Women's Human Rights Resources Database

This paper criticizes the post-2015 High Level Panel (HLP) report, arguing that it insufficiently addresses poverty, environmental degradation, and inequality around the world by over-emphasizing the role of the private sector. Concerned with the narrow visions of womens and girls' empowerment and gender equality in the report, AWID calls for a 1 structural transformation and the political will for change. AWID argues that there are shortcomings in the HLP report: failure to centralize women's rights and gender equality in every goal and outcome of the post-2015 agenda, failure to address multiple and intersecting inequalities, and failure to mention the need for financial economic justice and gender equality. The article concludes with eight recommendations that AWID argues decision-makers involved in the post-2015 and sustainable development goals process should consider as the agenda unfolds.

This report raises the issue of whether Canada's system of human rights protection rests too exclusively on civil and political rights. The particular focus in this article is on protecting social and economic rights under the Canadian Human Rights Act. The authors propose including economic and social rights in the Canadian Human Rights Act and argue that this is essential in order for women to hold governments accountable for their lack of access to these rights. The inclusion of economic and social rights within legislation would provide necessary guidance to the courts to ensure consistency in these cases. The paper includes an extensive review of domestic jurisprudence on economic and social rights. [Descriptors: Social and Economic Rights, Canada]

This document focuses on the need for a holistic approach to addressing poverty through human rights protection. The discussion begins with a review of the various human rights issues raised by poverty. The second part analyzes potential strategies for eradicating poverty, with a particular focus on the work of the United Nations (UN) Commission on the Status of Women in this regard. The document also considers related issues of ensuring the rights of women within development policy and protecting women from gender-based violence.

This paper begins with a review of various national and international mechanisms to enforce economic and social rights. The author discusses the implications of grounding human rights within the rule of law and outlines examples of national courts enforcing economic and social rights. The paper specifically examines the issue of protecting women in poverty, particularly when their rights to own property are limited by customary law. The paper also considers the means through which poverty is caused by discrimination and reviews some of the jurisprudence from national and regional courts on the issue of women's property rights. In conclusion, the author advocates for a holistic approach to poverty and human rights.

This 86 page report examines the issue of gender inequality and trade, noting the differential impact of trade policies on women and men. It considers recent trends in trade liberalization, and the effect of these measures on income distribution, poverty and female employment. Case studies of six developing countries are used to exemplify the issues. Chapter 4 analyses the mechanisms used to monitor and enforce international labour standards and human rights in the context of trade liberalization. The report concludes by identifying areas where more research is needed on the gender dimensions of trade and development.

This comprehensive report addresses economic, social and cultural rights both on a global level and within Canada. The Canadian section includes information on Government of Canada reports submitted to various United Nations (UN) bodies and the UN responses, including Canada's reports under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the subsequent concerns and recommendations of the UN treaty monitoring body. The report also summarizes reports by the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, with links to the full reports. The second part of the report includes summaries of Canadian legal cases which interpret the international law on economic and social rights. Several of these cases deal specifically with the human rights concerns of women. [Descriptors: Social and Economic Rights, Applying Human Rights Law - Domestic, Canada]

Musawah, a global movement of women and men who advocate for equality and justice in the Muslim family, prepared this report to summarize the findings of its CEDAW Project, which examined documents submitted by forty- four of the Muslim majority and minority countries that reported to CEDAW between 2005 and 2010. The report outlines the trends in justifications made by reporting Parties for their failures to implement CEDAW, with respect to family laws and practices. It concludes with recommendations to the Committee on strategies for achieving a more meaningful dialogue with relevant state Parties. Musawah for Equality in the Family, CEDAW and Muslim Family Laws: In Search of Common Ground (2011), online: .

This regional instrument of the Americas begins by recognizing the relationship between economic, social and cultural rights, and civil and political rights. The Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights provides for labour and solidarity rights, the rights to social security and health rights, the rights to food and education, the right to the benefits of culture, family rights, and rights of children, the elderly and persons with disabilities. The Protocol states that family care should be provided so that women can exercise a real opportunity to work and identifies maternity leave as an important element of social welfare.

