Women and rights

The UN Human Rights Conference in 1993 proclaimed that 'Women's rights are human rights'. This book in the Focus on Gender series explores issues of women's rights including the legal background and history of human rights legislation, the special human-rights problems of women in situations of conflict or as refugees, violence against women as a human-rights violation, women's rights as workers, the rights of disabled women, and the importance of providing information and training to enable women to claim their rights. Focusing on women's rights involves the recognition that, throughout the world, legal systems to guarantee rights have their roots in cultures which discriminate against women. Development and human rights are closely linked, and the empowerment of women to claim the human rights to which they are entitled will enable them to take full advantage of development processes.