Guidelines for writing on women’s economic, social and cultural rights in shadow reports
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Source: ESCR-net http://www.escr-net.org . Published on Wed, 2010-10-27 07:26
Source: ESCR-net NGO alternative or shadow reporting within the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) can be strategically utilized to increase awareness on the rights and obligations contained in the treaties and promote integration of all women’s human rights. To encourage NGO participation, ESCR-Net and the International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW Asia Pacific) elaborated this practical guide for successful reporting within these two instruments. Women from around the world are increasingly recognizing how essential economic, social and cultural rights are to achieving gender equality and the full realization of women’s human rights. Throughout the world, women make significant contributions to the economy and labour market through their paid and unpaid work in the public and private spheres. However, globally, women represent approximately 70% of the global poor and 60% of the working poor,and disproportionately suffer when economic, social and cultural rights are not fulfilled. The feminization of poverty has reinforced women’s political, economic and social inequality in all regions. In today’s economy, gender inequality remains a significant issue as evidenced by the increasing poverty and economic exploitation of women and their concentration in the informal labor sector. As a result of this situation, there is a pressing need to improve understanding, recognition and implementation of women’s economic, social and cultural rights as integral to and indivisible from civil and political rights. Furthermore, it is crucial that women are able to access justice and bring international visibility to these issues as a means to enforce women’s human rights both domestically and internationally. Both the CEDAW and ESCR Committees have recognized the need for a greater integration of women’s rights and economic social and cultural rights in their processes. Equally, the shadow reporting for CEDAW and ICESCR to date have contained limited analysis of the integration of women’s rights with economic, social and cultural rights. The aim of this guide is to provide assistance for individuals and organisations who are working within the shadow reporting processes of CEDAW and ICESCR to incorporate information on women’s rights related dimensions of economic, social and cultural rights in the shadow reports for both processes. The guide provides clarity on how NGOs should package information to ensure a more effective impact on the review process and in a way that is useful for the CEDAW and ESCR Committee. It also contained information about how to most effectively use the review process and the outcomes of the review (the recommendations contained in the Concluding Observations) to effect change nationally. Download the complete guideline here: |
