US: Join Global Women’s Rights Treaty
by jadefrank | December 19, 2009 at 6:33 PM
Thirty years ago, the world took a landmark step towards securing equality for women. The United Nations adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), a treaty that identifies the steps countries should take to ensure equal opportunity for women.
Today, 186 countries have ratified the treaty, but the United States has not. As a result, women in the US have not had the benefit of its protections, including rights around paid parental leave and equal pay. While President Jimmy Carter signed the treaty in 1980, there has never been a vote on the treaty by the full Senate.
It’s urgent that you tell your senators that women should not have to wait any longer for ratification and that now is the time for the Senate to move forward on the single most important treaty for women’s rights around the globe.
