CEDAW Shadow report guidelines on the rights of LBTI+ women, trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse people

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is a body of independent experts. These experts monitors implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Adopted by the United Nations in 1979, CEDAW is the most important human rights treaty for women. The CEDAW Committee consists of 23 independent experts on women’s rights from around the world.

States that ratify the Convention are legally obliged to:

1. Eliminate all forms of discrimination against women in all areas of life;
2. Ensure women’s full development and advancement; and
3. Allow the CEDAW Committee to scrutinise their efforts to implement the treaty by reporting to the body at regular intervals.

The CEDAW treaty is a tool that helps women around the world to bring about change in their daily life. In countries that have ratified the treaty, CEDAW has proved invaluable in opposing the effects of discrimination — including violence, poverty, and lack of legal protections, along with the denial of inheritance, property rights, and access to credit.