—
Article 3
Women are entitled to the equal enjoyment and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field. These rights include, interalia:
( a ) The right to life;
( b ) The right to equality;
( c ) The right to liberty and security of person;
( d ) The right to equal protection under the law;
( e ) The right to be free from all forms of discrimination;
( f ) The right to the highest standard attainable of physical and mental health;
( g ) The right to just and favourable conditions of work;
( h ) The right not to be subjected to torture, or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment.
The Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (1993).
The Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (1993) or the Declaration Article 3 covers some rapid-fire sectioning of rights for women in the world through the stipulations (a) through (g).
With even the barest glimpse at the contents of the third article, the generalized statements provided, by implication, a broad palette menu from which to argue for the equality of women with men. In the equal enjoyment and protection of the human rights, we see the entire suite of possible human areas covered for said “enjoyment and protection.”
Thinking of rights, most consider the protection but not, as often, the enjoyment. A sense of comfort and contentment in the existence of rights and the privileges endowed as a human being, as a woman in this case.
The first stipulation speaks to the right to life of an individual woman. This seems one of the most fundamental. Note, the category stipulated is “women” and not “unborn fetus,” “baby,” even “girl.” The fundamental right to live, full stop.
The next right is equality and the ones following this are liberty and security of person. The ability to live in an equal society as a woman is not a simple statement as many men feel as if they can and even morally should keep women in their place – in the home, with the children, and making the meals.
Equality with the men means equal pay for equal work, justice in sexual violence, consideration in the halls of power in the society, ability to vote and take part in civic and political life, and so on. The right to liberty links to the other rights with the ability to freely do as she pleases within the society granting this exercise of liberty does not infringe on the right of another person.
The ability to live, to live equally with men, and to freely live in an equal society comes with the right to live in security without the fear for a woman’s own life at any time.
Article 4(d) and Article 4(e) stipulate the protection from, for example, domestic violence or sexual violence with the force of law and the freedom from discrimination (that relates to equality). It does not by any means imply the elimination of violence against women or a panacea of protection but it does provide the force of state to protect the individual woman.
The ability to live without discrimination and have the comfort of the law protecting you even in the case of potential violence against you. It gives another layer of acknowledgment to the unfair and unjust treatment of women.
Then Articles 4(f) and 4(g) associated with one another through the protection of an individual woman’s well-being over the long-term. The health and wellness of a woman in life come also with the implication of a choice taken for work would include the conditions of the workplace environment for her flourishing.
The extreme statement on this comes from the right to not be subjected to torture and other ill-treatment as a matter of principle and as a right of a woman as a woman. It happens in the kidnapping and so on. But the basic claim is for the reduction and eventual elimination of these forms of cruel and unjust treatment through the implementation of these various rights stipulations in the real world over time.
Good wine takes time.
—
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the Preamble, Article 16, and Article 25(2).
- Convention Against Discrimination in Education (1960) in Article 1.
- The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) in Article 3, Article 7, and Article 13.
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966).
- Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979).
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984).
- The Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (1993).
- Beijing Declaration(1995).
- United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000).
- Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (2000).
- The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa or the “Maputo Protocol” (2003).
- Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence or the Istanbul Convention (2011) Article 38 and Article 39.
What’s your take on what you just read? Comment below or write a response and submit to us your own point of view or reaction here at the red box, below, which links to our submissions portal.
Got Writer’s Block?
Sign up for our Writing Prompts email to receive writing inspiration in your inbox twice per week.
If you believe in the work we are doing here at The Good Men Project, please join us as a Premium Member, today.
All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS.
Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here.
—
Photo by Alex Holyoake on Unsplash