CEDAW and Muslim Family Law: In Search of Common Ground

This report is based on a Musawah research project on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women (‘CEDAW' or ‘the Convention') that examined States parties' justifications for their failure to implement CEDAW with regard to family laws and practices that discriminate against Muslim women. The research project reviewed documents for 44 countries with Muslim majority or significant Muslim minority populations that reported to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (‘CEDAW Committee' or ‘the Committee') from 2005 to 200. This report documents the trends identified in this review, along with responses from Musawah based on its holistic Framework for Action and recommendations to the CEDAW Committee for a deeper engagement and more meaningful dialogue on the connections between Muslim family laws and practices and international human rights law.