THE CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN

Transcription

1 THE CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN For every child Helth, Eduction, Equlity, Protection ADVANCE HUMANITY

2 CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN 2 Premble 3 Prt I 5 Prt II 7 Prt III 8 Prt IV 11 Prt V 12 Prt VI 14 This pdf edition ws prepred for UNICEF Turkey by Design, lyout nd photogrphy UNICEF Turkey 2004 Photogrphy Cover Rn Mulln Contents pge Mustf Ertekin For every child Helth, Eduction, Equlity, Protection ADVANCE HUMANITY

3 CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN 3 Rn Mulln UNICEF Turkey 2004 Premble The Sttes Prties to the present Convention, Noting tht the Chrter of the United Ntions reffirms fith in fundmentl humn rights, in the dignity nd worth of the humn person nd in the equl rights of men nd women, Noting tht the Universl Declrtion of Humn Rights ffirms the principle of the indmissibility of discrimintion nd proclims tht ll humn beings re born free nd equl in dignity nd rights nd tht everyone is entitled to ll the rights nd freedoms set forth therein, without distinction of ny kind, including distinction bsed on sex, Noting tht the Sttes Prties to the Interntionl Covennts on Humn Rights hve the obligtion to ensure the equl rights of men nd women to enjoy ll economic, socil, culturl, civil nd politicl rights, Considering the interntionl conventions concluded under the uspices of the United Ntions nd the specilised gencies promoting equlity of rights of men nd women, Noting lso the resolutions, declrtions nd recommendtions dopted by the United Ntions nd the specilised gencies promoting equlity of rights of men nd women, Concerned, however, tht despite these vrious instruments extensive discrimintion ginst women continues to exist,

4 CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN 4 Reclling tht discrimintion ginst women violtes the principles of equlity of rights nd respect for humn dignity, is n obstcle to the prticiption of women, on equl terms with men, in the politicl, socil, economic nd culturl life of their countries, hmpers the growth of the prosperity of society nd the fmily nd mkes more difficult the full development of the potentilities of women in the service of their countries nd of humnity, Concerned tht in situtions of poverty women hve the lest ccess to food, helth, eduction, trining nd opportunities for employment nd other needs, Rn Mulln UNICEF Turkey 2004 Convinced tht the estblishment of the new interntionl economic order bsed on equity nd justice will contribute significntly towrds the promotion of equlity between men nd women, Emphsising tht the erdiction of prtheid, ll forms of rcism, rcil discrimintion, colonilism, neo colonilism, ggression, foreign occuption nd domintion nd interference in the internl ffirs of Sttes is essentil to the full enjoyment of the rights of men nd women, Affirming tht the strengthening of interntionl pece nd security, the relxtion of interntionl tension, mutul co opertion mong ll Sttes irrespective of their socil nd economic systems, generl nd complete disrmment, in prticulr nucler disrmment under strict nd effective interntionl control, the ffirmtion of the principles of justice, equlity nd mutul benefit in reltions mong countries nd the relistion of the right of peoples under lien nd colonil domintion nd foreign occuption to self determintion nd independence, s well s respect for ntionl sovereignty nd territoril integrity, will promote socil progress nd development nd s consequence will contribute to the ttinment of full equlity between men nd women, Convinced tht the full nd complete development of country, the welfre of the world nd the cuse of pece require the mximum prticiption of women on equl terms with men in ll fields, Bering in mind the gret contribution of women to the welfre of the fmily nd to the development of society, so fr not fully recognised, the socil significnce of mternity nd the role of both prents in the fmily nd in the upbringing of children, nd wre tht the role of women in procretion should not be bsis for discrimintion but tht the upbringing of children requires shring of responsibility between men nd women nd society s whole, Awre tht chnge in the trditionl role of men s well s the role of women in society nd in the fmily is needed to chieve full equlity between men nd women, Determined to implement the principles set forth in the Declrtion on the Elimintion of Discrimintion ginst Women nd, for tht purpose, to dopt the mesures required for the elimintion of such discrimintion in ll its forms nd mnifesttions, Hve greed on the following:

