Mary Shanthi Dairiam

Last updated
Mary Shanthi Dairiam
Born(1939-09-17)September 17, 1939
Nationality Malaysian
Occupation United Nations official
Known for Human rights and women's rights advocate

Mary Shanthi Dairiam (born 17 September 1939) [1] is a Malaysian human rights and women's rights advocate. She was the elected member from Malaysia to the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women serving the Committee from 2005 - 2008.

Contents

Education

Shanthi received a master's in English literature from the University of Madras in India in 1962. She received a master's in Gender and Development from the University of Sussex in the UK in 1991. [2]

Career

Although trained as an English teacher, Shanthi became interested in women's rights after volunteering with the Federation of Family Planning Associations (FFPA) in the late 1970s and seeing the inequalities women faced. [3]

In the mid-1980s, she was involved in the lobbying for the enactment of the Domestic Violence Act (which was eventually passed by parliament in 1994). She has since 2004 served on the UN's Gender Equality Task Force, [4] and on the Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women. [5] From 2004 to 2008, she was also a member of the UN's CEDAW committee, [6] within which she was appointed Rapporteur in January 2007.[ citation needed ]

In 2010, Dairiam was appointed as one of three UN experts to lead an inquiry into the Israeli navy's response to the Marmara flotilla that sought to break a blockade of Gaza. [7]

Dairiam is the founder and a current director of International Women's Rights Action Watch - Asia Pacific, a global south feminist organisation devoted to the implementation of the CEDAW convention. [8] She played a critical role in developing a process for women's rights NGOs globally to be heard when their governments are up for review on the government's progressive implementation of the convention, and constructive dialogue with the CEDAW Committee . This process facilitates the submission of shadow or alternative reports as well as the presence of women's rights groups at the CEDAW Sessions in Geneva to engage with the CEDAW Committee.

After a year, she set up IWRAW-Asia Pacific and is now regarded as an expert on CEDAW and provides technical services to several governments in the Asia Pacific region to build capacity for the implementation of CEDAW. Shanthi's book, A Woman's Right To Equality: The Promise Of CEDAW, was launched at the Beijing +20 conference in Bangkok, Thailand in 2014.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women</span> International bill of rights for women

The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is an international treaty adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly. Described as an international bill of rights for women, it was instituted on 3 September 1981 and has been ratified by 189 states. Over fifty countries that have ratified the convention have done so subject to certain declarations, reservations, and objections, including 38 countries who rejected the enforcement article 29, which addresses means of settlement for disputes concerning the interpretation or application of the convention. Australia's declaration noted the limitations on central government power resulting from its federal constitutional system. The United States and Palau have signed, but not ratified the treaty. The Holy See, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, and Tonga are not signatories to CEDAW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Development Fund for Women</span>

The United Nations Development Fund for Women was established in December 1976 originally as the Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade for Women in the International Women's Year. Its first director was Margaret C. Snyder. UNIFEM provided financial and technical assistance to innovative programmes and strategies that promoted women's human rights, political participation and economic security. Since 1976 it supported women's empowerment and gender equality through its programme offices and links with women's organizations in the major regions of the world. Its work on gender responsive budgets began in 1996 in Southern Africa and expanded to include East Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central America and the Andean region. It worked to increase awareness throughout the UN system of gender responsive budgets as a tool to strengthen economic governance in all countries. In 2011, UNIFEM merged with some other smaller entities to become UN Women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Commission on the Status of Women</span> Advisory board

The Commission on the Status of Women is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), one of the main UN organs within the United Nations. CSW has been described as the UN organ promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women. Every year, representatives of Member States gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide. In April 2017, ECOSOC elected 13 new members to CSW for a four-year term 2018–2022. One of the new members is Saudi Arabia, which has been criticised for its treatment of women.

International Women's Year (IWY) was the name given to 1975 by the United Nations. Since that year March 8 has been celebrated as International Women's Day, and the United Nations Decade for Women, from 1976 to 1985, was also established.

The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (OP-CEDAW) is an international treaty which establishes complaint and inquiry mechanisms for the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Parties to the Protocol allow the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to hear complaints from individuals or inquire into "grave or systematic violations" of the convention. The Protocol has led to a number of decisions against member states on issues such as domestic violence, parental leave and forced sterilization, as well as an investigation into the systematic killing of women in the Mexican city of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua.

The Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women is a human rights proclamation issued by the United Nations General Assembly, outlining that body's views on women's rights. It was adopted by the General Assembly on 7 November 1967. The Declaration was an important precursor to the legally binding 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Its aim was to promote gender equality, specifically for protection of the rights of women. It was drafted by the Commission on the Status of Women in 1967. To implement the principles of the declaration, CEDAW was formed and enforced on 3 December 1981.

The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women was adopted without a vote by the United Nations General Assembly in the 48/104 resolution of 20 December 1993. Contained within it is the recognition of "the urgent need for the universal application to women of the rights and principles with regard to equality, security, liberty, integrity and dignity of all human beings". It recalls and embodies the same rights and principles as those enshrined in such instruments as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Articles 1 and 2 provide the most widely used definition of violence against women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diane Elson</span> British sociologist

Diane Rosemary Elson is a British economist, sociologist and gender and development social scientist. She is Professor Emerita of sociology at the University of Essex and a former professor of development studies at the University of Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frances Raday</span>

Frances Raday is a professor emerita of Elias Lieberman Chair in Labor Law, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Raday is currently a professor of law at the Haim Striks Law School at Colman College of Management Academic Studies, where she also acts as president of the Concord Center for Integration of International Law in Israel and as head of the school's graduate programs.

