Institute for International Law and the Humanities

IILAH/CCCS Seminar: Women's Autonomy, Religion on Trial

The Institute for International Law and the Humanities and the Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies present a seminar by Professor Frances Raday on Women’s Autonomy - Religion on Trial

Abstract Each of the monotheistic religions - Christianity, Judaism and Islam - restricts women’s autonomy. Multi-culturalist and anti-secular critiques within the human rights literature have ignored or marginalised the impact of organised religion on women. The Human Rights Council’s “traditional values” resolution in October 2009 has injected this marginalisation of women’s harm into the United Nations human rights machinery.
In this seminar Professor Raday will examine various ways in which women have perceived and formulated their claims to constitutional protection for their human rights as regards the patriarchal restrictions of religion. The selected issues will be abortion, women’s religious identity claims and the veil.

Professor Frances Raday is Lieberman Chair in Labour Law at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem and Expert Member for the UN Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (2001-2003)

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