In its introduction, this document provides an overview of what the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is, describes the CEDAW Committee and how it works to enforce CEDAW, summarizes CEDAW's articles, and lists countries that have and have not ratified CEDAW. After describing the status of CEDAW in the United States, the authors outline the impact that CEDAW has had on numerous issues pertinent to women, including violence, education, trafficking, HIV/AIDS, terrorism and peace.