Press Conference by Vice-Chair of Committee on the Elimination

 

of Discrimination against Women

 

With the prevalence of discrimination and violence against women rising around the world, all States must become parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and its Optional Protocol, to ensure the dignity and respect that women worldwide deserved, Zou Xiaoqiao, Vice-Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, stressed today.

Speaking at a Headquarters press conference, Ms. Zou described the Convention, which entered into force in 1979, as “the most comprehensive treaty on women’s human rights”, noting that it had established legally-binding obligations to eliminate discrimination based on sex and gender.  There were currently 186 States parties to the instrument, six fewer than the 192 Member States of the United Nations.

“We still have a long way to go to achieve universal ratification,” she said, appealing to States that were not yet parties — including the United States, Iran and Sudan — to ratify the treaty, including its Optional Protocol, as soon as possible.  The Committee, established in 1992 to monitor implementation of the Convention, had made significant progress towards reducing discrimination and violence against women globally, she said, noting, however, that negative stereotyping and discriminatory legislation continued to hinder concrete progress in several countries.

According to “very disturbing” global trends cited in a new report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Ms. Zou said, at least one in every three women had been beaten, coerced into sex, or abused in some other way, usually by an intimate partner or family member.  Women continued to be raped or forced into unprotected sex with impunity, increasing their risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.  More than 2 million young girls between the ages of 5 and 15 were introduced into the commercial sex market each year.  Moreover, community or family “honour” killings were taking the lives of thousands of young women.

Underscoring the Committee’s firm commitment to ending all forms of discrimination and violence against women, Ms. Zou called upon States parties to honour their obligations under the Convention and adopt affirmative action and measures to that end.  She welcomed the creation of UN Women, saying the Committee looked forward to building strong links and cooperation with the new gender entity.

Asked whether some continents were faring better than others in promoting gender equality, as indicated in a World Economic Forum report, she said some countries and regions had seen “unbalanced” progress in implementing the Convention and promoting gender equality.  During its consideration of country reports, the Committee had discovered that discriminatory legislation was a major deterrent to compliance.

She went on to point out that some countries had “perfect legislation” to protect women, while others enacted discriminatory laws which prevented women from enjoying their rights.  It was for that reason that the Committee called for affirmative action, including reform of discriminatory legislation.  It also encouraged States parties to take temporary special measures to involve more women in decision-making processes.

Asked why sexual violence against women was on the rise, she cited several different reasons, saying that in some countries, stereotypes were deeply rooted and women were considered objects.  Incidents of sexual violence against women, especially in situations of armed conflict, were often politically charged.  The Committee had therefore started discussing, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), general recommendations for women in such situations.

In response to a question about deadlines for implementing the Convention, she said there were none, adding that when a country ratified the treaty, it inherently committed itself to implementation.  States parties were required to submit a country report to the Committee every four years, highlighting any measures taken to counter discrimination.  Several countries had never submitted reports, in which case the Committee would consider a particular situation without a formal report, but urge the State party to send a representative to the meeting.

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For information media • not an official record