by Mary Robinson

About the author: Mary Robinson was United Nations high commissioner for human rights from 1997 to 2002.

Women’s rights are human rights. This affirmation seems self-evident, yet women waited until 1995 to see it stated unequivocally in an international document. That year, the overwhelming majority of the world’s nations adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action at the end of the Fourth World Conference on Women in China. The inclusion of these documents in the final act of that historic gathering is not to be underestimated. The recognition of women’s rights as human rights, one of the goals of the international women’s movement, came about only after decades of struggle. More importantly, it visibly illustrates evidence of women’s transformation...