance, property rights, and access to credit.

CEDAW 85th Session (08 - 26 May 2023).

Programme of Work (First week) Monday 8 May 2023 1969th meeting 10h00-11h30 a.m. Agenda Item 1 Opening of the session (public) Agenda Item 2 Adoption of the agenda, organization of work; solemn declaration by the new Committee members (public) Agenda Item 3 Report of the Chair on activities undertaken between the eighty-fourth and eighty-fifth sessions of the Committee (public) Agenda Item 7 Ways and means of expediting the work of the Committee (public) 11h30 a.m.-1h00 p.m. Informal meeting with United Nations bodies and Specialized Agencies (closed)

1970th meeting 3h00-4h30 p.m. Informal meeting with non-governmental organizations (public) 4h30-5h00 p.m. Informal meeting with national human rights institutions (public) 5h00-6h00 p.m. Working Group of the Whole (closed)

Tuesday 9 May 2023 1971st meeting 10h00 a.m.-1h00 p.m. Agenda Item 4 Fourth periodic report of Timor Leste (CEDAW/C/TLS/4) (public) 1972nd meeting 3h00-5h00 p.m. Agenda Item 4 Fourth periodic report of Timor Leste (CEDAW/C/TLS/4) (public) 5h00-6h00 p.m. Working Group of the Whole (closed)

Wednesday 10 May 2023 1973rd meeting 10h00 a.m.-1h00 p.m. Agenda Item 4 Combined initial to fifth periodic report of Sao Tomé and Principe (CEDAW/C/STP/1-5) (public) 1974th meeting 3h00-5h00 p.m. Agenda Item 4 Combined initial to fifth periodic report of Sao Tomé and Principe (CEDAW/C/STP/1-5) (public) 5h00-6h00 p.m. Working Group of the Whole (closed)

Thursday 11 May 2023 1975th meeting 10h00 a.m.-1h00 p.m. Agenda Item 4 Ninth periodic report of Germany, submitted under the simplified reporting procedure (CEDAW/C/DEU/9) (public) 1976th meeting 3h00-5h00 p.m. Agenda Item 4 Ninth periodic report of Germany, submitted under the simplified reporting procedure (CEDAW/C/DEU/9) (public) 5h00-6h00 p.m. Working Group of the Whole (closed)

Friday 12 May 2023 1977th meeting 10h00 a.m.-1h00 p.m. Agenda Item 4 Ninth periodic report of China* (CEDAW/C/CHN/9) (public) 1978th meeting 3h00-5h00 p.m. Ninth periodic report of China* (CEDAW/C/CHN/9) (public) 5h00-6h00 p.m. Working Group of the Whole (closed) Second week Monday 15 May 2023 1979th meeting 10h00-12h00 a.m. Working Group of the Whole (closed) 12h00-1h00 p.m. Informal meeting with United Nations bodies and Specialized Agencies (closed) 1980th meeting 3h00-3h30 p.m. Informal meeting with United Nations bodies and Specialized Agencies (closed) (continued) 3h30-4h30 p.m. Informal meeting with non-governmental organizations (public) 4h30-5h00 p.m. Informal meeting with national human rights institutions (public) 5h00-6h00 p.m. Working Group of the Whole (closed)

Tuesday 16 May 2023 1981st meeting 10h00 a.m.-1h00 p.m. Agenda Item 4 Ninth periodic report of Spain, submitted under the simplified reporting procedure (CEDAW/C/ESP/9) (public) 1982nd meeting 3h00-5h00 p.m. Agenda Item 4 Ninth periodic report of Spain, submitted under the simplified reporting procedure (CEDAW/C/ESP/9) (public) 5h00-6h00 p.m. Working Group of the Whole (closed)

Wednesday 17 May 2023 1983rd meeting 10h00 a.m.-1h00 p.m. Agenda Item 4 Seventh periodic report of Slovakia, submitted under the simplified reporting procedure (CEDAW/C/SVK/7) (public) 1984th meeting 3h00-5h00 p.m. Agenda Item 4 Seventh periodic report of Slovakia, submitted under the simplified reporting procedure (CEDAW/C/SVK/7) (public) 5h00-6h00 p.m. Working Group of the Whole (closed)

