Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
Encyclopedia
The Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women is a human rights
proclamation issued by the United Nations General Assembly
, outlining that body's views on women's rights
. It was adopted by the General Assembly on 7 November 1967. The Declaration was an important precursor to the legally binding Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
.
, with a preamble followed by eleven articles.
Article 1 declares that discrimination against women is "fundamentally unjust and constitutes an offence against human dignity". "Discrimination" is not defined.
Article 2 calls for the abolition of laws and customs which discriminate against women, for equality under the law to be recognised, and for states to ratify and implement existing UN human rights instruments against discrimination.
Article 3 calls for public education to eliminate prejudice
against women.
Article 4 calls for women to enjoy full electoral rights, including the right to vote and the right to seek and hold public office.
Article 5 calls for women to have the same rights as men to change their nationality
.
Article 6 calls for women to enjoy full equality in civil law
, particularly around marriage and divorce
, and calls for child marriages tobe outlawed.
Article 7 calls for the elimination of gender discrimination in criminal punishment.
Article 8 calls on states to combat all forms of traffic in women and exploitation of prostitution
of women.
Article 9 afforms an equal right to education
regardless of gender.
Article 10 calls for equal rights in the workplace, including non-discrimination in employment, equal pay for equal work
, and paid maternity leave.
Article 11 calls on states to implement the principles of the Declaration.
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
proclamation issued by the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
, outlining that body's views on women's rights
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
. It was adopted by the General Assembly on 7 November 1967. The Declaration was an important precursor to the legally binding Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women is an international convention adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly....
.
Summary
The Declaration follows the structure of the Universal Declaration of Human RightsUniversal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
, with a preamble followed by eleven articles.
Article 1 declares that discrimination against women is "fundamentally unjust and constitutes an offence against human dignity". "Discrimination" is not defined.
Article 2 calls for the abolition of laws and customs which discriminate against women, for equality under the law to be recognised, and for states to ratify and implement existing UN human rights instruments against discrimination.
Article 3 calls for public education to eliminate prejudice
Prejudice
Prejudice is making a judgment or assumption about someone or something before having enough knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy, or "judging a book by its cover"...
against women.
Article 4 calls for women to enjoy full electoral rights, including the right to vote and the right to seek and hold public office.
Article 5 calls for women to have the same rights as men to change their nationality
Nationality
Nationality is membership of a nation or sovereign state, usually determined by their citizenship, but sometimes by ethnicity or place of residence, or based on their sense of national identity....
.
Article 6 calls for women to enjoy full equality in civil law
Civil law
Civil law may refer to:* Civil law , a branch of continental law which is the general part of private law* Civil law , a branch of common law dealing with relations between individuals or organizations...
, particularly around marriage and divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
, and calls for child marriages tobe outlawed.
Article 7 calls for the elimination of gender discrimination in criminal punishment.
Article 8 calls on states to combat all forms of traffic in women and exploitation of prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
of women.
Article 9 afforms an equal right to education
Right to education
The right to education is a universal entitlement to education, a right that is recognized as a human right. According to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights the right to education includes the right to free, compulsory primary education for all, an obligation to...
regardless of gender.
Article 10 calls for equal rights in the workplace, including non-discrimination in employment, equal pay for equal work
Equal pay for equal work
Equal pay for equal work is the concept that individuals doing the same work should receive the same remuneration. In America, for example, the law states that "employers may not pay unequal wages to men and women who perform jobs that require substantially equal skill, effort and responsibility,...
, and paid maternity leave.
Article 11 calls on states to implement the principles of the Declaration.
See also
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against WomenConvention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against WomenThe Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women is an international convention adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly....
- Women's rightsWomen's rightsWomen's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...