Gender and Human Rights in the Commonwealth

Book excerpt: This book brings together the papers commissioned for a Pan-Commonwealth Expert Group Meeting on Gender and Human Rights which took place at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London in February 2004. These papers, together with other key background papers, represent much of the analysis and experience from Commonwealth member countries that informed the development of the Human Rights section of the new Commonwealth Plan of Action for Gender Equality 2005-2015. The papers address a wide range of Gender and Human Rights issues, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), gender-based violence, culture and the law, indigenous peoples, trafficking and migration, land and property rights, diversity, and a life cycle approach to gender and human rights. The contributors include government policymakers, judges, lawyers, academics, representatives of civil society organizations, and specialists from multilateral agencies including the Commonwealth Secretariat. The purpose of this book is to contribute to current policymaking, program planning and implementation on Gender and Human Rights. It is intended for a wide audience of policymakers, magistrates, judges and lawyers, academics, and civil society organizations grappling with these issues. It is also intended as a conceptual and policy-oriented resource for those committed to implementing and supporting the Human Rights goals of the new Commonwealth Plan of Action for Gender Equality 2005-2015.