Does the United Nations (UN) care about women? This is a controversial topic because it examines if one of the worlds largest and most powerful international governance organizations considers women to be important. The assumption would be that the UN holds an obligation to women as half the world 's population, but Cynthia Enloe in her most recent lecture highlighted the ways women are working to be recognized and protected by the UN. Enloe began by describing the structure of the UN, which is comprised of members. These members are the governments of nations that have recognized international sovereignty. As more nations gain sovereignty, such as South Sudan, the UN membership grows. Despite the United States active involvement and continued
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The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), is one of the great achievements. CEDAW is the direct result of women mobilizing for their rights to be recognized by the UN. Despite the creation of this declaration the United States along with Saudi Arabia have yet to ratify CEDAW and therefore its laws do not apply. The most important achievement in my opinion was the Rome Statute because it led to the permanent implementation of the International Criminal Court, where people are charged internationally for crimes against humanity. One of the many types of crimes that are charged are sexual violence against women during war time. The acknowledgment of this issue as a crime against humanity is particularly vital to protecting women across the world due to the prevalence of systematic rape as an act of war. Moreover, it made forced pregnancy and forced abortion both illegal on an international level during war. While it is incredible that these laws exists they rarely bring charges against perpetrators of these crimes, and it is even less likely that they will be convicted. The limitations on the reach of these laws is important to understanding the relationship between international law and national actions. While, as Enloe said, women can hold up declarations such as the Rome Statute and 1325 to their governments for accountability, the outcome might not
The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), is one of the great achievements. CEDAW is the direct result of women mobilizing for their rights to be recognized by the UN. Despite the creation of this declaration the United States along with Saudi Arabia have yet to ratify CEDAW and therefore its laws do not apply. The most important achievement in my opinion was the Rome Statute because it led to the permanent implementation of the International Criminal Court, where people are charged internationally for crimes against humanity. One of the many types of crimes that are charged are sexual violence against women during war time. The acknowledgment of this issue as a crime against humanity is particularly vital to protecting women across the world due to the prevalence of systematic rape as an act of war. Moreover, it made forced pregnancy and forced abortion both illegal on an international level during war. While it is incredible that these laws exists they rarely bring charges against perpetrators of these crimes, and it is even less likely that they will be convicted. The limitations on the reach of these laws is important to understanding the relationship between international law and national actions. While, as Enloe said, women can hold up declarations such as the Rome Statute and 1325 to their governments for accountability, the outcome might not