CEDAW WORKS: Invest in Women, It Pays.

CEDAW provides a practical blueprint for each country to achieve progress for women and girls. Providing opportunities for women and girls to learn, earn and participate in public decision-making helps reduce violence, alleviate poverty, build democracies and strengthen economies. In countries that have ratified CEDAW, women have partnered with their governments to engage in a national dialogue about the status of women and girls, and as a result have shaped policies that create greater safety and opportunities for women and their families. For example:

  • Measures have been taken in dozens of countries against sex slavery, domestic violence and trafficking of women: Nepal, the Philippines, Ukraine and Thailand all passed laws to curb sexual trafficking.
  • Millions of girls are now receiving primary education who were previously denied access.
  • Millions of women have secured essential loans and the basic right to own or inherit property.
  • Australia, Brazil, Morocco, South Africa, Uganda and others have incorporated provisions in the CEDAW treaty into their constitutions and domestic legal codes.
  • Egypt, Jordan, Nicaragua, and Pakistan all saw significant increases in literacy rates after improving access to education for girls and women.
  • Australia and Luxembourg created health campaigns promoting awareness and prevention of breast and cervical cancers.
  • Colombia, Morocco and Turkey made domestic violence a crime and required legal protection for its victims.