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The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, is often described as an international bill of rights for women. Consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, it defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination.

Members of Sisters of Frida have been part of the CEDAW working Group coordinated by the Women Resource Centre for a few years, attending meetings and training sessions.

For CEDAW 2019 (Feb 25th – 26th )

A podcast by Eleanor about the CEDAW review and the podcast transcript.

Concluding observations on the eight periodic report of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Sisters of Frida’s CEDAW shadow report INT_CEDAW_CSS_GBR_33636_E

See the UK CEDAW shadow report from the Women Resource Centre’s website.

CEDAW UK Four Nations Report

CEDAW England Shadow Report 2018

CEDAW England Shadow Report 2018 (Full, Not submitted)

CEDAW List of Issues and Questions

Evaluation of the CEDAW list of Issues

Oral Intervention

FINAL UK 4 nations oral statement to CEDAW

See the PDF copies of all the reports created during this 2018 review session at the Women Resource Centre website

The Joint Four Nations Report which was submitted to the UN: CEDAW UK Four Nations Report

The England Shadow Report which was submitted to the UN: CEDAW England Shadow Report

The full England Shadow Report with acknowledgements which could not be submitted to the UN due to word restrictions: Full CEDAW Shadow Report

Oral Intervention to CEDAW Pre-sessional working group for the United Kingdom & Northern Ireland, 23 July 2018

Powerpoint on CEDAW and Disabled Women UK ( presentation for WRC s event on 30th November – ‘Women and the Women’s Sector’ )

CEDAW for disabled women MS Powerpoint

CEDAW for disabled women PDF

We contributed to CEDAW shadow report on legal aid reforms and women s access to justice

August 2013, we attended the 55th session in Geneva. Below are the links to that week.

The UK CEDAW Shadow Report – Women’s Equality in the UK: A health check

Appendix 36: General Recommendation 18 – Disabled women

En route to CEDAW in Geneva

Day 1 Meeting the CEDAW working group UK delegation in Geneva

Disabled women in Geneva for the 55th session of CEDAW questioning UK government on women’s rights

Day 1 Oral presentations to the CEDAW committee

Press release on NGOs presentations on CEDAW

Day 2 Cedaw Lunch time briefing

Day 3 UK Government CEDAW examination

Oral Statement (CAPE VERDE) to CEDAW Committee 55th session (from disabled women association)

Statement for CEDAW Comittee Status of Women with Disabilities in the Republic of Serbia

NGO oral statement given by Charlotte Gage from the Women’s Resource Centre on behalf of the UK CEDAW Working Group at the 55th CEDAW Session – 15th July 2013

NGO ORAL PRESENTATION UNITED KINGDOM Presented at the 55th CEDAW Session, Geneva July 8-19 2013 (text)(lost)

UK CEDAW Working Group_oral statement_Geneva 2012_FINAL-1

photos from UK CEDAW delegation (flickr)

Using CEDAW to reach Equality – Women Resource (facebook)

Recommendations on disabled women for the UK Govt from CEDAW committee

*We would like to thank the NUJ (DMC and Birmingham Coventry Branch) and the Waltham Forest Trades Council for contributing towards travel expenses to Geneva.

Press

Mentioned in Guardian Society Daily by Claire Horton thanks to Lisa Ellwood @Creative Crip

Article by John Pring Disability News Service in The Fed Online

UK challenged on treatment of disabled and older women Ekklesia

See also

NICEM welcomes CEDAW Concluding Observations

When cuts cost lives: women’s economic independence and domestic violence

by Scarlet Harris in Touchstone

6 responses to “CEDAW”

1. Post CEDAW 55th session and disabled women’s access to the justice | Sisters of Frida says:

   29th July 2013 at 9:08 pm

   […] CEDAW […]

   Reply
2. Recommendations on disabled women for the UK Govt from CEDAW committee | Sisters of Frida says:

   4th August 2013 at 8:17 pm

   […] CEDAW […]

   Reply
3. Eleanor Firman says:

   23rd August 2013 at 8:49 pm

   TUC blog discusses how the UK government tried to weaken the Public Sector Equality Duty under the Red Tape Challenge (to throw out legislation which they think gets in the way of business). Later, when the govt were faced with the CEDAW committee they told PSED staff to find them examples of robust equality UK equality measures. The devolved nations Scotland and Wales were able to supply these because PSE is a devolved issue and they had chosen to ignored the English ‘Red Tape’.

   http://touchstoneblog.org.uk/2013/08/smoke-mirrors-and-the-public-sector-equality-duty-the-governments-response-to-cedaw

   Reply
4. CEDAW and CRPD -building the links - Eleanor Lisney says:

   13th October 2014 at 10:15 pm

   […] had the welcome and opening comments by Cris McCurley whom I met in Geneva when we went there with the UK CEDAW working team. Cris is really great  – so am really proud to know her. She spoke on the dangers of our […]

   Reply
5. Sisters of Frida » At the European Parliament Panel: Structural problems faced by disabled people, when accessing their full rights | Sisters of Frida says:

   12th February 2017 at 9:32 pm

   […] advocate disabled women’s rights – we went to UN CEDAW examination with other UK women NGOs to Geneva and the UN CSW (Commission on Status of […]

   Reply
6. Sisters of Frida » At UN CEDAW review in Geneva | Sisters of Frida says:

   7th April 2019 at 11:10 pm

   […] Rachel O’ Brien and Eleanor Lisney joined other women NGOs for the review of UK government on CEDAW – The Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women,  often […]

   Reply