5 CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN 5 PART I Article I Article 2 For the purposes of the present Convention, the term discrimintion ginst women shll men ny distinction, exclusion or restriction mde on the bsis of sex which hs the effect or purpose of impiring or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their mritl sttus, on bsis of equlity of men nd women, of humn rights nd fundmentl freedoms in the politicl, economic, socil, culturl, civil or ny other field. Sttes Prties condemn discrimintion ginst women in ll its forms, gree to pursue by ll pproprite mens nd without dely policy of eliminting discrimintion ginst women nd, to this end, undertke: Rn Mulln UNICEF Turkey 2004 To embody the principle of the equlity of men nd women in their ntionl constitutions or other pproprite legisltion if not yet incorported therein nd to ensure, through lw nd other pproprite mens, the prcticl relistion of this principle; b To dopt pproprite legisltive nd other mesures, including snctions where pproprite, prohibiting ll discrimintion ginst women; c To estblish legl protection of the rights of women on n equl bsis with men nd to ensure through competent ntionl tribunls nd other public institutions the effective protection of women ginst ny ct of discrimintion; d To refrin from engging in ny ct or prctice of discrimintion ginst women nd to ensure tht public uthorities nd institutions shll ct in conformity with this obligtion; e f To tke ll pproprite mesures to eliminte discrimintion ginst women by ny person, orgnistion or enterprise; To tke ll pproprite mesures, including legisltion, to modify or bolish existing lws, regultions, customs nd prctices which constitute discrimintion ginst women; g To repel ll ntionl penl provisions which constitute discrimintion ginst women. Article 3 Sttes Prties shll tke in ll fields, in prticulr in the politicl, socil, economic nd culturl fields, ll pproprite mesures, including legisltion, to en sure the full development nd dvncement of women, for the purpose of gurnteeing them the exercise nd enjoyment of humn rights nd fundmentl freedoms on bsis of equlity with men.

6 CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN 6 Article 4 1 Adoption by Sttes Prties of temporry specil mesures imed t ccelerting de fcto equlity between men nd women shll not be considered discrimintion s defined in the present Convention, but shll in no wy entil s consequence the mintennce of unequl or seprte stndrds; these mesures shll be discontinued when the objectives of equlity of opportunity nd tretment hve been chieved. 2 Adoption by Sttes Prties of specil mesures, including those mesures contined in the present Convention, imed t protecting mternity shll not be considered discrimintory. Article 5 Sttes Prties shll tke ll pproprite mesures: To modify the socil nd culturl ptterns of conduct of men nd women, with view to chieving the elimintion of prejudices nd customry nd ll other prctices which re bsed on the ide of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men nd women; b To ensure tht fmily eduction includes proper understnding of mternity s socil function nd the recognition of the common responsibility of men nd women in the upbringing nd development of their children, it being understood tht the interest of the children is the primordil considertion in ll cses. Article 6 Sttes Prties shll tke ll pproprite mesures, including legisltion, to suppress ll forms of trffic in women nd exploittion of prostitution of women. Rn Mulln UNICEF Turkey 2004

7 CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN 7 Rn Mulln UNICEF Turkey 2004 PART II Article 7 Sttes Prties shll tke ll pproprite mesures to eliminte discrimintion ginst women in politicl nd public life of the country nd, in prticulr, shll ensure to women, on equl terms with men, the right: To vote in ll elections nd public referend nd to be eligible for election to ll publicly elected bodies; b To prticipte in the formultion of government policy nd the implementtion thereof nd to hold public office nd perform ll public functions t ll levels of government; c To prticipte in non governmentl orgnistions nd ssocitions concerned with the public nd politicl life of the country. Article 8 Sttes Prties shll tke ll pproprite mesures to ensure to women, on equl terms with men nd without ny discrimintion, the opportunity to represent their Governments t the interntionl level nd to prticipte in the work of interntionl orgnistions. Article 9 1 Sttes Prties shll grnt women equl rights with men to cquire, chnge or retin their ntionlity. They shll ensure in prticulr tht neither mrrige to n lien nor chnge of ntionlity by the husbnd during mrrige shll utomticlly chnge the ntionlity of the wife, render her stteless or force upon her the ntionlity of the husbnd. 2 Sttes Prties shll grnt women equl rights with men with respect to the ntionlity of their children.

