Louisville Coalition for CEDAW

1. CONVENTION ON
ELIMINATION OF ALL
FORMS OF
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST
WOMEN
CEDAW

2. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination Against Women* (CEDAW)
• Convention is another name for a treaty
• An international bill of rights for women
• Adopted by the UN General Assembly in
1979
• Has been ratified by 188 of the 194
UN member states.
• With the exception of Iran, Sudan, Somalia, the
United States, Palau and Tonga.

3. • CEDAW was created after 30 years of work
by the UN to promote women’s rights…..
• discrimination against
women continues
to exist, which…..
• violates principles of equal rights and respect
for human dignity.
• The CEDAW treaty sets up an agenda for
national action to end such discrimination.

4. How are women’s human rights violated?
By individuals,
….. power structures,
……… cultural attitudes,
………… & societal expectations
• Freedom is restricted.
• Physical safety is violated.
• Self-determination is not allowed.
• Individual difference is not tolerated.
• Equal opportunities are denied.
• Women’s dignity is disrespected.

5. • Rape and incest
• Domestic violence
• Sexual harassment
• Human trafficking
• Gender stereotypes
• Pay inequity
Worldwide Violations
of women’s human rights

6. What does CEDAW affirm?
• Women’s rights to vote and hold public office
• Women’s rights to non-discrimination in
education, employment, health, economic
and social activities
• Women’s equality in civil and business matters
• Equal rights regarding choice of spouse,
parenthood, personal & property rights

7. Mothers are the sole or primary
breadwinners for 40% of households
today, compared with 11% in 1960
** 1/3 of single mothers spend
>50% of their income on housing
** 19% are “food insecure”
2/3 of minimum wage
workers are women.
** Most of these
women do not have
even 1 paid sick day.
** Preventive health
care? Child care?
www.AAUW.org

8. • In 2013 more than twice as many women aged 65 and
older (+ 2.9 million) as men of the same age (+ 1.3
million) lived in poverty.
www.aauw.org
The United States is
the only
industrialized
nation not to have
paid leave for
mothers of
newborns

9. HOW WOMEN ARE STILL
TREATED UNEQUALLY IN THE US
** Women hold 19% of the seats in the U.S.
Congress (104 out of 535)
www.aauw.org
** 76% of women in the US military were
sexually assaulted in 2014
** Domestic violence is the most common
cause of injury for women in the US between
the ages of 18 and 44.

10. Why has the U.S. not ratified CEDAW?
Some think women’s equality is already
achieved in the United States.
Many believe the U.S. should not
have to report to an international
oversight committee.
Some fear that allowing a woman her right to family
planning is the same as sanctioning abortion.

11. CEDAW’s History in the United States
• 1980 – President Jimmy Carter signed a CEDAW resolution
• CEDAW has been approved twice by the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee,
• But has never been brought to the full Senate for a vote.
• Ratification requires a 2/3 vote of the Senate.

12. The US CITIES FOR CEDAW National Campaign
was launched at a meeting of the United Nations
Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in
2013 in New York City, with the goal of
implementing the principles of CEDAW on the
local level.

13. Implementing CEDAW locally
• Cities, counties and states are not waiting for
the Senate or Supreme Court, but are taking
steps to support, adopt and/or implement
CEDAW locally.
• San Francisco became the first city in the world to
adopt a local ordinance reflecting the principles of
CEDAW in 1997.
• Louisville, Kentucky became the second city to
become a City for CEDAW, in 2014, when Mayor
Fischer signed a resolution!

14. How can CEDAW be a catalyst for change in the
US?
• It provides a framework for women’s human rights at the
most basic level
• With the hope of influencing policy and decision making

15. Louisville Coalition for CEDAW (LCC)
Brief Timeline
• March 2013: conceived by Mary Sue
Barnett, while attending the UN
Commission on the Status of Women
• April 2014: national speaker invited to
program at the Ali Center to discuss history
of CEDAW in the US
• April 2014: first coalition meeting was held

16. LCC Brief Timeline…..
• July 2014: subgroup formed to draft a resolution
• November 2014: A resolution in support of Cities for
CEDAW, was approved by Metro Council in a vote of
and signed by Mayor Greg Fischer
• AAUW Women who participated &/or attended in
stages: Carolyn Diener, Teena Halbig, Diane Snowa,
Jamieca Jones, Jean Gordon

17. What is in Louisville’s resolution?
A commitment to:
**promote gender equity and eliminate all forms
of discrimination against women and girls.
**promote the health and safety of women and girls.
** afford women and girls equal
academic, economic and business
opportunities.

