United Nations
Convention on the Elimination
of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women
CEDAW/C/GC/39
Distr.: General
31 October 2022
Original: English
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women
General recommendation No. 39 (2022) on the rights of
Indigenous women and girls
Contents
Page
I.
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2
II.
Objectives and scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4
III.
Legal framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5
IV.
General obligations of States parties in relation to the rights of Indigenous women and girls
under articles 1 and 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6
Equality and non-discrimination, with a focus on Indigenous women and intersecting
forms of discrimination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6
Access to justice and plural legal systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10
Obligations of States parties in relation to specific dimensions of the rights of Indigenous
women and girls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
13
A.
B.
V.
Prevention of and protection from gender-based violence against Indigenous women and
girls (arts. 3, 5, 6, 10 (c), 11, 12, 14 and 16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
13
B.
Right to effective participation in political and public life (arts. 7, 8 and 14) . . . . . . . . . .
16
C.
Right to education (arts. 5 and 10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
18
D.
Right to work (arts. 11 and 14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
19
E.
Right to health (arts. 10 and 12) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20
F.
Right to culture (arts. 3, 5, 13 and 14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
21
G.
Rights to land, territories and natural resources (arts. 13 and 14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
23
H.
Rights to food, water and seeds (arts. 12 and 14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
23
I.
Right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment (arts. 12 and 14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
24
A.
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