Urgent Action Required: CEDAW Senate Hearings Planned

After eight years without movement on the more than 30-years unratified United Nations (U.N.) Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has agreed to hold a hearing in his capacity as chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law. This is a significant step forward in our ongoing push to recognize women's rights as human rights, but your action is needed now.

In order to get the CEDAW Treaty floor vote that women around the world have been waiting for, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) must hold a vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Take Action NOW!
Tell your Senators to urge Sen. Kerry to hold a vote on CEDAW without restrictions or delay.

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Watch the Hearing
- Attend in person this Thursday at 2 p.m. in room 226 of the Dirksen Senate building
- Click here to watch the webcast live
- Follow NOW Action Vice President Erin Matson's live tweets of the hearings

Background
For 30 years women around the world have waited for our country to ratify CEDAW. This women's rights treaty has been used around the globe to help women claim property rights, address systemic sexual violence and increase our representation in both public and private leadership. The U.S. is the only industrialized country in the world not to have yet ratified CEDAW. We need Senate action on the CEDAW Treaty to give the U.S. greater clout to help women worldwide claim basic human rights.

NOW is working with dozens of national partners to ensure we RATIFY WOMEN! now. We won't let this CEDAW hearing be the end, but instead the beginning. Please ask your Senators to support the CEDAW Treaty and contact Sen. Kerry.

For more information, please see our RATIFY WOMEN! website and NOW President Terry O'Neill's written testimony (PDF) for Thursday's hearing.