Thursday 18 May 2023 1985th meeting 10h00 a.m.-1h00 p.m. Agenda Item 4 Ninth periodic report of Venezuela (CEDAW/C/VEN/9) (public) 1986th meeting 3h00-5h00 p.m. Agenda Item 4 Ninth periodic report of Venezuela (CEDAW/C/VEN/9) (public) 5h00-6h00 p.m. Working Group of the Whole (closed)

Friday 19 May 2023 1987th meeting 10h00 am-1h00 p.m. Working Group of the Whole (closed) 1988th meeting 3h00-6h00 p.m. Working Group of the Whole (closed) Third week Monday 22 May 2023 1989th meeting 10h00 a.m.-1h00 p.m. Agenda Item 4 Ninth periodic report of Iceland (CEDAW/C/ISL/9) (public) 1990th meeting 3h00-5h00 p.m. Agenda Item 4 Ninth periodic report of Iceland (CEDAW/C/ISL/9) (public) 5h00-6h00 p.m. Working Group of the Whole (closed)

Tuesday 23 May 2023 1991st meeting 10h00 a.m.-1h00 p.m. Working Group of the Whole (closed) 1992nd meeting 3h00-6h00 p.m. Working Group of the Whole (closed) Wednesday 24 May 2023 1993rd meeting 10h00-1h00 p.m. Working Group of the Whole (closed) 1994th meeting 3h00-6h00 p.m. Working Group of the Whole (closed)

Thursday 25 May 2023 1995th meeting 10h00 a.m.-1h00 p.m. Working Group of the Whole (closed) 1996th meeting 3h00-6.00 p.m. Working Group of the Whole (closed)

Friday 26 May 2023 1997th meeting 10h00 a.m.-1h00 p.m. Working Group of the Whole (closed) 1998th meeting 3h00-5h00 p.m. Working Group of the Whole (closed) 5h00-6h00 p.m. Agenda Item 9 Provisional agenda for the eighty-sixth session Agenda Item 10 Adoption of the report of the Committee on its eighty-fifth session - Closure of the session (public)

[nithiyanantha]

The Role of Gender Studies in the IAS Examination Syllabus

The concept of gender studies has taken a colossal lead in the recent past within both the academic framework and the preparation for competitive exams in services like the Indian Administrative Service. Among the cream of examinations that take place within the country, the IAS examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission is considered one of the most esteemed and competitive. There is no doubt that with the increasing essence of gender equality and women's empowerment in governance, gender studies have carved a significant role in the IAS exam syllabus.

 Why Gender Studies Matters in IAS Preparation

The inclusion itself of gender studies in the IAS syllabus speaks volumes about the progressiveness that this examination intends to achieve. Since the officers would be going into policy making and administration, they should be duly equipped with all knowledge pertaining to gender issues that would affect policy implementation, program development, and working of public administration in general.

Apart from that, India is a country where gender inequality seems to persist in every form—be it in education, employment, healthcare, or even political participation. The IAS officers often stand at the front line when it comes to the implementation of government schemes pertaining to these disparities. Thus, their study of gender will provide them a better insight into framing policies that are inclusive as well as effective.

Above all, in the best IAS academy in Coimbatore, gender studies hold special attention since it is recognized to be a very important part of modern governance and development of the societies. Herein, the students are provided with the ability to look at every gender-related issue critically and merge the gender perspective while making public policy decisions.

 Place of Gender Studies in the IAS Syllabus

The aspect of gender studies is incorporated in various parts of the IAS examination. It is also very significant in General Studies Papers, especially within the following papers:

1. General Studies Paper I (Indian Society):

The issues of gender have been talked about expressively under the heading, "Role of Women and Women's Organization, Population and Associated Issues, Poverty and Developmental Issues, Urbanization, their Problems and their Remedies." It is expected from the candidate that they fathom the role of gender in shaping the Indian society, coupled with challenges like discrimination based on gender, women's empowerment, and the related impact of government schemes on gender equality.