8 CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN 8 PART III Article 10 Sttes Prties shll tke ll pproprite mesures to eliminte discrimintion ginst women in order to ensure to them equl rights with men in the field of eduction nd in prticulr to ensure, on bsis of equlity of men nd women: The sme conditions for creer nd voctionl guidnce, for ccess to studies nd for the chievement of diploms in eductionl estblishments of ll ctegories in rurl s well s in urbn res; this equlity shll be ensured in pre school, generl, technicl, professionl nd higher technicl eduction, s well s in ll types of voctionl trining; b Access to the sme curricul, the sme exmintions, teching stff with qulifictions of the sme stndrd nd school premises nd equipment of the sme qulity; c The elimintion of ny stereotyped concept of the roles of men nd women t ll levels nd in ll forms of eduction by encourging coeduction nd other types of eduction which will help to chieve this im nd, in prticulr, by the revision of textbooks nd school progrmmes nd the dpttion of teching methods; Rn Mulln UNICEF Turkey 2004 d The sme opportunities to benefit from scholrships nd other study grnts; e f The sme opportunities for ccess to progrmmes of continuing eduction, including dult nd functionl litercy progrmmes, prticulrly those imed t reducing, t the erliest possible time, ny gp in eduction existing between men nd women; The reduction of femle student drop out rtes nd the orgnistion of progrmmes for girls nd women who hve left school premturely; g The sme Opportunities to prticipte ctively in sports nd physicl eduction; h Access to specific eductionl informtion to help to ensure the helth nd well being of fmilies, including informtion nd dvice on fmily plnning.

9 CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN 9 Article 11 1 Sttes Prties shll tke ll pproprite mesures to eliminte discrimintion ginst women in the field of employment in order to ensure, on bsis of equlity of men nd women, the sme rights, in prticulr: The right to work s n inlienble right of ll humn beings; b The right to the sme employment opportunities, including the ppliction of the sme criteri for selection in mtters of employment; c The right to free choice of profession nd employment, the right to promotion, job security nd ll benefits nd conditions of service nd the right to receive voctionl trining nd retrining, including pprenticeships, dvnced voctionl trining nd recurrent trining; Rn Mulln UNICEF Turkey 2004 d The right to equl remunertion, including benefits, nd to equl tretment in respect of work of equl vlue, s well s equlity of tretment in the evlution of the qulity of work; e f The right to socil security, prticulrly in cses of retirement, unemployment, sickness, invlidity nd old ge nd other incpcity to work, s well s the right to pid leve; The right to protection of helth nd to sfety in working conditions, including the sfegurding of the function of reproduction. 2 In order to prevent discrimintion ginst women on the grounds of mrrige or mternity nd to ensure their effective right to work, Sttes Prties shll tke pproprite mesures: To prohibit, subject to the imposition of snctions, dismissl on the grounds of pregnncy or of mternity leve nd discrimintion in dismissls on the bsis of mritl sttus; b To introduce mternity leve with py or with comprble socil benefits without loss of former employment, seniority or socil llownces; c To encourge the provision of the necessry supporting socil services to enble prents to combine fmily obligtions with work responsibilities nd prticiption in public life, in prticulr through promoting the estblishment nd development of network of child cre fcilities; d To provide specil protection to women during pregnncy in types of work proved to be hrmful to them. 3 Protective legisltion relting to mtters covered in this rticle shll be reviewed periodiclly in the light of scientific nd technologicl knowledge nd shll be revised, repeled or extended s necessry.