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, is a United Nations entity charged with working for gender equality and the empowerment of women. UN Women is charged with advocating for the rights of women and girls, and focusing on a number of issues, including violence against women and violence against LGBT people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EGM: prevention of violence against women and girls</span>

The Expert Group Meeting (EGM): prevention of violence against women and girls was convened as part of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women's multi-year programme of work for 2010-2014. The "Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls" forms a priority theme for its fifty-seventh session in 2013 (CSW57). The meeting took place in Bangkok, Thailand, 17–20 September 2012 and was organised by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, in collaboration with the following organisations:

The Norwegian Women's Lobby is a feminist policy and advocacy organization in Norway and works for "the human rights of girls and women in all their diversity, to eliminate all forms of discrimination against all girls and women and to promote a gender equal society." It is described as the country's "main, national, umbrella organization" for women's rights. NWL understands women's human rights and discrimination in an intersectional perspective and works to represent the interests of all those who identify as women and girls. NWL is funded by the government over the national budget. The mission of the organization is to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and girls on the basis of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Beijing Platform for Action and other fundamental international agreements relating to women's human rights. It works to integrate women's perspectives into all political, economical and social processes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lilian Hofmeister</span>

Lilian Hofmeister is a leading Austrian expert in the field of advancement of women's rights, women's access to justice and in particular elimination of discrimination against women. She worked as a judge in Austria for more than 30 years and has served as Substitute Justice at the Austrian Constitutional Court since 1998.

Nancy H. Rubin served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and as a Presidential Appointee to the White House Council for Community Solutions. She was the 1st chair of the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign and is an advocate for mental health services. She currently serves as Vice Chair of The Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, and the preeminent Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center, and the UCLA Depression Grand Challenge Leadership Council. She is a Commissioner of the Commission on the Status of Women, Civil Human Rights and Equity LA. She is a member of the IWF Trusteeship. Rubin serves on the boards of the National Democratic Institute, Pacific Council, and Women for Women International. Rubin served on the United Nations Association Strategy Committee and Human Rights Task Force. She has served in the administrations of three Presidents. Rubin served as a board member of OEF International and chaired the Committee on Women and Law and Development, which began legal literacy projects in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Rubin is known for her advocacy of social innovation to support communities and democratic institutions around the world, and for her work with government, the United Nations and NGOs. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Yoko Hayashi is a Japanese lawyer and partner in the Athena Law Office. She was formerly an alternate member to the United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights from 2004 to 2006. In 2008, she became a member of the Committee which monitors the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and in 2015 was serving as Chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Hayashi has used her legal expertise to improve the status and protect the rights of women.

Violence against women in Fiji is recognised to be "pervasive, widespread and a serious national issue" in the Pacific Island region. Fiji's rates of violence against women are "among the very highest in the world". The Fiji Women's Crisis Centre reports that 64% of women who have been in intimate relationships have experienced physical or sexual violence from their partner, including 61% who were physically attacked and 34% who were sexually abused.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milena Pires</span> East Timorese politician

Milena Pires is an East Timorese politician and women's rights activist who served as director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in East Timor. Since 2016, she has been the Permanent Representative of East Timor to the United Nations.

Examples of Gender inequality Papua New Guinea includes poverty, violence, limited access to education and health care, and witch hunts. Cases of violence against women in PNG are under reported. There is also a lack of services for women who experience violence. There are reports of sexual abuse by police officers, on arrest and whilst in police custody. These incidents lack documentation or investigation, consequently, perpetrators are rarely prosecuted or punished. The government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) has introduced legislation to combat these issues, though with limited success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gender equality in Azerbaijan</span>

Gender equality in Azerbaijan is guaranteed by the country's constitution and legislation, and an initiative is in place to prevent domestic violence. Azerbaijan ratified a United Nations convention in 1995, and a Gender Information Center opened in 2002. A committee on women's issues was established in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalia Leinartė</span>

Dalia Leinartė is a member and former Chair of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Professor at Vytautas Magnus University, and Fellow Commoner at Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge, and a joint candidate of the Baltic States to the UN Human Rights Committee for the term 2025-2028. In 2018, Apolitical selected her as one of the 100 most influential people in gender policy around the world.

References

  1. "Mary Shanthi Dairiam (Malaysia)" (PDF). Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
  2. "Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights- Mary Shanthi Dairiam Biography" (PDF). Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  3. INDRAMALAR, S. (2015-01-02). "Fighting for equality in Malaysia". The Star Online. Retrieved 2019-11-13.
  4. Horn, Jordana (24 July 2010). "UN to investigate Marmara events". Jerusalem Post.
  5. "Significant progress made, but gender stereotyping still major obstacle to equality in Jamaica, women's anti-discrimination committee told". United Nations. 11 August 2006. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
  6. "International Expert Leads High Level Anti-Discrimination Forum for Royal Government of Cambodia". UNIFEM. 27 February 2009. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
  7. "Israel rejects findings of UN rights probe of Gaza flotilla raid". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 23 September 2010.
  8. "Timor-Leste's Delegation to Present First State Report at CEDAW's 44th Session". UNIFEM. 7 July 2009. Retrieved 22 October 2010.