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Baha'is co-author women's rights publication
WASHINGTON DC, United States, 7 July 2004 (BWNS) -- A newly published
handbook
demonstrates the leading role played by the Baha'i community of the United
States in advocating the ratification by the US government of an important
international treaty on women's rights.

The handbook, which outlines the importance of the Convention on the
Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, was co-authored by Leila Rassekh
Milani, a  spokesperson for women's issues for the National Spiritual
Assembly
of the Baha'is of the United States.

A coalition of some 190  US non-governmental organizations (NGOs) recently
launched the book at the US senate.

For more than a decade, a representative of the US National Spiritual
Assembly
has co-chaired the coalition, which is known as the Working Group on
Ratification of CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination
Against
Women).

The convention is an international "Bill of Rights" for women. It addresses
the political, cultural, economic, and social dimensions of human rights for
women around the world.

The United States was active in drafting the convention and was one of the
first nations to sign it.  However, the United States is the only
industrialized nation that has failed to ratify the treaty, lacking the
necessary votes in the US Senate.

The handbook, "CEDAW: Rights that Benefit the Entire Community," was launched
in a Senate hearing room under the sponsorship of Senator Joseph Biden, a
member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. More than 100 attended,
including representatives of the UN, NGOs, and Congressional staff.

"The treaty on women's rights is a key instrument in promoting the equality
of
women," said Sean Moore, a spokesman for Senator Barbara Boxer, one of the
key
supporters of the convention in the Senate.

"This handbook is an important educational tool to gain the 67 votes needed
for Senate ratification."

Working with Ms. Milani on the book were Sarah Albert of the General
Federation of Women's Clubs and  Karina Purushotma, of the US National
Spiritual Assembly's office in Washington.

The book is a revised and expanded edition of "Human Rights for All," an
advocacy book compiled and edited by Ms. Milani in 2001.

"After September 11, the world changed," said Ms. Milani.  "Greater attention
was given to Afghanistan and the aggressive, systematic oppression of women
there.	Links were found between terrorism and the status of women, national
security and women, HIV/AIDS and women."

Accordingly, the second edition of the book focuses on the international
impact of the treaty and documents how the treaty has been used by activists,
lawyers, government agencies and nongovernmental organizations to address
trafficking in women, HIV/AIDS, terrorism, national security, and other key
issues of global concern.

Ms. Carolyn Hannan, director of the UN Division for the Advancement of Women,
said US ratification of  the convention would strengthen the treaty around
the
world.

She also thanked the Working Group for producing the advocacy book, saying,
"We will use it extensively in our work and with all our contacts at the
United Nations."

An electronic version of the book is available for download at
http://www.womenstreaty.org <http://www.womenstreaty.org/>

 Since 1988, the Baha'is of the United States have been at the forefront of
efforts to encourage US ratification of international human rights treaties,
including the UN Genocide Convention, the Convention Against Torture, the
Convention on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention Against Racial
Discrimination.