10 CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN10 Article 12 1 Sttes Prties shll tke ll pproprite mesures to eliminte discrimintion ginst women in the field of helth cre in order to ensure, on bsis of equlity of men nd women, ccess to helth cre services, including those relted to fmily plnning. 2 Notwithstnding the provisions of prgrph I of this rticle, Sttes Prties shll ensure to women pproprite services in connection with pregnncy, confinement nd the post ntl period, grnting free services where necessry, s well s dequte nutrition during pregnncy nd lcttion. Article 13 Sttes Prties shll tke ll pproprite mesures to eliminte discrimintion ginst women in other res of economic nd socil life in order to ensure, on bsis of equlity of men nd women, the sme rights, in prticulr: The right to fmily benefits; b The right to bnk lons, mortgges nd other forms of finncil credit; c The right to prticipte in recretionl ctivities, sports nd ll spects of culturl life. Article 14 1 Sttes Prties shll tke into ccount the prticulr problems fced by rurl women nd the significnt roles which rurl women ply in the economic survivl of their fmilies, including their work in the non monetized sectors of the economy, nd shll tke ll pproprite mesures to ensure the ppliction of the provisions of the present Convention to women in rurl res. 2 Sttes Prties shll tke ll pproprite mesures to eliminte discrimintion ginst women in rurl res in order to ensure, on bsis of equlity of men nd women, tht they prticipte in nd benefit from rurl development nd, in prticulr, shll ensure to such women the right: To prticipte in the elbortion nd implementtion of development plnning t ll levels; b To hve ccess to dequte helth cre fcilities, including informtion, counselling nd services in fmily plnning; c To benefit directly from socil security progrmmes; d To obtin ll types of trining nd eduction, forml nd non forml, including tht relting to functionl litercy, s well s, inter li, the benefit of ll community nd extension services, in order to increse their technicl proficiency; e f To orgnise self help groups nd co opertives in order to obtin equl ccess to economic opportunities through employment or self employment; To prticipte in ll community ctivities; g To hve ccess to griculturl credit nd lons, mrketing fcilities, pproprite technology nd equl tretment in lnd nd grrin reform s well s in lnd resettlement schemes; h To enjoy dequte living conditions, prticulrly in reltion to housing, snittion, electricity nd wter supply, trnsport nd communictions.

11 CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN11 PART IV Article 15 1 Sttes Prties shll ccord to women equlity with men before the lw. 2 Sttes Prties shll ccord to women, in civil mtters, legl cpcity identicl to tht of men nd the sme opportunities to exercise tht cpcity. In prticulr, they shll give women equl rights to conclude contrcts nd to dminister property nd shll tret them eqully in ll stges of procedure in courts nd tribunls. 3Sttes Prties gree tht ll contrcts nd ll other privte instruments of ny kind with legl effect which is directed t restricting the legl cpcity of women shll be deemed null nd void. Rn Mulln UNICEF Turkey Sttes Prties shll ccord to men nd women the sme rights with regrd to the lw relting to the movement of persons nd the freedom to choose their residence nd domicile. Article 16 1 Sttes Prties shll tke ll pproprite mesures to eliminte discrimintion ginst women in ll mtters relting to mrrige nd fmily reltions nd in prticulr shll ensure, on bsis of equlity of men nd women: The sme right to enter into mrrige; b The sme right freely to choose spouse nd to enter into mrrige only with their free nd full consent; c The sme rights nd responsibilities during mrrige nd t its dissolution; d The sme rights nd responsibilities s prents, irrespective of their mritl sttus, in mtters relting to their children; in ll cses the interests of the children shll be prmount; e f The sme rights to decide freely nd responsibly on the number nd spcing of their children nd to hve ccess to the informtion, eduction nd mens to enble them to exercise these rights; The sme rights nd responsibilities with regrd to gurdinship, wrdship, trusteeship nd doption of children, or similr institutions where these concepts exist in ntionl legisltion; in ll cses the interests of the children shll be prmount; g The sme personl rights s husbnd nd wife, including the right to choose fmily nme, profession nd n occuption; h The sme rights for both spouses in respect of the ownership, cquisition, mngement, dministrtion, enjoyment nd disposition of property, whether free of chrge or for vluble considertion. 2 The betrothl nd the mrrige of child shll hve no legl effect, nd ll necessry ction, including legisltion, shll be tken to specify minimum ge for mrrige nd to mke the registrtion of mrriges in n officil registry compulsory.