18. The Louisville CEDAW Resolution
emphasizes that it is a first step in adopting a
future ordinance, calling for
• a gender analysis of all Louisville Metro
departments and commissions
• the designation of an oversight body
• resources to support these actions

19. • 20 cities in the US have adopted
resolutions
• 6 US cities have signed ordinances
• 3 US cities have passed proclamations
• Many other cities are in the process of forming
coalitions and writing resolutions.
• The Louisville resolution has been used by several
cities as a template and is listed as a resource in the
publication, “Gender Equity Through Human Rights”
**Gender Equity Through Human Rights: Local efforts to advance the
status of women and girls in the US.
(prepared by the Columbia Law School Human Rights Institute, January 2017)

20. Highlights 5 key strategies for state and
local governments
• Commit to human rights principles
• Gather information on the status of women and girls
• Develop goals to advance gender equity
• Monitor progress related to gender equity
• Conduct human rights training and education
the Columbia Law School Human Rights Institute Report:

21. CEDAW TREATY – HAS 30 ARTICLES
ARTICLE 5…….
Parties shall take all appropriate measures:
(a) To modify the social and cultural patterns of
conduct of men and women, with a view to:
• achieving the elimination of prejudices
and practices…
• which are based on the idea of the
inferiority or the superiority of
either of the sexes,
• or on stereotyped roles for men and women

22. Eliminating gender bias
CEDAW brings awareness of social and
cultural patterns to eliminate gender bias:
• gender stereotypes
• behavior and thought that define & label a
man's and woman’s roles and place in the
world

23. A few words about gender bias . . .
Stoic • emotional
. . . and creating expectations, power, discrimination

24. GENDER STEREOTYPING OR “BOXING”
• Puts each of us into a box that is
defined or approved of by society, our
culture, the media; tells each of us how to behave
• Applies to and affects both men
and women
• Rarely communicates accurate
information about a person
• Limits our ability to have choices;
to be our authentic selves

25. •Were there messages or
expectations or
stereotypes that shaped
your childhood or career
or life???

26. LOUISVILLE COALITION FOR CEDAW (LCC)
• The LCC is 3 years old.
• We have been invited to speak in high schools,
universities, churches, and to other organizations.
• Not only here in Louisville, but in other cities in KY
• We have an active Faith Based Team who is making
presentations to local groups

27. • We have funded a gender study of city
government and will use findings from that
study to inform policy recommendations.
• We are building alliances
and growing our supporters.
• Nearly 40 coalition members/active
supporters, ages 18 – 82+, including men
LOUISVILLE COALITION FOR CEDAW (LCC)

28. LOUISVILLE COALITION FOR CEDAW (LCC)
• We participate in conference calls with other cities
seeking information on passing a resolution.
• We have been invited to other states to mentor
women who want to adopt CEDAW principles.
• We support other organizations in the city with a
focus on advocacy for women and girls
• We have a website, are on social media,
and we publish a quarterly newsletter.

29. Louisville Coalition for CEDAW
• Mary Sue Barnett and various members have
attended the UN Commission on the Status of Women
(CSW), every year since 2013, participating in various
panel discussions and round tables.
• Incorporated as a non-profit organization in June, 2016
• Approved as a 501c3 organization with tax exempt
status in February, 2017

30. LOUISVILLE COALITION FOR CEDAW
*** We support gender equity through
education, advocacy, and action.
*** We promote increased awareness of gender
issues (e.g., language, bias, stereotyping, etc.)
through education
*** We engage in dialogue on
persistent inequalities in our
community.

31. ** Struggling souls catch light from other
souls who are fully lit and willing to show it.
** Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world
all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the
world that is within our reach.
** One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do
to intervene in a stormy world, is to stand up and show your
soul. Soul shines like gold in dark times.
Clarissa Pinkola Estes, PhD, an American poet, says:

32. AS A CITY FOR CEDAW,
FUTURE PLANS
INCLUDE….
• A Summit Event to include organizations with a shared focus, in
order to identify several priorities needing action in Louisville,
with the goal of writing an ordinance.
• Widespread education on human rights, with a gender equity
lens (applying the human rights framework to women) –
• …. leading to personal growth & healing, transformation, and
changing perspectives (in women….. and in men)
• Building solidarity within our grassroots organization, honoring
each other’s truths, and empowering other women.

33. Join us!
Attend coalition meetings on the
second Tuesday of each month, 6:30–8 p.m.
Bon Air Library
Visit us on the Web - www.louisvillecedaw.org.
Like us on Facebook.
Follow us on Twitter.
Email us!
louisville.cedawcoalition@gmail.com