Enforcing the Human Rights of Women: A Complaints Procedure for the Women's Convention

"In recent years, calls have been made, particularly from within the non-governmental organization community, to strengthen the mechanisms which currently exist for the protection and enforcement of the human rights of women. One of the demands made is that the Women's Convention be strengthened by the addition of a complaints mechanism, in the form of an optional protocol, which would allow individual women to bring complaints before the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. Moves to elaborate a complaints procedure for the Convention have gained considerable momentum over the last few years and the eventual adoption of an optional protocol incorporating such a procedure seems likely. In this article we examine the background to demands for such an optional protocol and its desirability and feasibility. We consider the major legal issues that might arise in the elaboration of such a protocol and the form it might take. We also review current proposals for such a protocol." [Article Abstract.] [Please Note: An Optional Protocol to the Women's Convention was adopted by the General Assembly in 1999 and came into force in December 2000.]