12 CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN12 PART V Article 17 1 For the purpose of considering the progress mde in the implementtion of the present Convention, there shll be estblished Committee on the Elimintion of Discrimintion ginst Women (hereinfter referred to s the Committee) consisting, t the time of entry into force of the Convention, of eighteen nd, fter rtifiction of or ccession to the Convention by the thirty fifth Stte Prty, of twenty three experts of high morl stnding nd competence in the field covered by the Convention. The experts shll be elected by Sttes Prties from mong their ntionls nd shll serve in their personl cpcity, considertion being given to equitble geogrphicl distribution nd to the representtion of the different forms of civilistion s well s the principl legl systems. 2 The members of the Committee shll be elected by secret bllot from list of persons nominted by Sttes Prties. Ech Stte Prty my nominte one person from mong its own ntionls. 3 The initil election shll be held six months fter the dte of the entry into force of the present Convention. At lest three months before the dte of ech election the Secretry Generl of the United Ntions shll ddress letter to the Sttes Prties inviting them to submit their nomintions within two months. The Secretry Generl shll prepre list in lphbeticl order of ll persons thus nominted, indicting the Sttes Prties which hve nominted them, nd shll submit it to the Sttes Prties. Mustf Ertekin UNICEF Turkey Elections of the members of the Committee shll be held t meeting of Sttes Prties convened by the Secretry Generl t United Ntions Hedqurters. At tht meeting, for which two thirds of the Sttes Prties shll constitute quorum, the persons elected to the Committee shll be those nominees who obtin the lrgest number of votes nd n bsolute mjority of the votes of the representtives of Sttes Prties present nd voting. 5 The members of the Committee shll be elected for term of four yers. However, the terms of nine of the members elected t the first election shll expire t the end of two yers; immeditely fter the first election the nmes of these nine members shll be chosen by lot by the Chirmn of the Committee. 6 The election of the five dditionl members of the Committee shll be held in ccordnce with the provisions of prgrphs 2, 3 nd 4 of this rticle, following the thirty fifth rtifiction or ccession. The terms of two of the dditionl members elected on this occsion shll expire t the end of two yers, the nmes of these two members hving been chosen by lot by the Chirmn of the Committee. 7 For the filling of csul vcncies, the Stte Prty whose expert hs cesed to function s member of the Committee shll ppoint nother expert from mong its ntionls, subject to the pprovl of the Committee. 8 The members of the Committee shll, with the pprovl of the Generl Assembly, receive emoluments from United Ntions resources on such terms nd conditions s the Assembly my decide, hving regrd to the importnce of the Committee s responsibilities. 9 The Secretry Generl of the United Ntions shll provide the necessry stff nd fcilities for the effective performnce of the functions of the Committee under the present Convention.

13 CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN13 Rn Mulln UNICEF Turkey 2004 Article 18 1 Sttes Prties undertke to submit to the Secretry Generl of the United Ntions, for considertion by the Committee, report on the legisltive, judicil, dministrtive or other mesures which they hve dopted to give effect to the provisions of the present Convention nd on the progress mde in this respect: Within one yer fter the entry into force for the Stte concerned; b Therefter t lest every four yers nd further whenever the Committee so requests. 2 Reports my indicte fctors nd difficulties ffecting the degree of fulfilment of obligtions under the present Convention. Article 19 1 The Committee shll dopt its own rules of procedure. 2 The Committee shll elect its officers for term of two yers. Article 20 1 The Committee shll normlly meet for period of not more thn two weeks nnully in order to consider the reports submitted in ccordnce with rticle 18 of the present Convention. 2 The meetings of the Committee shll normlly be held t United Ntions Hedqurters or t ny other convenient plce s determined by the Committee. (mendment, sttus of rtifiction) Article 21 1 The Committee shll, through the Economic nd Socil Council, report nnully to the Generl Assembly of the United Ntions on its ctivities nd my mke suggestions nd generl recommendtions bsed on the exmintion of reports nd informtion received from the Sttes Prties. Such suggestions nd generl recommendtions shll be included in the report of the Committee together with comments, if ny, from Sttes Prties. 2 The Secretry Generl of the United Ntions shll trnsmit the reports of the Committee to the Commission on the Sttus of Women for its informtion.

