Objectives

  The objective of the Optional Protocol is to allow people or groups of people who have exhausted remedies within their own countries to petition the Committee directly about their Government's alleged violations of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The Protocol also lets the Committee make inquiries into serious or systematic violations of the Convention in countries that are parties to the Convention and the Optional Protocol.

Key Provisions

  Countries that are parties to the Optional Protocol commit to making the Convention and the Protocol widely known, and to giving access to information about the Committee's views and recommendations. These countries must take all appropriate measures to guarantee that people under their jurisdiction are not treated badly or intimidated when they either take advantage of the Protocol's procedure or provide information associated with these procedures. Countries which ratify or accede to the Protocol may not comply only partially with its procedures, but they may opt out of the inquiry procedure.