PROTECTING WOMEN’S RIGHTS? PROSPECTS UNDER THE U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS TREATY SYSTEM: A CASE STUDY ON INDIA 2005-2017

Abstract

The establishment of the United Nations Treaty System was the fundamental step for the protection and enforcement of women’s rights. The system is designed to monitor the human rights standards in countries that have ratified the treaties, called state parties. However, the system is facing several challenges that have compromised its effective working for the protection and enforcement of women’s rights. The thesis seeks to explain the challenges to the effective working of the system, that is, why the system does not work as designed in protecting women’s rights against three specific issues: domestic violence, sexual trafficking, and reproductive rights. The thesis through a case study in India examines whether the system is working as intended in protecting women’s rights in India. The purpose of the thesis is to identify the opportunities to improve the working of the U.N. treaty system to effectively protect and promote women’s rights.