ILAH Seminar - Making Women's Rights a Reality in Australia: Engaging the Procedures of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

In 2009, a coalition of Australian women’s organisations submitted an NGO report to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women critically analysing the adequacy of steps taken by the Australian Government to implement the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). As well, the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (OP) entered into force for Australia, empowering women in Australia to make individual complaints about violations of their rights protected by CEDAW.

PILCH is cohosting, along with Melbourne Law School and the YWCA a seminar for women's rights supporters: activists, researchers, legal practitioners, students, non-governmental organisations, community legal centres. 

• The panelists will reflect on these developments and, in particular, on whether or not human rights are an effective tool to advance women’s rights in Australia.
• What are the Australian Government’s obligations under CEDAW?
• How useful is the submission of NGO reports for monitoring the Government’s compliance with CEDAW?
• What is the potential of the Optional Protocol for ensuring substantive equality in Australia, and has it been used effectively in other countries?
• How can we work with the limitations of using an anti-discrimination framework to improve women’s position in society?

There will be ample opportunity for questions and general discussion.