Ensure full implementation of Cedaw

Citizen's Initiatives on Cedaw, a platform of 38 human rights and development organisations, yesterday demanded full implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw).

The demand came from a press conference at the National Press Club in the city marking the 25th anniversary of Bangladesh's ratification of the Cedaw.

Cedaw is the most important international instrument for protecting women's rights and more then 185 countries of the world are signatories to the convention, which Bangladesh ratified on November 6, 1984.

Women are being discriminated and suppressed in private and family life but they are not getting proper legal support because of the reservations on Article 2 and Article 16.1 of the Cedaw, said speakers at the press conference.

Every year at the meeting of the Cedaw committee the government says that it is actively considering withdrawal of the reservations, but no initiative had been taken so far, they said.

The speakers demanded the reservations on these articles be withdrawn by December 2009, before the report on Cedaw implementation is submitted to the United Nations.

Otherwise, it will tarnish the image of the government, they added.

Salma Khan, president of Women for Women and former chairperson of Cedaw committee, presided over the press conference while Rokeya Kabir, executive director of Bangladesh Nari Pragati Sangha, Rokeya Rafique Baby, director of Karmojibi Nari, Shirin Banu Mitil, director of Prip Trust, Ranjan Karmakar, executive director of Steps Towards Development, Ayesha Siddika, assistant coordinator of Awaz Foundation, Kohinoor Mahmud, project coordinator of Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies, Dr Hamida Hossain and Dr Rowshan Jahan also spoke.