Gender-based violence is a pervasive force in our society. It happens everywhere and could happen to anyone. Over the past few decades, the United States and the world has made great strides in combatting gender-based violence and advancing the rights of women. However, there is still work that needs to be done before we have a society where gender does not limit access to safety, work, health care, education, politics, housing, and other basic rights in our society.
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 190 are two key international conventions that protect women’s rights. CEDAW has been described as an international bill of rights for women and was adopted by the United Nations in 1979. The treaty entered into force in 1981 after 189 countries ratified it. Although the United States signed the convention in 1980, the Senate has not yet taken the necessary step to ratify it, undermining U.S. global leadership on women’s rights.
The ILO Convention 190 focuses on ending violence and harassment against women and men in the world of work. It was adopted in 2019 and includes clear guidance for governments, employers, and trade unions to identify and eliminate discriminatory behaviors and address the discriminatory outcomes of unequal power relations that lie at the heart of gender-based violence. ILO 190 will come into effect in June 2021. It also has not yet been ratified by the Senate.
Ratification of these two international conventions would be critical ways the U.S. could once again lead the fight to end discrimination and gender-based violence. It is high time the Senate joined the global community and ratified CEDAW. The Senate can also lead the world in fighting gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work by becoming the third country to ratify ILO 190. Write to your Senator today to ask them to support the ratification of these conventions and ensure that we lead by example to strengthen the rights of women around the globe.