Day of General Discussion on access to justice, 2013
Date
18 February 2013
At its 54th session, on Monday, 18 February 2013, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women held a half-day general discussion on access to justice in the context of the following provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Convention):
- Article 2, and in particular:
- Article 2 (b) providing that States parties undertake to adopt appropriate legislative and other measures, including sanctions where appropriate, prohibiting all discrimination against women;
- Article 2 (c) providing that States parties undertake to establish legal protection of the rights of women on an equal basis with men and ensure through competent national tribunals and other public institutions the effective protection of women against any act of discrimination;
- Article 15 (1) providing that States parties shall accord to women equality with men before the law; and
- Article 15 (2) providing that States parties shall accord to women in civil matters, a legal capacity identical to that of men and the same opportunities to exercise that capacity. In particular, they shall give women equal rights to conclude contracts and to administer property and shall treat them equally in all stages of procedure in courts and tribunals.
The purpose of the half-day general discussion was to commence the Committee’s process of elaborating a "General recommendation on access to justice". The purpose of the general recommendation is to provide appropriate and authoritative guidance to States parties on the measures to be adopted to ensure full compliance with their obligations to protect, respect and fulfil women’s human rights to access to justice.
Documentation
Written contributions
- Advocacy for Inclusion
- Alliance Defending Freedom
- Amnesty International
- Andalucia ACOGE
- ASF
- Association des Femmes Juristes du Tchad, member of International Women Alliance
- Aurat Foundation and War Against Rape
- Ban Ying Conseling and Coordination Center against Trafficking in Persons
- Cambodian Defenders Project
- Canadian Human Rights Commission
- Center for Reproductive Rights
- CLADEM
- Conseil National des Droits de l'Homme
- Corporación Humanas
- DNI Costa Rica
- Equality Now
- European Group of National Human Rights Institutions
- FAO
- FIAN International
- FIZ
- Global Action to Prevent War
- Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children
- Global Justice Center
- Greek National Commission for Human Rights
- Harm Reduction International
- Human Rights Watch
- ICJ
- ICJ-FES
- IGLHRC MADRE
- ILO
- Immigrant Council of Ireland
- International Dalit Solidarity Network
- International Disability Alliance
- International Women's Development Agency
- Ipas
- IWRAW Asia Pacific
- Jeanne Sarson & Linda MacDonald
- Joint NGO submission on Domestic Workers of Diplomats
- KARAT Coalition
- Minority Rights Group International
- PAHRA & PCCRPD
- Penal Reform International
- Platform International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants
- Priests for Life
- SIHA & REDRESS
- South African Statement
- Spanish General Council for the Judiciary
- UNHCR & Annex
- UNICEF
- UNODC
- UN Women, Executive Summary & Report
- UK Women's Resource Center
- WESCR Working Group
- Widows for peace through democracy
- Women Enabled, Inc.
- Women's Legal and Human Rights Bureau
- Women's Legal Services NSW
Keynote speakers presentations*
- Ms. Simone Cusack
- Ms. Frances Raday
- Ms. Shaheen Sardar Ali
- Ms. Magdalena Sepulveda Carmona
- Ms. Karen Vertido
Oral interventions by stakeholders
- Joint Nordic Statement (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden)
- Permanent Mission of Argentina
- Permanent Mission of Switzerland
- Permanent Mission of Australia
- Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka
- Permanent Mission of Slovenia
- Permanent Mission of Brazil
- UNHCR
- IWRAW Asia Pacific
- Widows for Peace
- International Disability Alliance
- REDRESS and Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa
- Amnesty International
- Avocats Sans Frontières
- Center for Reproductive Rights
- International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission
- Harm Reduction International
Wrap up
The views expressed in the submissions online are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Committee.