Submissions to the United Nations on CEDAW and CRPD
(29th June 2025)
Disabled Women Ireland (DWI) has recently made submissions to the United Nations under two key human rights treaties: the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
UN Cedaw
Both CEDAW and CRPD are international agreements that Ireland has signed up to. They require countries to protect and promote the rights of women and disabled people. Every few years, Ireland is reviewed by UN committees to see how well it performs relative to the treaties—and groups like DWI can send in reports to highlight problems and share real-life experiences.
As part of the most recent review of Ireland under CEDAW, DWI submitted an alternative report with NeuroPride Ireland focusing on the specific experiences of disabled women and gender minorities. Our submission highlighted concerns in three core areas:
Gender-based violence
Parenting and family life
Poverty and social exclusion
We were also invited to take part in a private virtual briefing with members of the UN CEDAW Committee ahead of the State’s appearance for review.
UN CRPD
In parallel, we also submitted a List of Issues Prior to Reporting (LOIPR) to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). This detailed report highlighted gaps across 15 different articles of the Convention.
As a member of the DPO Network, we also contributed to the joint LOIPR submission coordinated by the Network. That report can be found on the DPO Network’s website.