Human Rights (Women in Armed Forces) Amendment Act 2007
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| Human Rights (Women in Armed Forces) Amendment Act 2007 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| New Zealand Parliament | |
| Royal assent | 4 May 2007 |
| Commenced | 5 May 2007 |
| Legislative history | |
| Introduced by | Lynne Pillay |
| Passed | 3 May 2007 |
| Status: Current legislation | |
The Human Rights (Women in Armed Forces) Amendment Act 2007 is an Act of Parliament passed in New Zealand in 2007. It removed an exemption from the Human Rights Act 1993 which barred women from serving in combat roles in the New Zealand Defence Force.
When New Zealand ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1985, it reserved the right not to apply the Convention insofar as it conflicted with existing policies prohibiting women from taking up combat roles in the military.[1] The policy was reflected in the Human Rights Act 1993 with a clause exempting the armed forces from the prohibition against discrimination on the basis of gender in regards to combat roles.[2] The policy against women serving in combat was formally rescinded by the NZDF in 2000, but the exemption remained on the statute books as a barrier to full ratification of the CEDAW.