Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Optional Protocol

The Optional Protocol is a landmark achievement in women's enjoyment of their human rights. It provides a mechanism for reporting and inquiry into human rights violations against women. This publication traces the process leading to the adoption of the General Assembly resolution on the Optional Protocol, and seeks to provide Government Officials, scholars, and women's rights advocates with easy access to texts and materials on its development. Section I provides an overview of its legislative history and describes the roles played by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the Commission on the Status of Women as well as United Nations World Conferences. Section II describes the main elements of the Optional Protocol followed by a chronology of events in Section III. Section IV reproduces the documents referred to in Section I. The volume concludes with a bibliography on the Optional Protocol.