Controversy
In an article in Moment magazine in February 2011, Paula Kweskin, in discussing so-called “honor” killings taking place in the Palestinian Authority, writes that two-thirds of all murders in the Palestinian Authority and Gaza are “honor” killings. These crimes go unpunished and laws grant impunity to those who kill based on “family honor.” In interviews and press releases on their websites, many NGOs, including Badil, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, and the Women’s Center for Legal Aid and Counseling, have decried “honor” killings and the lack of legal protection for Palestinian women; yet these NGOs are silent when given a forum at CEDAW to address these problems.
The CEDAW has been controversial for statements that have been made by some of its members which were seen by a number of states and NGOs as promoting Western-style feminism. Often referenced is a 2000 report which said that in Belarus, "the Committee is concerned by the continuing prevalence of sex-role stereotypes and by the reintroduction of such symbols as a Mothers' Day and a Mothers' Award, which it sees as encouraging women's traditional roles." Other controversial positions of CEDAW include supporting the decriminalization of prostitution in specific countries, criticizing Slovenia because only 30% of children are in daycare, and pressuring numerous states to decriminalize abortion. Other requests are seen by groups as a backdoor to forcing states parties to adopt an Equal Rights Amendment or comparable national legislation, which is seen as a violation of the CEDAW treaty mandate and the sovereignty of states parties.
More recently, the controversy concerning CEDAW has centered around the question of easy access to abortion and contraception. According to C-FAM (the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute), at UN meetings officials pressed the delegation from Slovakia to liberalize its abortion laws and to inaugurate campaigns encouraging contraceptive use and "reproductive health awareness".
Read more about this topic: Convention On The Elimination Of All Forms Of Discrimination Against Women
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