“In 1995, at the historic UN 4th World Conference on Women, 189 governments agreed on a comprehensive roadmap — the Beijing Platform for Action — to advance women’s rights and achieve gender equality. In it States declared that laws which discriminate against women undermine equality and pledged to “revoke any remaining laws that discriminate on the basis of sex.” Yet inequality, even in its most overt form, has not been vanquished.”
“2015 marks both the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action and the adoption by States of a new post-2015 development framework to eradicate poverty and to promote equality globally. ”
Read Full Report: Words and Deeds: Holding Governments Accountable in the Beijing+20 Review Process
What You Can Do (extracted from article)
- Urge heads of state in this report to amend or repeal all sex discriminatory laws and fulfill their commitment to the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action and gender equality. You can take action at www.equalitynow.org/beijing20.
- Write your President or Prime Minister and ask them to review the legislation in your country to amend all laws that discriminate against women or have a discriminatory impact on women. You can find a sample letter to download at www.equalitynow.org/beijing20/sample_letter.
- Spread the word and increase the impact! Share this campaign with your networks to hold governments accountable to their international legal obligation to ensure gender equality.
- Join the movement to end sex discrimination in nationality and child marriage laws by taking Action at www.equalitynow.org.