Search Results for: CEDAW

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against women (CDAW) Thursday found Spain responsible for “obstetric violence” after a woman who went to a public hospital was subjected to a caesarian section without her consent. In 2012, an unnamed Spanish national presented herself at a public hospital in Donostia, Spain while 38 weeks pregnant. [...]

Recently, Spain’s Parliament passed a new bill that seeks to make consent the determining factor in sexual assault cases, thus freeing victims from the burden of proving that they were intimidated, subjected to violence or that they physically resisted to show that they suffered a sexual assault. As per the Guarantee of Sexual Freedom law, [...]

This year, we are marking women’s day globally in the midst of new and intensifying conflicts from Ukraine to Syria; conflicts that exacerbate pre-existing patterns of discrimination against women and girls, exposing them to heightened risks of violations of their human rights. While contemporary wars affect civilians of all genders—as stated in UN Security Council [...]

Most people presumably would consider Afghanistan to be somewhat of a pariah—or even rogue—state when it comes to respect for human rights. But the truth is that Afghanistan is more entwined in international legal regimes than one would expect, meaning it’s also more subject to enforcement measures than one would expect. The so-called “International Bill [...]

Domestic violence cases have spiked worldwide during the pandemic. The situation is no different in Pakistan, where cultural and social factors further aggravate the crisis. Several studies show a substantial rise in domestic violence cases in Pakistan during the pandemic. Recently, Noor Mukadam, the daughter of Pakistan’s former ambassador to South Korea, was recently brutally [...]

Scottish lawmakers proposed a bill Friday that would incorporate four UN human rights treaties into Scottish law, offering children greater human rights protections in domestic courts. The bill is set to undergo parliamentary elections and would include the following UN conventions: the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESC), the Convention on the Elimination [...]

With the continuing pandemic – and expiring housing and unemployment benefits across the country – millions of people may have their utilities cut off soon. Meanwhile, at least 13 states currently have expired moratoriums on water shut-offs. Many notable COVID-19 hotspot states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma) never implemented any moratorium on utility shut-offs. For those facing [...]

On 22nd June 2020, the Indian High Court of the State of Karnataka while granting anticipatory bail to a person accused of rape, observed that it is “unbecoming of an Indian woman” to “fall asleep” after rape and that it is not the way “our women(Indian women) react” when they are “ravished”. The latter part [...]

In late June, findings from an investigation confirmed China’s compulsory sterilization of Uyghur women native to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in northwest China. Dr. Adrian Zenz, a senior fellow in Chinese studies at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, conducted research that indicates a significant decline in the birth rate of the Uyghur [...]

In a historic development concerning women’s rights, the Sudanese transitional government recently criminalized the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) and made it punishable by up to three years in prison. FGM is a deeply discriminatory practice which results in the partial or total removal of external female genitalia without any medical reasons. It violates [...]