The Montreal Principles, drafted at a meeting of international legal experts, set out the requirements needed to fulfill women's economic, social and cultural rights obligations. The text begins with a discussion of the connections between civil and political and economic, social and cultural rights and the particular implications for women in poverty. The particular elements of women's economic, social and cultural rights are identified with reference to the sources of these rights in international legal instruments. The document also outlines the principles of equality and non-discrimination and barriers to these principles. The articles outlines the role of states in protecting the economic and social rights of women and the implementation of mechanisms and remedies to enforce women's rights.

This report focuses on the economic and social dimensions of gender equality. It discusses how unequal outcomes for women and men persist despite significant achievements in womens rights - such as more girls enrolling in school, and more women working, getting elected and assuming leadership positions. Some of the current challenges and contradictions regarding women's social and economic position are examined. The report states that when economic and social policies are designed and implemented with a consideration of women, they are shown to contribute to stronger economies and more sustainable, gender-equal societies. It discusses substantive equality for women in relation to public policy and how to make social policy work for women. The paper also discusses the transformation of work for women's rights and the creation of an enabling macroeconomic environment.

This resolution of the United Nations (UN) Commission on Human Rights begins with the recognition of the importance of economic and social rights and how these rights are violated in cases of extreme poverty. The resolution also notes that special attention should be given to women who often bear the greatest burden of this poverty. The resolution advocates for national and international action to ensure the participation of vulnerable groups in addressing extreme poverty and points to the need for greater awareness within the UN system of this issue.

The Committee, in its concluding observations for the country report submitted by Sweden, expresses concern that the State party does not have a specific criminal offence for domestic violence. Also, despite the State party's efforts, most reports of violence against women are not prosecuted. The Committee recommends that the State party adopt specific legislation to criminalize domestic violence and increase efforts to prosecute offenders.

In this report, The Committee recognizes Cambodia's adoption of the Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence Protection of Victims, but expresses concern over the continuing high levels of violence against women and girls that is accompanied by gender-biased attitudes blaming the victim and limiting her options and support. The Committee recommends that Domestic Violence Law be strictly enforced and prosecuted and that the State party take steps to increase gender equality in all aspects of its law and policy. The Committee further requests a detailed update to follow in the State partys next periodic report.

General Comment 7 by the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights provides clarification on the right to adequate housing. Within the Comment, the Committee defines the term "forced evictions" and describes the extent of forced evictions globally. The Committee notes that the practice of forced evictions is linked to other human rights violations, such as the right to life, security of the person, non-interference with privacy, family and home and the right to the peaceful enjoyment of possessions. The comment specifically notes the vulnerability of women to forced evictions and links this to the persistent statutory discrimination of women's ownership of property.

This study examines the violence experienced by Indigenous girls, adolescents, and young women in Africa, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. It considers the structural and underlying causes and risk factors for such violence and provides an overview of the current initiatives taking place at a national level. The study focuses on the pervasiveness of violence against women and girls and how it relates to recognized human rights, such as the right to education and health. It also highlights the correlation between the high risk of violence to Indigenous women and the ongoing marginalization of Indigenous peoples. The study concludes that protection of Indigenous women's right to be free from violence is essential to a fulsome implementation of CEDAW, CRC, and UNDRIP.

This report discussed the ways in which gender-based discrimination intersects with discrimination based on other forms of "otherness", such as race, ethnicity, religion and economic status. The Special Rapporteur notes that prevailing conventions and laws have sometimes been narrowly interpreted to capture only discrimination or disempowerment that occurs along a single axis of power. Such narrow interpretations contravene the explicit scope of these conventions, laws and declarations that are intended to protect individuals from race and gender- based denial of rights. A specific example is provided in the form of the rights guaranteed by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which include instances of discrimination where gender intersects with other factors such as race.

In this report, the Human Rights Council (Council) proposes the adoption of a holistic framework to address multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination that contribute to violence against women. The report describes the forms of violence against women that prevail, addressing its consequences and providing three perspectives for understanding the causes (psychological/individual, feminist and societal). It then goes on to propose a holistic approach for conceptualizing and addressing violence against women based on the various interconnections between violence against women, its causes and consequences, and forms of discrimination. This approach considers human rights as universal, interdependent and indivisible. Situating violence against women on a continuum, it acknowledges the structural aspects and factors of discrimination and analyzes the social and/or economic hierarchies that exist between women and men and also among women. The report identifies critical issues to consider when adopting this holistic approach, including the right to an adequate standard of living, the right to education and to participate in cultural rights, civil and political rights, and finally womens right to self-determination.