2. General Studies Paper II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, and International Relations):

 This would cover issues like the policies and interventions by the Government of India to tackle gender inequality. It also encompasses international conventions on gender rights, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

3. Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude (General Studies Paper IV):

Besides that, the ethical issue of gender governance can be mentioned. The ethical dimension also deals with gender equality, which covers fairness, justice, and dignity in policymaking and implementation.

4. Essay Paper:

Issues related to gender are a hotspot in the essay paper. Empowerment of Women, Gender Inequality in India, or Feminism and Indian Society are some of the hot topics that keep on popping out. Thus, writing a well-rounded essay on such issues requires a deep understanding of gender issues. This is the reason why many aspirants at the best IAS academy in Coimbatore invest their valuable time in mastering gender studies.

5. Optional Subjects:

Besides, other optional subjects that also deal with gender-related issues include Sociology, Public Administration, and Anthropology. In fact, Sociology covers a wide range of concepts such as patriarchy, feminism, and the role of women in society.

 Key Gender-Related Topics for IAS Aspirants

There are a plethora of gender-related topics that an aspirant needs to cover in order to perform well in the exam. Of these, some of the key areas of focus shall include:

 1. Gender Inequality:

The multi-dimensionality of gender inequality has to be understood, including economic, social, political, and educational inequalities. For example, various studies may touch upon important issues like pay disparity between men and women, unequal access to health facilities, and various types of gender-based violence.

 2. Feminism and Its Variants:

There are several strands of feminism as a social movement and ideology-liberal feminism, radical feminism, Marxist feminism, among others. Aspirants need to be conversant with these ideologies and their applicability to contemporary issues of gender.

 3. Women's Movements in India:

The history of women's movements in India-from the pre-independence period to the contemporary times-provides enormous insights into the changing roles of women in Indian society. Major movements, such as the Chipko Movement and the anti-dowry movement, have to be understood within a gender studies perspective.

 4. Government Policies for Women's Empowerment:

Other welfare initiatives for women's empowerment at the governmental level include Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Mahila E-Haat, and Maternity Benefit schemes. The aspirants must be well-versed with these schemes, their implementation, and their impact on gender equality.

 5. Global Gender Issues:

Another important aspect of gender studies also encompasses international perspectives that find a place in the IAS examination. It would be advisable to acquire information about global issues relating to gender, such as the MeToo movement, the gender gap in the digital world, and the participation of women in international politics.

In the best IAS academy in Coimbatore, aspirants engage in critical consideration of the same through discussions, debates, and practice writing to develop an in-depth understanding of gender-related issues and articulate them more precisely.

The Role of Gender Studies in Governance

A sound understanding of gender studies equips IAS officers with the ability to handle real-life governance issues more effectively. This is how better governance translates from gender knowledge:

 1. Inclusive Policy Formulation:

Policies that consider the needs of all genders have a better potentiality to succeed while addressing problems in society. For example, policies on healthcare or education have to be designed by taking into consideration the specific needs of genders so that they bring about benefits for one and all.

 2. Women's Empowerment:

IAS officers are concerned with implementing various programs for women's upliftment related to education, entrepreneurship, among such other areas. A gender study would thus allow them to advocate for policies that would introduce equality and empowerment of women in rural and urban areas.

 3. Dealing with Violence Based on Gender:

The critical issues in the Indian society include gender-based violence, domestic violence, sexual harassment, and human trafficking. Knowledge of gender studies helps the IAS officers to handle such issues with empathy and tact.

 4. Promoting Gender Equality in Public Institutions:

It is not only a question of women's rights, but of creating an atmosphere where other genders also get an equal opportunity. The IAS officers may use their learning of gender studies to ensure representation in the public institutions in such a way that women, men and transgender are represented and their voice is heard in the governance.

 How to Prepare Gender Studies for IAS Exam

Essentially, aspirants should be prepared to cover both the conceptual and the contemporary aspects involved in the field of gender studies. Ways to master this area are suggested below:

1. Know the Concepts:

 Familiarize yourself with the core concepts: patriarchy, gender roles, feminism. Ensure you are able to explain these ideas clearly and apply them to real-world examples.

2. Follow Current Affairs:

Many of the gender issues come to the headlines-be it a new policy to empower women or global movements to establish gender equality. Keep updates about these and be prepared to discuss relevance with respect to governance.

