Withdrawal of reservations about CEDAW sought

Reservations about some articles of the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) should be withdrawn before signing of the Sustainable Development Goals which also emphasise removing discrimination in all spheres, said speakers yesterday.

To ensure women's rights, CEDAW was adopted by the United Nations on December 18, 1976, and Bangladesh ratified it on 1984 with reservations in articles 2, 13.1[a], 16.1[c] and [f], which refer to elimination of discriminatory policies against women.

Speakers at a press meet titled 'Ensure full ratification and implementation of CEDAW' organised by Citizens' Initiatives on CEDAW, Bangladesh, also referred to the Law Commission's recent report in favour of withdrawal of the reservation with instances of other countries.

Half the population of the country is being deprived of their rights relating to marriage, divorce, guardianship of children and ownership of assets.

They also urged the government to amend or scrap those discriminatory sections of legislation, and change traditional and negative perception towards women in coordination with the social organisations and media.

Article 2 of Cedaw stipulates that states should condemn discrimination against women in all its forms and agree to pursue by all appropriate means and without delay a policy of eliminating discrimination against women. Article 13.1(a) refers to equality of men and women, the same rights, with regards to the right to family benefits.

Similarly article 16.1( c) requires states to ensure same rights and responsibilities during marriage and at its dissolution and (f) the same rights and responsibilities with regard to guardianship, wardship, trusteeship, and adoption of children. Reservations were made on the above articles as these provisions conflicted with religious Islamic laws which governed family legal matters for Muslims in Bangladesh.