WUNRN
Australian Human Rights Commission
MECHANISMS FOR ADVANCING WOMEN'S
HUMAN RIGHTS
GUIDE TO USING CEDAW OPTIONAL
PROTOCOL &
OTHER
INTERNATIONAL COMPLAINT MECHANISMS
This is a practical guide for
lawyers, advocates and women experiencing violations of their rights on how to
use the Optional Protocol to CEDAW and other international complaint mechanisms
to seek redress for alleged violations of women’s human rights.
Simone Cusack, Author
In my role as Sex Discrimination
Commissioner, I have been working together with the Australian Government,
business, unions and community groups to identify practical ways of achieving
gender equality in
An Optional Protocol enables
individuals or groups of individuals to seek redress for violations of their
human rights that are recognised in an international human rights treaty. An
international complaint mechanism can be effective in drawing international
attention to alleged violations of rights. The availability of the Optional
Protocol to individuals within
The guide provides lawyers,
advocates and women experiencing violations of their rights with an
introduction and a practical guide on how to use the Optional Protocol to CEDAW
and other alternative protective mechanisms at the international level. This
guide is an important educative tool for progressing gender equality in
Australia.
Elizabeth Broderick
Sex Discrimination Commissioner
Australian Human Rights Commission
June 2011