3. Practice Answer Writing:

   Questions related to gender studies often ask for elaborate and well-structured answers. Essay writing and short answer writing should be practiced on gender topics, incorporating examples from both India and the world.

4. Take Part in Discussions and Debates:

   Participation in discussions on issues relating to gender helps you gain a multi-dimensional understanding of diverse opinions. Similarly, the best IAS academy in Coimbatore conducts weekly group discussions on current affairs, including topics related to gender issues, in order to improve the analytical skills of the aspirants.

 Conclusion

It is an indispensable part of the IAS exam, not only because it is so in the syllabus but also because it furnishes the future administrators with the requisite armamentarium to implement their governance, both inclusive and efficient. Aspirants at the best IAS academy in Coimbatore thus know the importance of Gender Studies, firstly for the exam and then in actual administration. This will enable them to tackle, in a slightly better way, the gender-related challenges they will face in their professional careers and work towards securing an equitable and just society.

Leadership for good governance in the times to come needs to be fully aware that gender is a crucial variable. The study of gender would provide sufficient weightage so that the IAS aspirants are adequately prepared for the emerging demands of a pluralistic and diverse society.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 9.3 (after 1930)

1925 – USS Shenandoah, the United States' first American-built rigid airship, was destroyed in a squall line over Noble County, Ohio. Fourteen of her 42-man crew perished, including her commander, Zachary Lansdowne. 1933 – Yevgeniy Abalakov is the first man to reach the highest point in the Soviet Union, Communism Peak (now called Ismoil Somoni Peak and situated in Tajikistan) (7495 m). 1935 – Sir Malcolm Campbell reaches a speed of 304.331 miles per hour on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, becoming the first person to drive an automobile over 300 mph. 1939 – World War II: France, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia declare war on Germany after the invasion of Poland, forming the Allied nations. The Viceroy of India also declares war, but without consulting the provincial legislatures. 1939 – World War II: The United Kingdom and France begin a naval blockade of Germany that lasts until the end of the war. This also marks the beginning of the Battle of the Atlantic. 1941 – The Holocaust: Karl Fritzsch, deputy camp commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp, experiments with the use of Zyklon B in the gassing of Soviet POWs. 1942 – World War II: In response to news of its coming liquidation, Dov Lopatyn leads an uprising in the Ghetto of Lakhva (present-day Belarus). 1943 – World War II: British and Canadian troops land on the Italian mainland. On the same day, Walter Bedell Smith and Giuseppe Castellano sign the Armistice of Cassibile, although it is not announced for another five days. 1944 – Holocaust: Diarist Anne Frank and her family are placed on the last transport train from the Westerbork transit camp to the Auschwitz concentration camp, arriving three days later. 1945 – A three-day celebration begins in China, following the Victory over Japan Day on September 2. 1950 – "Nino" Farina becomes the first Formula One Drivers' champion after winning the 1950 Italian Grand Prix. 1954 – The People's Liberation Army begins shelling the Republic of China-controlled islands of Quemoy, starting the First Taiwan Strait Crisis. 1967 – Dagen H in Sweden: Traffic changes from driving on the left to driving on the right overnight. 1971 – Qatar becomes an independent state. 1976 – Viking program: The American Viking 2 spacecraft lands at Utopia Planitia on Mars. 1978 – During the Rhodesian Bush War a group of ZIPRA guerrillas shot down civilian Vickers Viscount aircraft (Air Rhodesia Flight 825) with a Soviet-made SAM Strela-2; of 56 passengers and crew 38 people died in crash, 10 were massacred by the guerrillas at the site. 1981 – The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, an international bill of rights for women, is instituted by the United Nations. 1987 – In a coup d'état in Burundi, President Jean-Baptiste Bagaza is deposed by Major Pierre Buyoya. 1989 – Cubana de Aviación Flight 9046 crashes into a residential area of Havana shortly after takeoff from José Martí International Airport, killing 150. 1989 – Varig Flight 254 crashes in the Amazon rainforest near São José do Xingu in Brazil, killing 12. 1997 – Vietnam Airlines Flight 815 (Tupolev Tu-134) crashes on approach into Phnom Penh airport, killing 64. 2001 – In Belfast, Protestant loyalists begin a picket of Holy Cross, a Catholic primary school for girls. 2004 – Beslan school siege results in over 330 fatalities, including 186 children. 2010 – After taking off from Dubai International Airport, UPS Airlines Flight 6 develops an in-flight fire in the cargo hold and crashes near Nad Al Sheba, killing both crew members on board. 2016 – The U.S. and China, together responsible for 40% of the world's carbon emissions, both formally ratify the Paris global climate agreement. 2017 – North Korea conducts its sixth and most powerful nuclear test.

