The UN women’s rights committee has called for a new era of human rights and gender justice, stressing that the lives of
black women and girls also matter.
In a statement issued today, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) said it stood in solidarity with the millions of women and girls who joined the protests after the killing of George
Floyd, insisting that their voices calling for an end of racism be heard.
The violence inflicted on George Floyd by four police officers in the United States in May has generated anti-racist
protests and solidarity movements throughout the world.
“At the most vulnerable moment, Mr. Floyd called for his mother, as have other victims before him, reminding us of the
great loss, pain and economic dislocation that women experience in losing their children, spouses and partners, siblings
and other family members in this unrelenting cycle of racist violence,” the Committee said.
While the majority of killings have been of African American men, African American women, including Yvonne Smallwood,
Aiyana Jones, Sandra Bland, and Breonna Taylor, have also been victims of police brutality. Taylor was a 25-year-old
emergency medical technician who was shot in her bed when police raided the wrong house in March 2020.
The Committee affirms that women and girls are also victims of racism and are directly and indirectly affected by racial
injustice and discrimination. While African descendants are especially affected, the Committee is also concerned about
systemic racism and discrimination against indigenous/aboriginal and Roma women and girls throughout the world.
“The Committee recognizes this legacy (of racism) and the imperative to add our voices to those calling for justice and
human rights for all,” CEDAW said in its statement.
In this International Decade for People of African Descent, 2015–2024, declared by the United Nations, the Committee
said it stood in solidarity with the family, friends and community of all victims of systemic racism and racist violence
globally, and all who have risen in justifiable indignation.