Musawah Oral Statement to the 9th Session of the Working Group on Discrimination against Women in Law and in Practice (2014)
In January 2014, Musawah delivered an oral statement during the 9th Session of the Working Group on Discrimination against Women in Law and in Practice, convened by the OHCHR as a space to share preliminary strategic inputs into the Working Group’s 2015 thematic priority on discrimination against women in law and in practice in family and cultural life.
Musawah provided the Working Group with information about equality and non-discrimination in marriage and rights and responsibilities in the family, especially in relation to Muslim family laws and practices. In particular, Musawah urged the Working Group to consider three main points as it developed the framework for its inquiry and report:
(1) FIRST, structural discrimination against women within the overall legal framework informs specific discriminatory laws and practices;
(2) SECOND, discriminatory laws, even those justified in the name of religion and culture, can and should be changed to ensure equality and justice for women;
(3) THIRD, Musawah has specific resources and findings that it can contribute to the inquiry and report for this thematic priority.