Tomorrow is the start of three days of hearings in London of the CEDAW People’s Tribunal which will examine the case for the UK to introduce into domestic legislation the ground breaking UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and girls
I am planning to have a daily blog on the highlights of the hearings as the issues raised will be wide ranging and effect the future of women in all walks of life from pensions to domestic abuse and equal pay.
Britain is unusual in ratifying the convention some 36 years ago under Mrs Thatcher but in not implementing the changes into UK law – though some issues have been partially implemented through the 2010 Equality Act.
The majority of other countries did both – ratification followed by legislation. The hearing also comes at a key time.
Scotland has decided to implement the convention in full and the Parliament at Holyrood is already working out how to do it – after the Scottish National Party included it in its manifesto and won the election.
In Wales the Labour Party which won the Welsh Parliament elections is also committed to introducing it.
And very recently Jersey decided to ratify the convention – leaving just England and Northern Ireland as laggards in this respect.
The hearings are being organised by a very powerful team of women lawyers from Garden Court Chambers and have attracted enormous interest from women’s groups – some of whom have sent in written submissions and others are planning to give evidence. Each evening I will publish details of those who have given evidence. Watch this blog for future coverage.
Westminster Confidential 
Fingers crossed David and thank you.
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Good luck to everyone involved, let’s hope its all good news for us women at last
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Look forward to following David. It should be a landmark for England and NI.
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Thanks for the updates,always welcome and so informative. Look forward to reading about the progress of this cedaw into law.
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It’s about time something was done,I’ve been backing womens back to 60 for the last 5 years, we have put our own money into this to get it to high court but still we were denied, I hope that something is done this week and we get what we are owed, has we all know there has been a lot of lives lost before pension age,and a lot of women have paid there NI contributions for many many years to have nothing and it all going into the big pot,many women are in debt and in ill health through all this ,women have lost their homes too so let’s just have the right thing done for us all this time.
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Thanks for all you have done for women’s rights and particularly getting to this Tribunal.
Look forwards to reading your take on it.
Despite what you said about Scotland, I have written to CabSec Shona Robinson to ask if she and senior team are engaging with this important initiative to influence actions.
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Now we need cedaw to end the discrimination against men that the politically correct virtue signalling equal opportunities has created against men, where it is ok to claim we have made this choice based on diversity, not on who is best for the job.
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cedar might but we are talking about CEDAW
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What about “autocredits” which men received but woman didn’t. The courts ruled that there was no discrimination to women yet this is absolute discrimination. How can the courts not take this in to account. 4.6 million men got autocredits and 3.8 million women got nothing.
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Thank you
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I do hope they will take into consideration 50’s ladies who should’ve retired at 60 and have to wait until they reach 66 to receive what is their due. They had their pension stolen an absolute disgrace I am one of those ladies born January 1956!!!
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Everything Crossed David, surely another door can’t be slammed in our faces and justice will be done. Thank You for your tireless support to our cause and for keeping us updated.
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About time. I was born in 1960. Saved for my retirement. Only told in 2017. Carer until then.
Wished I had stayed in employment.
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I do hope we get some sort of positive result I was born in 1956 started my working life at 18 I have never received any notification to inform me that I would retire at 66 I always thought I was always under the impression I would retire at 60!!! Another point I wish to make George Osborne and his cronies are adamant that they made these changes so we would be equal I do not know where they learnt their maths but the way I see it men always retired at 65 so with the new rules they retire at 65 women on the other hand previously retired at 60 now they retire at 66 now here is my point men have only lost one year where as women have lost 6 years so how is this equal who actually makes these rules!!!
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