Abstract
The Optional Protocol (OP) to the Convention adds two new dimensions to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Committee’s mandate of monitoring treaty implementation: an individual complaint mechanism and an inquiry procedure. This chapter first presents the scope of the OP as result of a swift but controversial drafting process. Secondly, it gives an overview of the Committee’s activities in regard to the OP since its entry into force in the year 2000. The Committee’s jurisdiction was first shaped by finding a legally accurate voice. Over time, it has developed a victim-oriented treaty interpretation in particular in the fields of violence against women and reproductive rights. This has added to CEDAW’s international visibility, and, in a limited number of cases, made States Parties take measures to correct women’s rights violations.
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Zwingel, S. (2016). A New Tool in the Toolbox: The Optional Protocol to the Convention. In: Translating International Women's Rights. Gender and Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-31501-4_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-31501-4_5
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