“I will not have my life narrowed down. I will not bow down to somebody else’s whim or to someone else’s ignorance” – bell hooks
Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
Wow, what a name! If you haven’t heard of CEDAW [see-daw], don’t be embarrassed. Not many people are aware of its existence, let alone what that stands for. Even fewer realize that CEDAW has been around since it was suggested in 1979 by the United Nations. Since then, all but seven of the nations involved in the UN have ratified this treaty, including the Kingdom of Tonga, Saudi Arabia, and the United States of America.
CEDAW is often thought of as a Bill of Rights for Women. Now, you might say, why do we need one specifically for women when we already have one for all people in our country? The main reason is, despite our in-tact Bill of Rights for “everyone,” women are often disregarded and mistreated. The idea that our laws protect everyone equally is a beautiful, yet naive notion. So many people are left out, namely women, children, and minorities. It is pertinent to note that CEDAW does not disregard trans-women. As they are women, they are included in this general umbrella term. If you identify as a woman, you are a woman, and CEDAW is for you.
CEDAW is also for you if you’re not a woman. As a human, you should care about how our laws are impacting your peers, your loved ones, and your potential future loved ones. Just because it doesn’t directly affect you, doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter.
Primarily, CEDAW is separated into various articles and sections, most of which outline various protections that seem like common sense or things that should be obvious in our society today. However, there are some key sections that remain controversial, such as the implication of pro-abortion sentiments. The article states that all women should have the right to information and services regarding family planning. People gravitate and hold on to these statements, assuming that CEDAW is for abortion. However, in no way does CEDAW state that they are for or against abortion. This assumption is one of the larger reasons why this treaty has yet to be ratified, especially given our country’s very distinct divide on the issue.
Another article that strikes moral uprising surrounds, as per usual, the taboo subject of sex. In this case, it is even more scandalous because, in essence, it requires the safety from sexual exploitation and trafficking. This, on its own, doesn’t sound menacing in any way; however, in the details the section describes protection for prostitutes. Now some believe this is inherently promoting prostitution, when in reality it is attempting to protect these people from being unfairly abused and treated, as well as allowing them more access to safe sex, which would ultimately help stop the spread of some pretty scary STIs. Let’s not pretend that some of the most high-and-mighty people in our country have never solicited. The least you could do is solicit safely.
Although CEDAW is an international treaty, recently it has become established in smaller frequencies, as a way to get around the fact that the United States has failed to cooperate with this beneficial agenda. Currently CEDAW has been implemented successfully in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Being that Santa Clara County is an incredibly diverse area, one would think that our values and laws would reflect those specified needs. I could throw scary statistics at you, like there are only 63 shelter beds for survivors of domestic violence (A Report on the Santa Clara County Intimate Partner Violence Blue Ribbon Task Force, May 2017) or that between 2000 and 2016, Santa Clara County had 178 deaths related to domestic violence, but that shouldn’t be the only thing making you uncomfortable.
What should make you uncomfortable is our nation’s complete neglect for the specific needs of women and children. The US claims that we have enough laws already in place that follow the articles of CEDAW so we don’t need to ratify it… okay… so why are women and children still suffering inordinately? The incredibly powerful, lovely, and inspiring women at the Office of Women’s Policy at the County Executive’s Office in downtown San Jose, whom I had the pleasure of working with this summer, believe that is on us now to take control and change something for our county. If we can’t get CEDAW ratified nationally, let’s start close to home. Let’s implement a Bill of Rights for Women. We need it. We’ve been crying out for it for so long, it’s about time we do something about it.
One of the most instrumental players in The Bill of Rights for Women for our county is Michelle Osorio, a member of the Office of Women’s Policy. While the initial treaty contains 30 Articles, Osorio rightfully believed that these could be boiled down to 10 main points that make up the Bill of Rights for Women:
- Freedom from discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status
- Equal opportunities for employment with equal pay and safe working conditions
- Freedom from all forms of violence and sexual assault
- Protection from sexual exploitation and trafficking
- Equal access to education, schools, and vocational training
- Equal access to health care services, including reproductive rights and family planning
- Protection in the workplace with respect to pregnancy, marital status, and family leave
- Equal opportunities to participate in recreation activities and sports
- Equality in all arenas including civil, political, social, and cultural
- Freedom from stereotyping and prejudice
If you don’t think that women deserve to have all of these rights, I’m not sure what you’re doing reading this article in the first place. Nor do I understand why you live in such a (supposedly) diverse and accepting area. As the amazing Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said, “Culture does not make people. People make culture. If it is true that the full humanity of women is not our culture, then we can and must make it our culture.”