Days of general discussion DGD

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
  1. Advocacy for Inclusion
  2. Alliance Defending Freedom
  3. Amnesty International
  4. Andalucia ACOGE
  5. ASF
  6. Association des Femmes Juristes du Tchad, member of International Women Alliance
  7. Aurat Foundation and War Against Rape
  8. Ban Ying Conseling and Coordination Center against Trafficking in Persons
  9. Cambodian Defenders Project
  10. Canadian Human Rights Commission
  11. Center for Reproductive Rights
  12. CLADEM
  13. Conseil National des Droits de l'Homme
  14. Corporación Humanas
  15. DNI Costa Rica
  16. Equality Now
  17. European Group of National Human Rights Institutions
  18. FAO
  19. FIAN International
  20. FIZ
  21. Global Action to Prevent War
  22. Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children
  23. Global Justice Center
  24. Greek National Commission for Human Rights
  25. Harm Reduction International
  26. Human Rights Watch
  27. ICJ
  28. ICJ-FES
  29. IGLHRC MADRE
  30. ILO
  31. Immigrant Council of Ireland
  32. International Dalit Solidarity Network
  33. International Disability Alliance
  34. International Women's Development Agency
  35. Ipas
  36. IWRAW Asia Pacific
  37. Jeanne Sarson & Linda MacDonald
  38. Joint NGO submission on Domestic Workers of Diplomats
  39. KARAT Coalition
  40. Minority Rights Group International
  41. PAHRA & PCCRPD
  42. Penal Reform International
  43. Platform International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants
  44. Priests for Life
  45. SIHA & REDRESS
  46. South African Statement
  47. Spanish General Council for the Judiciary
  48. UNHCR & Annex
  49. UNICEF
  50. UNODC
  51. UN Women, Executive Summary & Report
  52. UK Women's Resource Center
  53. WESCR Working Group
  54. Widows for peace through democracy
  55. Women Enabled, Inc.
  56. Women's Legal and Human Rights Bureau
  57. Women's Legal Services NSW
Keynote speakers presentations*
  1. Ms. Simone Cusack
  2. Ms. Frances Raday
  3. Ms. Shaheen Sardar Ali
  4. Ms. Magdalena Sepulveda Carmona
  5. Ms. Karen Vertido
Oral interventions by stakeholders
  1. Joint Nordic Statement (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden)
  2. Permanent Mission of Argentina
  3. Permanent Mission of Switzerland
  4. Permanent Mission of Australia
  5. Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka
  6. Permanent Mission of Slovenia
  7. Permanent Mission of Brazil
  8. UNHCR
  9. IWRAW Asia Pacific
  10. Widows for Peace
  11. International Disability Alliance
  12. REDRESS and Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa
  13. Amnesty International
  14. Avocats Sans Frontières
  15. Center for Reproductive Rights
  16. International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission
  17. 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.

Tags