https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Events/WHRD/WomenRightsAreHR.pdf
INTRODUCTION
Attaining equality between women and men and eliminating all forms
of discrimination against women are fundamental human rights and
United Nations values. Women around the world nevertheless regularly
suffer violations of their human rights throughout their lives, and realizing
women’s human rights has not always been a priority. Achieving equality
between women and men requires a comprehensive understanding of the
ways in which women experience discrimination and are denied equality
so as to develop appropriate strategies to eliminate such discrimination.
The United Nations has a long history of addressing women’s human
rights and much progress has been made in securing women’s rights
across the world in recent decades. However, important gaps remain and
women’s realities are constantly changing, with new manifestations of
discrimination against them regularly emerging. Some groups of women
face additional forms of discrimination based on their age, ethnicity,
nationality, religion, health status, marital status, education, disability and
socioeconomic status, among other grounds. These intersecting forms of
discrimination must be taken into account when developing measures and
responses to combat discrimination against women.
This publication provides an introduction to women’s human rights,
beginning with the main provisions in international human rights law and
going on to explain particularly relevant concepts for fully understanding
women’s human rights. Finally, selected areas of women’s human rights are
examined together with information on the main work of United Nations
human rights mechanisms and others pertaining to these topics. The aim
of the publication is to offer a basic understanding of the human rights of
women as a whole, but because of the wide variety of issues relevant to
women’s human rights, it should not be considered exhaustive.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION……………………………………………. 1
I. PROTECTION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN UNDER
INTERNATIONAL LAW…………………………………………………… 3
A. International human rights instruments …………………………. 4
B. Regional instruments……………………………………………….. 7
II. GLOBAL COMMITMENTS……………………………………………….. 11
A. Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action ……………….. 12
B. International Conference on Population and Development…. 12
C. Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action…………………… 13
D. Millennium Development Goals …………………………………. 14
E. United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development ….. 15
III. UNITED NATIONS BODIES……………………………………………… 19
A. The Human Rights Council and its mechanisms………………. 19
B. The Security Council……………………………………………….. 21
C. The Commission on the Status of Women……………………… 21
IV. KEY CONCEPTS……………………………………………… 25
A. The public-private divide………………………………………….. 26
B. Universality of human rights ……………………………………… 27
C. Non-discrimination and equality between women and men.. 29
D. Equality and equity ………………………………………………… 33
E. Gender…………………………………………………….. 35
F. Intersectionality and multiple forms of discrimination………… 37
iv WOMEN’S RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS
V. THE HUMAN RIGHTS FRAMEWORK IN PRACTICE ……………….. 41
A. Women’s rights in public and political life…………………….. 43
B. Sexual and reproductive health and rights ……………………. 50
C. Women’s right to an adequate standard of living……………. 62
D. Violence against women………………………………………….. 73
E. Impact of migration and displacement on the enjoyment of
women’s rights ……………………………………………………… 86
F. Women’s human rights in conflicts and crises ……………….. 92
G. Women’s access to justice………………………………………… 109
