Background: Beijing Declaration & Platform for Action (1995)
- It was a landmark global framework adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women by the United Nations.
- It identified 12 critical areas for action, including poverty, education, health, violence against women, and decision-making.
- The Declaration emphasized women’s rights as human rights and promoted legal and social reforms to achieve gender equality.
- India’s Progress: India, as a signatory, has enacted several laws including the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (2005) and the POSH Act (2013) for workplace safety. However, their implementation remains inconsistent, revealing a gap between legislation and lived reality.
India’s International Commitments
- India is a signatory to several international frameworks that mandate gender equity and climate justice, including:
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948),
- ICCPR (1966),
- CEDAW (1979),
- UN Convention Against Corruption (2003),
- Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, and
- Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995).