[rad4learning]

From: Sex discrimination in uncertain times

"The interpretative role of the courts during these years is a salutary reminder of the fact that all three branches of government—the legislature, the executive and the judiciary—are important sites for the constitution and reconstitution of sex discrimination. Hence, as I argued on the twentieth anniversary of the SDA,[17] we are not dealing with a finite variable that can be eliminated over time, as suggested by the wording of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Sex discrimination is a slippery concept, tolerance for which depends on the socio-political mood of the moment. As long as ‘the good of the economy’ is permitted to trump the idea of gender justice, change will not occur. These essays seek to challenge what has become the prevailing orthodoxy."

[axelinformer]

Human Rights for All: Building a Just World

Human rights are the universal entitlements that belong to every person simply by virtue of their humanity. They embody the principles of dignity, equality, and justice that underpin a just society. Despite significant progress over the years, many people around the world still face severe human rights violations, from systemic discrimination to outright abuse. To build a truly just world, it is imperative to ensure that human rights are upheld for all individuals, regardless of their race, gender, nationality, or socioeconomic status. This comprehensive discussion explores the importance of universal human rights, the challenges we face, and actionable strategies to foster a world where justice and equality are accessible to everyone.

The Foundations of Human Rights

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, serves as the cornerstone of modern human rights. It outlines fundamental freedoms and rights that are inalienable to all people, including the right to life, liberty, and security; freedom of expression; and the right to participate in government. The UDHR establishes a common standard of human rights that transcends national borders and cultural differences.

International Human Rights Instruments

Following the UDHR, a series of international treaties and conventions have further defined and expanded human rights protections. Key instruments include:

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR): Focuses on protecting civil and political rights, such as freedom of speech and the right to a fair trial.

The International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR): Addresses economic, social, and cultural rights, including the right to work, education, and an adequate standard of living.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW): Aims to eliminate discrimination against women and promote gender equality.

Regional Human Rights Systems

Regional human rights systems complement international frameworks by addressing specific regional issues and contexts. Examples include:

The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR): Enforced by the European Court of Human , it provides a legal mechanism for individuals to seek redress for violations of their rights in Europe.

The Inter-American System: Includes the American Convention on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human , which address human issues in the Americas

The African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR): Enforced by the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, it protects a broad range of civil, political, economic, and cultural rights in Africa.

Challenges to Universal Human Rights

Systemic Inequality and Discrimination

Systemic inequalities based on race, gender, socioeconomic status, and other factors often result in widespread human rights violations. Discrimination in education, employment, and healthcare perpetuates these inequalities and limits opportunities for marginalized groups. Addressing systemic inequality requires comprehensive reforms to ensure equal access and opportunities for all individuals.

Authoritarianism and Repression

Authoritarian regimes and repressive governments frequently violate human rights by curtailing freedoms of expression, assembly, and press. Political dissent is often met with violence, imprisonment, or other forms of repression. The international community must work to hold these governments accountable and support efforts to promote democracy and human .

Conflict and Humanitarian Crises

Armed conflicts, forced displacement, and humanitarian crises have devastating effects on human rights. Civilians often face violence, displacement, and deprivation of essential services. Addressing these crises requires a coordinated international response, including humanitarian aid, conflict resolution, and long-term reconstruction efforts.

Climate Change and Environmental Justice

Climate change poses a significant threat to human rights, particularly for vulnerable communities. Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and environmental degradation can exacerbate existing inequalities and undermine basic rights such as access to clean water, food, and shelter. Integrating human considerations into climate policies is crucial for protecting the most affected populations.

