50 Years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and The Rights of Women in Africa

This article asks how the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) has affected the rights of women, especially women in Africa. The article argues that the contributions of women to the economic lives of their communities are still not given the recognition deserved and the human rights movement has failed to give women's human rights the attention and priority that they require. The article mentions the cluster of treaties that have been adopted since the UDHR, but emphasizes that it was not until the United Nations Conference on Human Rights in Vienna (1993) that a resolution was adopted recognizing women's rights as human rights. The article concludes that this recognition came about only as a result of a massive campaign by the women's rights movement worldwide. [Descriptors: Applying Human Rights Law - International, International]