Addressisng gender stereotyping under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women: The case of Ciudad Juarez

This Paper argues that combating gender stereotyping is inseparable from the larger project of ensuring women's substantive equality under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. This Paper argues that in order to achieve this goal, we must develop a methodology capable of effectively identifying and challenging gender stereotyping. This Paper aims to develop such a methodology. In order to demonstrate how adherence to a robust methodology might help to combat gender stereotyping, this Paper then applies the proposed methodology to the inquiry into abduction, rape, and murder of women in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico---the first inquiry completed under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. This Paper then considers the reasons why the Optional Protocol inquiry procedure provides a promising legal tool for applying the proposed methodology to combat gender stereotyping.