Digital Rights and Privacy

The rapid advancement of technology has introduced new challenges related to digital rights and privacy. Issues such as government surveillance, data breaches, and online harassment affect individuals' rights to privacy and freedom of expression. Addressing these challenges involves creating robust legal frameworks and technological solutions to safeguard digital rights.

Strategies for Building a Just World

Strengthening Human Rights Institutions

1.1 Support and Reform Institutions

Human rights institutions, including national human commissions and international bodies, play a vital role in promoting and protecting rights. Support efforts to strengthen these institutions and ensure they operate independently and effectively. Advocate for reforms that enhance their capacity to address human violations and provide justice.

1.2 Increase Funding and Resources

Adequate funding and resources are essential for human rights organizations and institutions to carry out their work. Advocate for increased investment in human initiatives, both from governmental and non-governmental sources. Support organizations that are working to advance human and provide assistance to those in need.

Promoting Human Rights Education

2.1 Educate at All Levels

Human rights education is crucial for fostering a culture of respect and understanding. Integrate human education into school curricula, community programs, and workplace training. Educate individuals about their rights and the importance of protecting them.

2.2 Raise Awareness and Advocacy

Use public campaigns, media, and social platforms to raise awareness about human rights issues and advocate for change. Highlight stories of individuals affected by human violations and promote campaigns that seek to address these issues. Engaging the public in advocacy efforts can drive support and action.

Advocating for Policy Change

3.1 Engage with Policymakers

Advocate for policies and legislation that protect and promote human rights. Engage with policymakers to push for reforms that address systemic issues and uphold human standards. Participate in public consultations, submit policy recommendations, and collaborate with advocacy groups to influence policy decisions.

3.2 Monitor and Report Violations

Monitor and report human rights violations to hold perpetrators accountable and prompt action. Support efforts to document abuses, gather evidence, and raise international awareness. Use legal and advocacy mechanisms to ensure that violations are addressed and justice is served.

Supporting Grassroots Movements

4.1 Empower Local Activists

Support grassroots movements and local activists who are working to address human rights issues in their communities. Provide resources, training, and platforms to amplify their efforts. Grassroots movements often have unique insights and solutions tailored to local contexts.

4.2 Foster Collaboration and Solidarity

Collaborate with other organizations, movements, and stakeholders to strengthen collective efforts. Building alliances and partnerships can enhance the impact of human rights initiatives and create a united front for change. Solidarity across movements and sectors is essential for achieving comprehensive human protection.

Leveraging Technology and Innovation

5.1 Utilize Technology for Advocacy

Leverage technology to advance human rights advocacy and address violations. Use digital tools for monitoring, reporting, and mobilizing support. Technology can enhance transparency, facilitate communication, and amplify voices in the fight for human .

5.2 Protect Digital Rights

Advocate for the protection of digital rights and privacy in the online environment. Support efforts to develop and enforce regulations that safeguard individuals' digital freedoms and ensure secure online spaces. Promote digital literacy and awareness to help individuals protect their rights in the digital age.

Case Studies: Building a Just World

The South African Anti-Apartheid Movement

The anti-apartheid movement in South Africa is a powerful example of how sustained advocacy and international solidarity can bring about significant change. Through protests, boycotts, and diplomatic pressure, activists and global supporters worked tirelessly to end apartheid and achieve racial equality. The transition to a democratic South Africa marked a milestone in the fight for human rights.

The Global Campaign for Universal Access to Education

The global campaign for universal access to education has made significant strides in improving educational opportunities for children worldwide. Initiatives such as the Global Partnership for Education have worked to eliminate barriers to education, particularly for girls and marginalized groups. These efforts highlight the importance of education in achieving human rights and social development.

The Fight for LGBTQ+ Rights

The global LGBTQ+ rights movement has achieved remarkable progress in recent decades. Legalizing same-sex marriage, enacting anti-discrimination laws, and increasing societal acceptance are examples of how advocacy and activism can advance human rights for LGBTQ+ individuals. The movement continues to address challenges related to discrimination and violence, demonstrating the ongoing need for vigilance and action.

