“abolish existing laws, customs, regulations and practices
which are discriminatory against women, and to establish adequate legal
protection for equal rights of men and women
The Convention defines discrimination in its article 1 as “… any distinction,
exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or
purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise
by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men
and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political,
economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field.”
Such discrimination encompasses any difference in treatment on the
grounds of sex which:
• Intentionally or unintentionally disadvantages women;
• Prevents society as a whole from recognizing women’s rights in
both the private and the public spheres;
• Prevents women from exercising the human rights and fundamental
freedoms to which they are entitled.