The document discusses the ongoing issues surrounding women's rights, emphasizing the prevalence of abuse, violence, and discrimination against women, which are often ignored by governments. It highlights various global feminism movements and the importance of international conventions and conferences aimed at promoting women's rights as human rights, while also detailing the challenges faced in implementing these rights. Additionally, it outlines the role of the United Nations in advocating for gender equality and the need to address cultural diversity in the pursuit of universal human rights.

1. Women’s Rights
Presented By:
Sameer Chaudhari

2. Freedom from Fear
Freedom to Vote
Freedom of Speech
Freedom from Torture
Freedom of Choice
Freedom of Religion
Freedom from enslavement
Women in 21st
century are thought to have

3. Abuse violence and discrimination
against women are widely tolerated
and systematic.
The issues with women’s rights are
still being ignored and remain as a
‘social epidemic’.
Many governments turn a blind eye
towards the increasing problems
with the discrimination and violence
against women.
Problems in modern world are:

4. 
Global feminism movements span across multiple nations and
have at their core the belief that women are entitled to the
same rights as men, regardless of where the women live, their
ethnicity and their social class.

Global feminism recognizes diversity & acknowledges that
there are diverse meanings of feminism, each responsive to
the needs and issues of women in different regions, societies
and times.
Transnational feminism:

5. 
Unequal status of women & abuses against women

are viewed as human rights violations.
 UNHRC declares, freedom from torture & slavery as basic
human rights. Therefore, domestic violence is a human
rights violation.
 Sexual assault is a form of terrorism
 and rape is a form of torture
 Female infanticide & neglect
 are forms of female genocide

Global feminists work to ensure that human rights
instruments and mechanisms provide avenues for
challenging the systemic abuse of women.
Women’s Rights as Human Rights

6. Specialized UN agencies
DAW, UNIFEM, INSTRAW
Conventions and treaties
Four major international
women’s rights conferences
Programs and initiatives
specific to women’s issues and
needs
The United Nations' contributions to gender Progress

7. The Commission on the Status of Women

Established in 1946

Monitors the Situation of Women

Promotes Women’s Rights

Sets Universal Standards Regarding the Status
of Women

Has a leading Role in Bringing Women’s
Concerns to the Attention of the UN Specialized
Agencies

8. 
1975-1985

The Creation of National and International
Forums

Gathering Data about Women

Holding Three World Women’s Conferences
The Decade for Women:

9. 
Publicized the low status and power of women
 This led to increased grassroots activism

Encouraged national commitment to increase
the status of women through:
 Development of women’s bureaus and
commissions
 Legal changes
UN World Conferences on Women

10. Important Outcomes:

International attention and commitment to
women’s rights and status

The growth of the NGO forums

Transnational feminist movement
The UN Women’s Conferences:

11. 
1975

World plan of
action

To work to end
discrimination
against women
1st
Women’s Conference

12.  1985
 Nairobi
 Looking at
strategies for the
advancement of
women
2nd
Conference

13. 
1995 Beijing

The Platform For Action
 For each critical area of concern, it specifies
strategic objectives and actions to be undertaken by
governments
○ Identifies critical areas of concern
 The feminization of poverty
 Inequalities in education, politics, the economy
 Violence against women
 Persistent discrimination against and violation of the rights of
the girl child
3rd
Conference

14. 
Approved the Political Declaration
 A statement agreeing to eradicate harmful
customary or traditional practices.
 Women have the right to decide freely and
responsibly the matters related to their
sexuality, without discrimination, coercion, or
violence.
 Affirming governments’ responsibility to
implement the Beijing Platform for action.
“Beijing +5” Conference

15. 
The 1979 treaty: 186 out 192 countries ratified it.

Definition of Discrimination was decided.

Nations Agree to :
 Eliminate Discrimination Against Women in
○ Employment
○ Education
○ Politics
 Submit Reports on their Progress to the CEDAW Committee
every 4 Years

The Optional Protocol to CEDAW (1999)- 90 states
 Communications Procedure
 Inquiry Procedure
Convention on the Elimination of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)

16. 
Codifies Women’s Rights Abuses
 Abuse within the family
 War crimes against women
 Violation of women’s bodily integrity
 Socioeconomic abuses
 Political participation and persecution abuses
The Vienna Declaration and Program of Action

17. 1. Moving From Visibility to Accountability.
2. Bringing Women’s Rights into Mainstream
Human Rights.
3. Respecting Cultural Diversity While Promoting
Universal Human Rights.
Challenges to Women’s Human Rights Agenda

18. 
A lack of proper implementation machinery.

Lack of women’s awareness of that machinery that
would empower them.

CEDAW committee monitors compliance with the
conventions.

But has not yet declared any government in violation
of women’s human rights.

Very little litigation Nationally & internationally
concerning the violation of women’s human rights.
1. Moving From Visibility to Accountability

19. 
The long-term male domination of all-powerful
political bodies nationally and internationally
means that issues of concern to men are seen
as general human concern.

The creation of specialized bodies for addressing
women’s issues within the UN has contributed to
their marginalization.

The specialized bodies are under funded.
2.Bringing Women’s Rights into
Mainstream Human Rights

20. 
Claims for universality are rejected as imperialistic & a
way to uphold Western economic interests.

Cultural diversity and human rights must be balanced.

Cultural relativism is the notion that rights and wrong are
determined culturally.

When pressured about international HR, repressive
government often hide behind insincere claim of Cultural
relativism as a way to remove the pressure.
3.Respecting Cultural Diversity While
Promoting Universal Human Rights

21. Thank You