Conclusion

Building a just world where human rights are protected for all requires collective action, sustained commitment, and collaboration across sectors. By strengthening institutions, promoting education, advocating for policy change, supporting grassroots movements, and leveraging technology, we can work towards a future where every person’s rights are upheld and respected. The journey towards justice and equality is ongoing, and each individual has a role to play in advancing human rights. Together, we can create a world where human dignity and rights are universally protected and celebrated.

[sa7abnews]

Take the Taliban to The Hague for What They’re Doing to Women

New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/16/take-the-taliban-to-the-hague-for-what-theyre-doing-to-women/

Take the Taliban to The Hague for What They’re Doing to Women

When the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan three years ago this month, one of the first things they did was paint over the images of women on billboards and murals. Since then, women and girls themselves are being erased. Girls cannot go to high school, women are officially banned from working in most jobs, movement outside the home is heavily restricted and often punished. Many of the women who defied these impositions have been tortured and detained. Others are in hiding. The flogging and stoning of women in public has resumed as a matter of policy.

Yet, the world looks away. There are dedicated journalists and human rights advocates who continue to report on Afghan women, girls, and minorities, but the horrors inflicted on them have long slipped off the front pages. Governments occasionally issue statements of concern but nothing more. It is only on moments like this, the third anniversary of the Taliban’s takeover, that we remember Afghanistan. For the rest of the year, Afghans are kept out of sight, quietly abandoned to their fate, as if nothing can be done.

But there is something that can be done: the Taliban can be held accountable. The militant group is responsible for some of the most serious breaches of international criminal law. Just as the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants against Russian President Vladimir Putin and five senior government and military officials, it could do the same with individual Taliban leaders. The ICC has the jurisdiction, as there is already an investigation on Afghanistan. The persecution of women and girls constitutes a crime against humanity—one of the most serious categories of crimes, along with genocide and war crimes. The Prosecutor can prioritize the investigation, gather evidence, and request arrest warrants.

The Taliban can also be brought before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), also known as the “World Court.” The ICJ decides cases that are brought between states. It is currently hearing important human rights related cases, including on torture, racial discrimination, and genocide. As the group in control of Afghanistan, the Taliban can be brought before the court to answer for its violations of the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the main treaty protecting women’s rights, which has been ratified by 189 countries. All it needs is for one country to bring the case. The organization I lead, the Open Society Foundations, has detailed in a report published this year how this can be done. We’re in a moment when, amid the many horrors around the world, dozens of countries are seeking justice in international courts for the most serious crimes, whether it’s on Ukraine, Israel and Gaza, Syria, or Myanmar. Afghanistan should be on that list, too.

For the past three years, the international community has pursued a failed strategy of applying economic pressure on the one hand and seeking engagement on the other. Neither approach has worked in restraining the Taliban, and both have made the situation for Afghan women and girls worse. The withdrawal of international assistance and the imposition of sanctions has plunged the Afghan people deep into a humanitarian crisis, with more than 23 million in need of urgent assistance, most of them women and girls. And the talks with the Taliban have prioritized issues like regional security and narcotics, but never the rights of women and girls. There are observers who point to positives, saying there is now peace in a country that has not known it for 40 years. But for half the population, the war continues, and they are the targets.

Read More: The Women of Afghanistan Won’t Be Silenced Anymore

By taking the Taliban to The Hague, there can be a new approach—one that centers the rights of the Afghan people. The Taliban is not going to cooperate with either court, and will denounce the proceedings as a conspiracy against it. But the courts’ decisions can set clear parameters for the international community’s engagement with the Taliban and give a voice to their victims. When I worked as a human rights investigator on post-conflict situations, including in the wake of the genocide in Rwanda, the women I spoke to didn’t just want their perpetrators punished. They wanted the crimes against them acknowledged, the truth of what happened to them heard, and the futures that were stolen from them returned.

For all their defiance, the Taliban is vulnerable to international pressure. They crave legitimacy for their regime. They want to take up seats at the United Nations as the representatives of Afghanistan and to have diplomatic relations with the neighboring region and the rest of the world. This is where engagement is important, but it must be principled. There can be cooperation with the Taliban as far it helps the people of Afghanistan, especially on easing the humanitarian and economic crisis. But the rest is up to the Taliban. They can begin by living up to the promises they made to the world when they said they wouldn’t resume the cruelties they inflicted the last time they were in power.

