Qatar asked to sign convention to protect women

Qatar's human rights watchdog called on the government yesterday to sign an international convention to protect women from any form of discrimination.

The National Human Right Committee (NHRC) together with the Supreme Council of Family Affairs (SCFA) launched an appeal to the Qatari leadership asking to sign the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

"We ask the authorities to sign the convention to stress the country's commitment to promote gender equality according to our constitutional principles," Khalid Bin Mohammad Al Attiya, chairman of the NHRC told Gulf News.

"Our adherence to the convention would be in compliance with our legal, social and cultural principles. There is no reason why we should delay the signing of the convention."

Qatar, Oman and Iran are the only countries in the North Africa and Middle East region that have not yet signed the CEDAW, according to a report of the United Nations.

As of March 18, 2005, about 180 countries from across the world 90 per cent of the United Nation's members had adhered to CEDAW, the report stated.

According to Nour Al Malki, women's affairs officers at the SCFA, one reason for the delay is that some of the CEDAW's clauses on gender equality do not fully abide by the Islamic principles. This would hinder the authorities from signing the document.

"There are some articles that do not comply with the Sharia, the Islamic law. However we could sign the conventions with some reservations, as other Gulf and Arab countries have already done."

Abdullah Al Khalifa, secretary-general of the SCFA said the controversial clauses are Articles 2 and 16.

The first article states that member states should act to implement gender equality in all fields of life. The second one states that member states should guarantee gender equality in all matters related to marriage.

The two articles clash with the Islamic law provisions in terms of women's rights to divorce, children's custody and inheritance, Al Malki said.

"These clauses should specify that gender equality is acceptable as far as it does not clash with the Islamic law. Other Islamic countries have signed the convention adding this reservation," he said.

The NHRC and the SCFA are jointly conducting an awareness campaign to promote the CEDAW's principles and create pressure on the Qatari authorities to sign, Al Malki said.

Convention
Agenda for national action

• The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, is an international bill of rights for women.
• Consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, it defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination.