Her Excellency, the Governor Christina Scott and the Hon. Cora Richardson-Hodge, Minister of Gender Affairs announced on Tuesday, 8 March, International Women’s Day that the UK Government will be extending the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) to Anguilla, in addition to the British overseas territory of the Cayman Islands.
Her Excellency the Governor Christina Scott commented:
“I am delighted that Anguilla has made this important step in its human rights history. Significant progress has been made over the years to improve gender equality in Anguilla, and we have a strong legal framework in place to protect women’s rights. I look forward to doing whatever I can to further gender equality in Anguilla, including working with Ministers to see measures in the Domestic Violence Bill made a reality for those who need its protection.”
The Hon. Cora Richardson-Hodge said:
“I am indeed proud as Minister for Gender Affairs to be sharing in this announcement today. Over the past decade many persons and stakeholder agencies have collaborated to bring us to this milestone moment. To them, on behalf of the Government of Anguilla, Ministry of Home Affairs, the Gender Affairs Unit and on my own behalf, we say thanks for your unstinting efforts. CEDAW’s extension demonstrates our strong commitment to human rights and social justice on our island by ensuring that we implement the best policies of international protocol to end all forms of discrimination against women. We will continue to advance the affairs of both women and men until we achieve a just and equitable society.”
Minister Cora Richardson-Hodge and Dr. Ronya Foy Connor – Gender Development Coordinator, will attend a ceremony at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) Conference at the United Nations in New York City next week in order to accept the official treaty documents extending CEDAW to Anguilla.
This is a significant move with collectively well over 35,000 women and girls expected to benefit from the standards and expectations of gender equality set under the Convention. CEDAW is described by the United Nations as “an international bill of rights for women.” The treaty includes a preamble and 30 articles, defining what constitutes discrimination against women and setting up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination.
CEDAW embraces the principle of equality between men and women and the prohibition of discrimination, which affects women’s enjoyment of political, economic, social, cultural, civil and other rights on an equal basis with men. By accepting CEDAW, countries and territories commit themselves to ending discrimination against women in all forms so that they – along with men – can enjoy all of their human rights and fundamental freedoms.
CEDAW was adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly and has been ratified by almost every single member of the United Nations. Anguilla now joins the British Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Cayman Islands as British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean that are party to CEDAW. Countries that have ratified CEDAW are legally obligated to work towards implementing its provisions and are also committed to monitoring and reporting on the ways in which they are meeting the treaty obligations, at least once every four years.
– Press Release
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
