CONVENTION FOR THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN (CEDAW) 

Reporting Session

The Government of Malaysia has submitted its initial and second periodic reports on the status of women in the country to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The review of reports from various governments took place at the 35th CEDAW session at the United Nations in New York from 15 May to 2 June 2006.

The Malaysian Government, was represented by a delegation led by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, reported to the CEDAW Committee on 24 May 2006. The Committee of 23 independent experts evaluated the fulfillment of the government's obligations with respect to the implementation of the CEDAW Convention.

To strengthen women's groups' advocacy, six representatives from women's groups attended the 35th CEDAW session. These representatives were part of the International Women's Rights Action Watch, Asia Pacific (IWRAW Asia Pacific) "Global to Local" programme, which brought together women activists from countries whose governments were reporting to CEDAW. The six representatives were:

• Dr. Hamidah Karim (National Council of Women’s Organisations, NCWO)

• Zaitun Kasim (Sisters In Islam, SIS)

• Ivy Josiah (Women’s Aid Organisation, WAO)

• Meera Samanther (Women’s Aid Organisation, WAO)

• Vizla Kumaresan (Women’s Aid Organisation, WAO)

• Zarizana Abdul Aziz (Women’s Centre for Change, WCC).

The team lobbied various members of the Committee to raise specific issues with the Government when they reported to the Committee. Some of the issues lobbied for were amendments to the Islamic Family Law (Federal Territories) (IFL), rights of migrant domestic workers, the need for a gender equality bill and for gender sensitisation of the judiciary. 

Back to top

Documents and Reports

You can download the documents submitted and the documents produced in that CEDAW Committee session here (from the UN Division for the Advancement of Women website, where you can also find the documents in other languages):

• CEDAW/C/MYS/1-2
• Issues & Questions
• Responses
• Annex to Responses
• Introductory Statement
• Concluding Comments | English | Chinese |
• Summary record of the 731st meeting
• Summary record of the 732nd meeting
• NGO Shadow Report

Back to top

As a follow up to the Reporting session and upon receiving the Concluding Comments for Malaysia, the NGO team decided to come up with a memorandum that highlighted the Concluding Comments and the Government’s obligations to fully implement CEDAW.

NCWO and WAO organised a one-day workshop for women NGOs in September 2006.

The workshop entitled “Towards Full Implementation of CEDAW” achieved the following:

• Shared the NGO teams’ experience in New York

• Began the work of outlining specific actions for each concluding comment

• Formed a group to start working on a memorandum

WAO coordinated the writing of the Memorandum on the Concluding Comments.

On March 8th 2007, the National Council of Women's Organisations (NCWO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development organised a half day seminar on "Ending Impunity for VAW through CEDAW" to commemorate International Women's Day (IWD).

Datuk Sharizat, the Minister received the Memorandum on the Concluding Comments from, Dr Sharifah Hapsah, President of NCWO.

Women's groups hope that the CEDAW Concluding Comments will act as a blue print for the National Action Plan for Women in Malaysia.

Back to Research and Advocacy

Home | About Us | Research & Advocacy | Publications | Services | Archives | Links | Vacancy | Support Us | Contact Us