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Hope in the Liminal Space between Idealism and Reality - An ethnographic study on impact and NGO engagement at the UN women’s rights committee (CEDAW)

Huisman, Dana Jamina LU (2023) MRSM15 20231
Human Rights Studies
Abstract (Swedish)
Women’s rights are under pressure worldwide. NGOs working in women’s rights face new and recurring challenges in light of recent abortion bans and increased domestic violence against women during COVID-19, for instance. The Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) of the United Nations, offers the promise of an ideal world free from discrimination against women. Without an enforcement mechanism, however, to what extent can the Convention make a substantial impact? Variations of this question are well-researched but equivocally answered in academia. Disinclined to pile onto the discordant discussion, this study rather analyzes the concept of impact in practice. It ethnographically studies a crucial... (More)
Women’s rights are under pressure worldwide. NGOs working in women’s rights face new and recurring challenges in light of recent abortion bans and increased domestic violence against women during COVID-19, for instance. The Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) of the United Nations, offers the promise of an ideal world free from discrimination against women. Without an enforcement mechanism, however, to what extent can the Convention make a substantial impact? Variations of this question are well-researched but equivocally answered in academia. Disinclined to pile onto the discordant discussion, this study rather analyzes the concept of impact in practice. It ethnographically studies a crucial group of actors at human rights monitoring mechanisms, namely; NGOs. Specifically, a case study of Dutch and sex workers’ rights NGOs engaging with CEDAW reveals the disillusionment and hope existing in the liminal space between idealism and reality. The study expands limited understandings of impact in human rights scholarship while uncovering the roles of NGOs at CEDAW as strategic actors advocating distinct impact aims. The ethnographic methodology includes interviews and ethnographic fieldwork conducted at the 83rd and 84th CEDAW session, complemented by documentary analysis. Combining primary data and theoretical scholarship on ‘ritual’, ‘performance’ and ‘sentiment’ in human rights, this study interprets impact as contextual and thereby forms a grounded theory of impact in practice as ‘performed’, ‘believed in’ and ‘hoped for’. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Huisman, Dana Jamina LU
supervisor
organization
course
MRSM15 20231
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
human rights, UN treaty body, CEDAW, NGOs, impact, legitimacy, sex work, the Netherlands, ethnography, performance, ritual, sentiment, hope
language
English
id
9141458
date added to LUP
2024-12-04 07:46:04
date last changed
2024-12-04 07:46:04
@misc{9141458,
  abstract     = {{Women’s rights are under pressure worldwide. NGOs working in women’s rights face new and recurring challenges in light of recent abortion bans and increased domestic violence against women during COVID-19, for instance. The Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) of the United Nations, offers the promise of an ideal world free from discrimination against women. Without an enforcement mechanism, however, to what extent can the Convention make a substantial impact? Variations of this question are well-researched but equivocally answered in academia. Disinclined to pile onto the discordant discussion, this study rather analyzes the concept of impact in practice. It ethnographically studies a crucial group of actors at human rights monitoring mechanisms, namely; NGOs. Specifically, a case study of Dutch and sex workers’ rights NGOs engaging with CEDAW reveals the disillusionment and hope existing in the liminal space between idealism and reality. The study expands limited understandings of impact in human rights scholarship while uncovering the roles of NGOs at CEDAW as strategic actors advocating distinct impact aims. The ethnographic methodology includes interviews and ethnographic fieldwork conducted at the 83rd and 84th CEDAW session, complemented by documentary analysis. Combining primary data and theoretical scholarship on ‘ritual’, ‘performance’ and ‘sentiment’ in human rights, this study interprets impact as contextual and thereby forms a grounded theory of impact in practice as ‘performed’, ‘believed in’ and ‘hoped for’.}},
  author       = {{Huisman, Dana Jamina}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Hope in the Liminal Space between Idealism and Reality - An ethnographic study on impact and NGO engagement at the UN women’s rights committee (CEDAW)}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}