Participate in the Debate on the CEDAW in Jordan

Written by ACHRS
Tuesday, 05 May 2009
The CEDAW (Convention for Eliminate all forms of Discrimination Against Women) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979 and it is often called "the international women's bill of rights."[1] Jordan signed on to the convention in 1992 and ratified it in 1997 with some "reservations" - limitations – particularly the sections which grant adult women full freedom of mobility without male consent, their choice of residence without male consent, and the right to pass their nationality on to their children.

Recently, there was a "Cabinet decision to lift its reservations on paragraph four of Article 15, which gives women freedom of mobility and choice of residence without consent of their husbands or other male family members."[2]

The Islamic Action Front, the political party of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, has issued a statement warning that "families in Jordan face the threat of total collapse under the CEDAW" and are advocating for Jordan to reverse its position and withdraw from the convention outright instead.[3]

The IAF argues that it was wrong for the country to agree on universal standards for women's rights without holding a national dialog first.

In the spirit of free and open debate, we encourage you to participate in the survey ("Do you support Jordan's signing of the Convention on the "CEDAW", which aims to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women?) being hosted on Ad Dustor newspaper's website at http://addustour.com/.