14 CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN14 Article 22 The specilised gencies shll be entitled to be represented t the considertion of the implementtion of such provisions of the present Convention s fll within the scope of their ctivities. The Committee my invite the specilised gencies to submit reports on the implementtion of the Convention in res flling within the scope of their ctivities. PART VI Article 23 Nothing in the present Convention shll ffect ny provisions tht re more conducive to the chievement of equlity between men nd women which my be contined: In the legisltion of Stte Prty; or b In ny other interntionl convention, trety or greement in force for tht Stte. Article 24 Sttes Prties undertke to dopt ll necessry mesures t the ntionl level imed t chieving the full relistion of the rights recognised in the present Convention. Article 25 1 The present Convention shll be open for signture by ll Sttes. 2 The Secretry Generl of the United Ntions is designted s the depositry of the present Convention. 3 The present Convention is subject to rtifiction. Instruments of rtifiction shll be deposited with the Secretry Generl of the United Ntions. 4 The present Convention shll be open to ccession by ll Sttes. Accession shll be effected by the deposit of n instrument of ccession with the Secretry Generl of the United Ntions. Article 26 1 A request for the revision of the present Convention my be mde t ny time by ny Stte Prty by mens of notifiction in writing ddressed to the Secretry Generl of the United Ntions. 2 The Generl Assembly of the United Ntions shll decide upon the steps, if ny, to be tken in respect of such request. Article 27 1 The present Convention shll enter into force on the thirtieth dy fter the dte of deposit with the Secretry Generl of the United Ntions of the twentieth instrument of rtifiction or ccession 2 For ech Stte rtifying the present Convention or cceding to it fter the deposit of the twentieth instrument of rtifiction or ccession, the Convention shll enter into force on the thirtieth dy fter the dte of the deposit of its own instrument of rtifiction or ccession. Article 28 1 The Secretry Generl of the United Ntions shll receive nd circulte to ll Sttes the text of reservtions mde by Sttes t the time of rtifiction or ccession. 2 A reservtion incomptible with the object nd purpose of the present Convention shll not be permitted. 3 Reservtions my be withdrwn t ny time by notifiction to this effect ddressed to the Secretry Generl of the United Ntions, who shll then inform ll Sttes thereof. Such notifiction shll tke effect on the dte on which it is received.

15 CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN15 Article 29 1 Any dispute between two or more Sttes Prties concerning the interprettion or ppliction of the present Convention which is not settled by negotition shll, t the request of one of them, be submitted to rbitrtion. If within six months from the dte of the request for rbitrtion the prties re unble to gree on the orgnistion of the rbitrtion, ny one of those prties my refer the dispute to the Interntionl Court of Justice by request in conformity with the Sttute of the Court. 2 Ech Stte Prty my t the time of signture or rtifiction of the present Convention or ccession thereto declres tht it does not consider itself bound by prgrph I of this rticle. The other Sttes Prties shll not be bound by tht prgrph with respect to ny Stte Prty which hs mde such reservtion. 3 Any Stte Prty which hs mde reservtion in ccordnce with prgrph 2 of this rticle my t ny time withdrw tht reservtion by notifiction to the Secretry Generl of the United Ntions. Article 30 The present Convention, the Arbic, Chinese, English, French, Russin nd Spnish texts of which re eqully uthentic, shll be deposited with the Secretry Generl of the United Ntions. In witness whereof the undersigned, duly uthorised, hve signed the present Convention. Rn Mulln UNICEF Turkey 2004

16 THE CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN The Convention on the Elimintion of All Forms of Discrimintion ginst Women (CEDAW), dopted in 1979 by the UN Generl Assembly, is often described s n interntionl bill of rights for women. The Convention defines discrimintion ginst women s ny distinction, exclusion or restriction mde on the bsis of sex which hs the effect or purpose of impiring or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their mritl sttus, on bsis of equlity of men nd women, of humn rights nd fundmentl freedoms in the politicl, economic, socil, culturl, civil or ny other field. This portble document formt edition of the full text is published by: UNICEF Turkey, Birlik Mhllesi, 2. Cdde, No 11, Çnky, Turkey Telephone: +90 (0) Fcsimile: +90 (0)