There’s no question about it–we are in the midst of a destructive global backlash against women’s rights.
Against this regressive backdrop, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women held its 91st Session in June and July. In addition to reviewing countries’ compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the committee also issued a statement on the need to stand firm in upholding existing international human rights law.
The statement responds to an effort by some countries to develop a new optional protocol to CEDAW focused on gender-based violence. Any changes, the CEDAW Committee writes, “must be grounded in existing norms and standards.”
Gender-based violence against women and girls violates CEDAW. As the CEDAW Committee wrote in 1992: “Gender-based violence is a form of discrimination that seriously inhibits women’s ability to enjoy rights and freedoms on a basis of equality with men.”
Pushing for such an instrument on rights already enshrined in international law and amidst the global backlash against women’s rights, risks eroding rights firmly established under international law. The committee statement warns: “Any effort that creates a system of unequal protections among States Parties would jeopardize existing protections and guarantees under the Convention. The Committee is convinced that a new optional protocol might create a parallel process that could undermine full accountability under the Convention.”
The backlash against women’s rights is happening in an alarming number of countries; UN Women reported in 2024 that one in four countries was experiencing such regression. The rollback on reproductive rights—from Romania to the United States and elsewhere—is just one example. It is also increasingly evident in international spaces such as the UN, where women’s rights are both targeted by anti-rights campaigners and harmed by slashed funding. A growing number of states are, in these spaces, working openly to weaken women’s rights protections.
Women’s rights defenders around the world are still finding ways to make progress, while coming together to staunchly defend and apply international law, notably CEDAW, recognizing women’s right to equality. The CEDAW Committee’s words of caution deserve careful attention.
As the committee states: “The principle of non-discrimination in the Convention covers gender-based violence against women and girls.” The international instruments and interpretations are clear. What we need is for governments to fulfill their international legal obligations and stop all forms of violence against women.
