school: Human Rights

Human Rights Conventions. Labour MP Andrew MacKinlay asked Meg Munn, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, an interesting question in the House of Commons on Thursday. It concerned the human rights conventions with which each BOT is expected to comply.

The answer, so far as it relates to Anguilla and the other five West Indian territories, was revealing:

*Treaty*	*Anguilla*	*Bermuda*	*British Virgin Islands*	*Cayman Islands*	*Montserrat*	*Turks and Caicos Islands*
International Convention on Civil and Political Rights	—	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights	—	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Convention Against Torture	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Convention on the Rights of the Child	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women	—	—	Yes	—	—	Yes
Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
European Convention on Human Rights	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly. It is often described as an international bill of rights for women. It defines what constitutes discrimination against women, and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. By accepting the Convention, States commit themselves to undertake a series of measures to end discrimination against women in all forms, including:

to incorporate the principle of equality of men and women in their legal system, abolish all discriminatory laws and adopt appropriate ones prohibiting discrimination against women;
to establish tribunals and other public institutions to ensure the effective protection of women against discrimination; and
to ensure elimination of all acts of discrimination against women by persons, organizations or enterprises.

It is difficult for us to accept that, after nearly 30 years, Anguilla has yet to adopt the Convention.