Another heartening gesture from Tunisia on the status of women

     As Bothaina Kamel continues to gain attention in her pursuit of the Egyptian presidency, more good news hearkens from Tunisia: on Friday, the nation formally withdrew all reservations to CEDAW - The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
    Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979, CEDAW is commonly described as an international bill of rights for women, and defines the oppression thereof as "...any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field." Any country that accepts CEDAW must commit itself to measures aimed at curbing that oppression.
     Though Tunisia was one of the first countries to go onboard with CEDAW, as early as 1980, its pre-revolutionary establishment had lodged a series of reservations on four somewhat crucial rights that CEDAW had intended to preserve, these being:

     - Equal rights to pass on nationality to their children.
     - Equal rights and responsibilities in marriage and divorce.
     - Equal rights in the guardianship and adoption of children.
     - Equal personal rights as husband and wife, including the right to choose a family name, a profession and an occupation.

     The interim government's decision to withdraw these reservations signals the likelihood that a newly elected parliament will amend whatever oppressive laws the original reservations were meant to protect. Along with a decision by Tunisia's National Electoral Commission in May to ensure gender parity in any future parliament, Tunisia's renovated relationship with CEDAW reinforces its reputation as the Middle East's leader in women's rights.
     As a somewhat noteworthy aside, if any readers are unaware of CEDAW, it might perhaps stem from the fact that the United States is one of only seven countries in the world that has not yet ratified the convention. Given our penchant for slinging allegations of sexism at various regions of the world, this detail has always struck me as a little bit . . . curious.