Part II Protecting and promoting the rights of women and girls: NHRIs in action 4.2. ADVOCATING FOR THE ADOPTION OF INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS AND REMOVAL OF RESERVATIONS All NHRIs should be aware of: • Those human rights treaties that their State is party to • Any reservations or declarations that are attached to those treaties by their State77 • Their State’s position on the human rights treaties to which it is not party • Issues, problems and obstacles with respect to the domestic implementation of the human rights treaties. This information should guide NHRIs in all their work and should be used to identify priorities, develop strategies and inform planning. It should be regularly reviewed and updated as required. Countries that have established an NHRI often display a commitment to the international human rights system and the standards outlined in the human rights treaties. Almost every country in which an NHRI has been established is party to the human rights treaties of most direct and immediate significance to the rights of women and girls, including: CEDAW, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. However, in most countries, there will be opportunities for NHRIs to advocate for the State to ratify other international instruments that are central to the legal framework for promoting and protecting the rights of women and girls. Two relevant examples are the: • Optional Protocol to CEDAW, which establishes procedures for the CEDAW Committee to receive and consider complaints from individuals or groups within the State party’s jurisdiction78 • ILO Convention concerning Decent Work for Domestic Workers, which entered into force on 3 September 2013 and provides protection in an area of great concern to many NHRIs.79 Other treaties that provide important protections to women and girls include the: • Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography • International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families • Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (Trafficking Protocol) • Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol • Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure. NHRIs can play an important role in promoting awareness about these human rights instruments and their value amongst various groups within the community. They can also support the ratification process by undertaking research to identify any changes in laws and policies that may be required prior to or on ratification. 77 For information on reservations or declarations, see https://treaties.un.org/Pages/Home.aspx?clang=_en. 78 At the time of writing, 83 States parties to CEDAW had not yet become party to the Optional Protocol. 79 At the time of writing, the Convention had been ratified by very few States. Chapter 4: Supporting a strong national legal and policy framework | 41