ABSTRACT
The principle of the equal rights of men and women is well-established in international law. The Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the Convention and the Strategies are all intended to set out universally-agreed norms. They were framed by people from diverse cultures, religions and nationalities and therefore were intended to take into account such factors as religion and cultural traditions of countries. All religions are both simple and complex. They are simple in that they place, in one way or another, the individual human being into a relationship with the Divine. In this all individuals are equal and all religions assert the essential equality of persons. The practice of religion is anchored in the experience of individuals in their societies and therefore is closely related to processes of social and economic change. Religious beliefs allow an individual to place her or himself in context, to give purpose to life and to provide an explanation for events.
