Mechanisms for advancing women’s human rights: A guide to using the Optional Protocol to CEDAW and other international complaint mechanisms

The Australian Human Rights Commission recently posted “Mechanisms for advancing women’s human rights: A guide to using the Optional Protocol to CEDAW and other international complaint mechanisms.”

The guide provides lawyers, advocates and women experiencing violations of their rights with an introduction and a practical guide on how to use the Optional Protocol to CEDAW and other alternative protective mechanisms at the international level. This guide is an important educative tool for progressing gender equality in Australia.

The Guide provides an introduction to the Optional Protocol to CEDAW (Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women) as well as other international complaint mechanisms, and explains how such instruments can be used to advance the rights of women in Australia.  It is intended for advocates and lawyers who can assist women to use international complaint mechanisms. The Guide is also useful for increasing community understanding about international complaint mechanisms and how they can be used to advance women’s human rights.

Section 2 of the Guide provides an introduction to the communication procedure of the Optional Protocol to CEDAW, and explains how to use the procedure to seek redress for alleged human rights violations under CEDAW  – the international human rights treaty that aims to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women. Section 3 provides an introduction to the inquiry procedure in the Optional Protocol to CEDAW, and describes how to request an inquiry into acts or omissions of the Government that may have resulted in grave or systematic violations of CEDAW. Section 4 briefly explores the other international complaint mechanisms that are available to women and provides examples of how they have been used to hold the government accountable for human rights violations. Section 5 outlines a number of factors to be taken into account when deciding whether to use international complaint mechanisms. Section 6 identifies where women can go for further assistance and information about using international complaint mechanisms.

This is a practical guide for lawyers, advocates and women experiencing violations of their rights on how to use the Optional Protocol to CEDAW and other international complaint mechanisms to seek redress for alleged violations of women’s human rights.

The Guide will also be helpful for increasing understanding within the community of the international complaint mechanisms that are available and the ways they can be used by women to advance their human rights.

For more, visit this link.