The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) provides a positive legal framework for women’s rights.
Women can be transformed from being passive beneficiaries to active claimants, as the convention creates space for women’s agency.
The Philippines is scheduled for review at the 86th CEDAW session, taking place from 9 to 27 October 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland.
The National Rural Women Coalition (Pambansang Koalisyon ng Kababaihan sa Kanayunan or PKKK) and the National Land Coalition in the Philippines collaborated to provide a parallel perspective on the situation of rural women in the country by submitting a Shadow Report to the CEDAW Committee. The report is categorised by sub-sectors - farming, fishing, and indigenous communities - and is linked by the cross-cutting issues of gender-based violence, unpaid care work, and climate change.
The general aim of this Shadow Report is to provide information about the rural women's situation in relation to the level of compliance of the Philippine national government on ensuring rights regarding land ownership, access to resources, and recognition of their huge contribution to the rural sector and the country’s agriculture & fisheries sub-sectors. The report shall also refer to Articles 14, 15, and 16 of the CEDAW, and the General Recommendation 34 on the particular issue of women’s access to land and natural resources.