WOMEN'S RIGHTS
Guaranteed under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), every human being is assured of their right and freedom without discrimination of any form.
Some fundamental human rights include :
  • Right to life, liberty and security
  • Right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion
  • Right not to be discriminated against and equal protection of the law
  • Right to work and to equal pay for equal work
  • Right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of yourself and your family (including rights of women to be free from violence)

Violations of Women's Rights

Women’s rights are violated daily in specific ways, be it through rape, sexual harassment or domestic violence (i.e. Violence Against Women).
Women’s rights can also be violated also through denial of employment, educational or other kinds of opportunities necessary to reach one’s fullest potential. These violations of women’s rights are all forms of discrimination.
Discrimination can be compounded by one’s class, ethnicity, religion, marital status, sexuality, education levels, language, etc.  As such, often the most disadvantaged in society—for eg. lower income women, women with disabilities, rural women—face the effects of discrimination more acutely.
Many women do not know their rights are protected by the law. However, within some laws in Malaysia, discrimination against women exists. For example:
  • Immigration Act 1959
  • Guardianship of Infants Act 1951
  • Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce Act) 1976
  • Employment Act 1955
                        The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)



The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (the CEDAW Convention) is an international human rights treaty for women. The UN General Assembly adopted the CEDAW Convention on 19th December 1979. Malaysia ratified the convention in 1995.  ...read more



To view a PDF file, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader.  Download the application for free here :  

                                                                                               


85, Jalan 21/1, Sea Park, 46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
           TELENITA Helpline : 03-78770224 | Office Phone : 03-78774221 | Email : awam@awam.org.my | Back to Home
 Copyright © 2009 - 2010 , AWAM. All rights reserved
;