Issue
In some countries, it has become increasingly difficult for groups advocating for the rights of Muslim women to speak out, with their voices often excluded from high-level discussions on human rights and religion.
How we are helping
This project supports civil society in Commonwealth countries with religion-based legal systems to engage in the CEDAW process and with UN Special Procedures, while also advancing national advocacy to implement UN treaty body recommendations in these countries.
About the project
Across the world, many of the gains that have been made in relation to women’s rights and equality have come under threat. Within the international human rights system, religion and culture sometimes mask gender-based discrimination and apparent non-compliance with international human rights obligations including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). In some countries, including Malaysia, it has become increasingly difficult for groups advocating for the rights of Muslim women to be heard in decision-making processes related to human rights and religion.
Project partner, Muswah, will work with Global Campaign for Equality in Family Law to support and facilitate civil society engagement in the CEDAW periodic reviews process, with the aim of safeguarding and amplifying their freedom of expression. The project will also support national level advocacy in Commonwealth countries to ensure the implementation and follow up of UN treaty body recommendations.
This will be achieved by:
- strengthening partnerships with national CSOs and supporting them to submit shadow and thematic reports to the CEDAW committee ahead of national periodic reviews (targeting three countries per year)
- preparing and coordinating advocacy interventions during the countries’ CEDAW reviews, including oral statements, private briefings and strategic lobbying efforts
- building the capacity of national groups to work with Special Procedures mechanisms such as the UN Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls to highlight pertinent issues and provide evidence on specific cases
- supporting women’s rights groups to follow up on CEDAW concluding observations by promoting national level legal and policy reforms. This will include public awareness campaigns and targeted advocacy to encourage governments to adopt and implement treaty body recommendations.
The project will work closely with national CSOs and advocacy groups from Malaysia and up to three other Commonwealth countries across Asia and Africa.
As a result of this project, it is hoped that national civil society organisations are equipped with the tools, knowledge and expertise needed to advocate for the compatibility of human rights and Islamic principles.
Project Partners
Musawah, which means ‘equality’ in Arabic, works for the advancement of human rights for women in Muslim contexts, both in their public and private lives. Over the next five years, Musawah aims to amplify its global voice and accelerate on-the-ground impact by demonstrating that reform of discriminatory family laws and practices within Islam is both possible and necessary through mobilising collective action and broad public support to drive change.
We support people's participation in democracy and development by providing grants, platforms, and expertise.
