WUNRN

http://www.wunrn.com

 

International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific - IWRAW AP

IWRAW AP Website: http://www.iwraw-ap.org:80/

 

CALL FOR REPLIES TO QUESTIONNAIRE ON
STRATEGIES FOR RATIFICATION OF CEDAW & CEDAW OP

Questionnaire Replies to: iwraw-ap@iwraw-ap.org

 

Questionnaire that follows now is in English. For the Questionnaire in French, Spanish, or Russian, please contact: IWRAW Asia Pacific  -

iwraw-ap@iwraw-ap.org

 

CEDAW: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/cedaw.htm

CEDAW Optional Protocol: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/cedaw-one.htm


Subject: Tell us how you did it! Strategies for Ratification of CEDAW and the Optional Protocol to CEDAW

As you would know, IWRAW Asia Pacific is the coordinator of a Global Campaign towards the ratification and use of the Optional Protocol to CEDAW - Our Rights Are Not Optional! Global Campaign for the Ratification and Optimal Use of the OP CEDAW. An important part of the work under the campaign is to support women's groups lobbying for ratification of the OP CEDAW.
 
To help us better do this, we would like to document the various experiences of women's groups around the world who have lobbied for their government to ratify the OP CEDAW. How do we push a women's agenda with our governments and convince them that ratifying an international instrument on women's rights is a good thing to do? Your experiences will help enrich the work of other women's groups pushing for ratification and will be included in a publication of IWRAW Asia Pacific which we will publish this year - your contribution in this publication will be recognised.
 
Whether you have successfully managed to convince your government to ratify the OP CEDAW or you are still trying, we hope you will take the time to answer these questions in as much detail as possible: 

Part 1: 

 
If your country has ratified the OP CEDAW, did your organisation or other women’s groups in your country advocate for the ratification?

If your country has ratified the OP CEDAW, what do you think really motivated the government to ratify?

What is the ratification process in your country and how did you influence this process?

What strategies did you use (or are you using) to push for ratification? e.g. petitions, targeting of key ministry officials such as foreign affairs, justice national machinery for women,  friendly MPs, media, community awareness raising/building up grassroots support,  etc 

Which organs/parts of government did you engage with? Before engaging, what sort of preparation did you have to do?

What arguments did you use to convince the government that they should ratify? What worked and what did not work?

What other actors did you engage with? Why did you choose to engage with them?

Which actors opposed your work and on what grounds? And which helped?

What were some of the obstacles you faced in pushing for ratification?

What were the opportunities that supported ratification in your context?

How long did it take for your government to decide to ratify the OP CEDAW (length of the campaign)? If your government has still not ratified, how long have women’s groups been lobbying for the government to ratify?

If your state has now ratified:
What are the additional benefits to your advocacy on women’s rights that have come about from your OP CEDAW ratification campaign? For example has the government taken any steps to more effectively implement the Convention, train judges and law enforcers on their obligations, make women more aware of their rights etc?  

What steps do you think need to be taken to enable women to use the OP CEDAW in your country?

If your state still refuses to ratify, what reasons are they giving and what are the follow-up actions you will be taking? 

Part 2: 
 
How did you and your organisation benefit from the Global Campaign on the Ratification and Use of the OP CEDAW in carrying out your advocacy at the national level for the ratification of the OP CEDAW?

We would also welcome experiences of successful lobbying for ratification of other instruments relating to women's rights including CEDAW as well as your experiences lobbying for the removal of reservations to CEDAW.
 
If you have any papers or publications already written on this subject please do send these to us also.
 
Are there other individuals and organisations which you recommend we contact that could contribute to this study and publication?  Please do send their contact on to us.
 
Thankyou all very much in advance for your contribution to this important study.
 
We look forward to hearing from you soon
 
IWRAW Asia Pacific 

Lisa Pusey
Programme Officer
International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific
80-B, Jalan Bangsar
59200 Kuala Lumpur
MALAYSIA
Telephone: (603) 2282 2255
Fax: (603) 2283 2552
Email: iwraw-ap@iwraw-ap.org, iwraw_ap@yahoo.com
Website: www.iwraw-ap.org

 





================================================================
To contact the list administrator, or to leave the list, send an email to: wunrn_listserve-request@lists.wunrn.com. Thank you.