A Comparative Study of International Treaty for Women Rights “CEDAW” and Islamic Shariah

Women are confronted with a lot of problems. In different parts of the world, some social and cultural attitudes still discourage the women from getting their established and assigned rights. The factors which are responsible for this phenomenon include societal norms, orthodoxy and some social customs contrary to islamic instructions. For instance, discrimination against women could be in terms of inadequate nutrition, denial or limited access to education, health and property rights, child labor, domestic violence and forceful marriage. So far as the Islamic instructions are concerned, these are derived from Quran and Sunnah and clearly describe women’s rights but, due to some socio-religious customs and undesirable behaviors the societal status and role of women have been badly affected. An international document, the convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women also lists the rights of all girls and women. CEDAW recommends that all discriminations against girls and women must be ended. In this paper, the terms have been analyzed in the context of islamic instructions and teachings, in order to provide academic material for bringing positive change in the society.