Woman of the World - Preface

Woman of the World -

Know Your International Human Rights

• Preface
• What are human rights?
• What is the United Nations?
• The UN: Protecting the rights of woman
• What is CEDAW
• Australia's signing of CEDAW
• A guide to the rights in CEDAW
• CEDAW and the Sex Discrimination Act
• The Optional Protocol to CEDAW
• What about Beijing?
• What can you do: The public sphere
• What can you do: Private actions

Australia is a great place to live. Like every other nation in the world, however we still have issues of concern.

When we were discussing our problems and our goals we often don't think in terms of human rights. Yet human rights issues are embedded in many facets of our lives as women.

If we think of human rights at all, we often congratulate ourselves on the fact that our human rights as women in Australia are secure. Many of us consider that human rights violations are matters for others, and representatives in the United Nations who deal with violations in other countries.

There are problems with each of these notions.

In reality, human rights affect each of us in our daily lives, for example, rights relating to fair and equal remuneration, discrimination and sexual harassment at work and the choices of career or work that are open to us as women. When we make decisions about whether to have children, about the nature of our family, and the level of national support for our decisions, we are dealing in the realm of human rights.

We are indeed fortunate in Australia to enjoy the level of protection of human rights that we do. However, there remain areas where more work needs to be done to secure the realisation of our rights as women.

Finally, it is important to remember that there are no fences around Australia - we are part of a global community and we are women of the world.

This package has been designed to assist women in australia to understand the human rights parameters of our lives and think about the lives of other women around the world. It is intended to educate and assist women who are interested in working to promote and secure human rights.

The Convention on the elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is one of the main tools that women have to do this work. CEDAW deals with discrimination on the grounds of sex, marital status, pregnancy and maternity. It provides women with the right to participate equally with men in public, civil, economic and social life. It obliges governments to take specific and positive steps to secure and protect the rights of women.

Australia has a proud tradition of working towards securing women's rights both domestically and in the international arena. At an international level, this work dates back to the early years of federation and the establishment of the League of Nations. In the middle of the 20th century, Australian women were instrumental in having recognition of women's rights included in the United Nations' charter. In the 1970's, the contribution of Australian women to the development of CEDAW was pivotal.

Mindful of this proud tradition, this package was developed to provide an understanding of the issues for 21st century women. Whether the package is used as a resource for young women in schools or in the community to raise awareness, it has the ptential to make a difference by stimulating debate about human rights.

Respect, decency and integrity underpin our human rights principles. To acknowledge and accept difference is the way forward. While these are simple messages, there is work to be done and each of us has a role to play if we are to ensure that our society realises the true equality of women.

Susan Halliday

Sex Discrimination Commissioner