Sweden: shadow report to CEDAW calls for action for women’s rights
[Swedish Women’s Lobby article, 28 January 2016] The Swedish Women’s Lobby and the Swedish CEDAW network has examined how Sweden lives up to its commitments under the CEDAW Convention. Our shadow report contains 61 demands for measures to achieve gender equality.
By ratifying CEDAW, the Swedish Government have committed to achieve women’s rights in all areas. Every four years, the Government write a report on what they have done to implement the Convention in Sweden to the UN CEDAW Committee. The women’s movement has examined the Government’s latest report. The CEDAW Convention entered into force more than 30 years ago, but much remains to be done.
- It is particularly urgent to increase women’s economic independence. Foreign-born women and older women are two groups that need to be prioritized. It is also urgent that the perpetrators of sexual abuse and violence are held accountable for their actions, said Clara Berglund, Secretary General of the Swedish Women’s Lobby when the report was launched at the Gender Equality Days (Jämställdhetsdagarna) in Malmö January 27th.
The shadow report has been sent to the UN CEDAW Committee for the review of Sweden which takes place in Geneva on 18 February. The Swedish Women’s Lobby and the Swedish CEDAW network will participate at the review.
The implementation of CEDAW must give all women, for example women with disabilities such as visual impairments, dyslexia or women with limited knowledge of the Swedish language, the opportunity to monitor their rights. Therefore the report has also been produced in an Easy-to-Read version (Swedish) as well as in Braille.
More info here (including the report in Swedish).