There are also grave dangers in not pursuing justice, in allowing these brutal practices to slowly become accepted, and creating a world of exceptions when it comes to the rights of women, where some are entitled to them and others are not, just because of where they live.

Women’s rights in Afghanistan have never been a foreign-imposed project, as some claim, alien to the country. It is the women of Afghanistan who always fought for them, whether it was securing laws to protect women from violence under previous governments or whether it’s resisting the Taliban from exile, on the streets, and even from inside their homes. We owe it to them to stand with them in this fight.

[poshadvo]

Vishaka & Others v. State of Rajasthan: The Case that Paved the Way for Addressing Sexual Harassment at Workplaces

In a monumental step towards safeguarding the rights and dignity of women in the workplace, the Supreme Court of India delivered a groundbreaking judgment in the case of Vishaka & Others v. State of Rajasthan in 1997. This landmark decision not only brought the issue of sexual harassment at the workplace into the spotlight but also laid down a comprehensive set of guidelines, known as the Vishaka Guidelines, that would serve as the foundation for future legislation addressing this critical issue.

The Genesis: Seeking Justice for Bhanwari Devi The case originated from the brutal gang-rape of Bhanwari Devi, a social worker employed in Rajasthan's Bhateri village. Devi's courageous efforts to prevent a child marriage within the community led to her being brutally assaulted and raped by influential members of the village. This horrific incident sparked a nationwide outcry and prompted several women's rights organizations, led by Vishaka and others, to file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court.

Filling the Legislative Vacuum At the time, India lacked a comprehensive legal framework to address sexual harassment at the workplace. The Supreme Court recognized this legislative vacuum and took the unprecedented step of formulating guidelines to fill the gap. These guidelines, known as the Vishaka Guidelines, were derived from the principles of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), to which India is a signatory.

The Vishaka Guidelines: A Comprehensive Framework The Vishaka Guidelines provided a comprehensive definition of sexual harassment, encompassing both physical and non-physical forms of harassment, including sexually colored remarks, gestures, and unwanted sexual overtures. The guidelines also outlined specific measures for employers to prevent and address incidents of sexual harassment in the workplace. Key Provisions of the Vishaka Guidelines: Duty of the Employer: Employers were mandated to take appropriate measures to prevent sexual harassment and provide a safe and secure work environment for women. Establishment of Complaints Committees: Employers were required to establish Complaints Committees to address complaints of sexual harassment and ensure a fair and impartial inquiry process. Disciplinary Action: The guidelines specified that appropriate disciplinary action should be taken against any employee found guilty of sexual harassment, including termination of employment.

Awareness and Sensitization: Employers were directed to organize workshops and awareness programs to sensitize employees about the issue of sexual harassment and the guidelines. Third-Party Harassment: The guidelines extended protection to women employees from sexual harassment by third parties, such as clients or customers, within the workplace premises.

The Lasting Impact of the Vishaka Guidelines The Vishaka Guidelines were not merely a set of recommendations; they carried the force of law and were binding on all employers in India. These guidelines paved the way for a shift in societal attitudes towards sexual harassment and empowered women to voice their concerns and seek redress.

The Legacy: The Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act, 2013 While the Vishaka Guidelines were a significant step forward, the need for a comprehensive legislation addressing sexual harassment at the workplace became increasingly apparent. In 2013, the Indian Parliament enacted the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act, which drew heavily from the principles and provisions outlined in the Vishaka Guidelines.

The POSH Act formalized and expanded upon the guidelines, providing a statutory framework for addressing sexual harassment in the workplace. It mandated the constitution of Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs) in every organization, established clear procedures for filing and investigating complaints, and prescribed penalties for non-compliance. The legacy of the Vishaka case cannot be overstated. It not only brought about a paradigm shift in the legal landscape but also sparked a nationwide conversation about the importance of creating safe and inclusive workplaces for women. The Vishaka Guidelines remain a testament to the Supreme Court's commitment to upholding the fundamental rights and dignity of women, paving the way for a more equitable and just society.