engleski

Women's Rights as Human Rights: Where Have We Arrived?

In this lecture I will offer an assessment of international legal norms that are addressing gender-based discrimination and are providing specific protections for women’s rights. A famous saying goes: “Women's rights are human rights.” Indeed, in the past decades number of international norms that are focused on protection and promotion of the rights of women developed in the framework of the United Nations (UN), the Council of Europe (CoE), the Organization of American States (OAS), and the African Union. Equality between women and men has become a contractual obligation of all member states. All these, global and regional, human rights systems have developed at least some of the international legal norms that should result in national governmental changes in legislation and public policies that should contribute to gender equality. Yet, multilateral legal instruments are not sufficient means for achieving the advancement and empowerment of women and the effective realization of gender equality and it is crucial that women’s human rights are protected at the domestic level. Constitutional provisions on gender equality, or laws that guaranteeing equal rights to confer citizenship, that prohibit discrimination against women, that tackle gender- based violence and sexual violence and harassment, that encourage women's participation at all levels of decision-making, or that are mandating quotas are key elements in ensuring women have equal legal rights and their protection. The existence of these legal instruments, as well as the efforts of women activists across the globe, have resulted in a conviction shared by governments in a number of states that gender equality is central to the protection of human rights, but also to the functioning of democracy and respect for the rule of law. Gender equality is moreover more and more perceived also as a tool for achieving economic growth and competitiveness. However, a compatible legal framework does not necessarily translate to societal changes and does not transform discriminatory social institutions, laws, cultural norms and community practices. Only the integration of a gender perspective into the preparation, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of public policies can help to transform the structures that underpin inequality and discrimination of women.

protection and promotion of the rights of women ; gender equality ; international law ; legislation and public policies that contribute to gender equality ; transformation of discriminatory social institutions, laws, cultural norms and community practices

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