WUNRN
http://endviolence.un.org/goals.shtml
States are
failing to meet their responsibility to end violence against women and girls.
Violence
against women must be prioritized at all levels. It has not yet received the
priority required to enable significant change. Leadership and political will
is critical.
The most
effective way to fight violence against women is a clear demonstration of
political commitment by States, backed by action and resources.
To address
the problem, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has identified five goals which his UNiTE
to End Violence against Women campaign aims to achieve in all countries by
2015.
·
Goal
2: Adopt and implement multi-sectoral national action plans
·
Goal
3: Strengthen data collection on the prevalence of violence against women and
girls
·
Goal
4: Increase public awareness and social mobilization
·
Goal
5: Address sexual violence in conflict
Goal 1: Adopt and enforce national laws to address and
punish all forms of violence against women and girls
The lack
of effective national laws to end violence against women, or the failure to
implement such laws where they exist, is widespread. Impunity for violence
against women often results from States’ failure to implement international
standards at the national and local level.
In many
places, laws contain loopholes that allow perpetrators to act with impunity. In
a number of countries, a rapist can go free under the penal code if he marries
the victim.
Many
States have no specific legal provisions against domestic violence. Marital
rape is not a prosecutable offence in more than 50 countries.
Ending
impunity and ensuring accountability for violence against women are crucial to
prevent and reduce such violence.
Governments
can learn from many examples of good practice.
Some
States have enacted comprehensive laws specific to violence against women that
provide multiple types of remedy, such as the 1994 Violence against Women Act
in the United States, which authorized federal support for training for police,
prosecutors and judges; shelters and rape prevention programmes; and a national
telephone hotline, amongst other things.
Review and
reform of laws have brought significant advances. Psychological and economic
violence are now incorporated in the legal definition of domestic violence in a
number of countries, including Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and South
Africa.
Vigorous
arrest and prosecution policies and appropriate sentencing make a statement to
society that violence against women is a serious crime.
Implementation
of laws is enhanced by educating police and judicial officials, such as the
training given to police in the Republic of Korea on the laws on domestic
violence, procedures in responding to reports and steps to protect victims.
Several
countries have minimum sentences for crimes such as rape.
The
implementation of national action plans which are multi-sectoral – involving
many parts of government and the community – is key to ending violence against
women.
Plans must
be adequately resourced and should emphasize the prevention of violence against
women and girls, as well as its punishment.
The
continued prevalence of violence against women is testimony to the fact that
States have yet to tackle it with the necessary political commitment,
visibility and resources.
Work to
end violence against women requires sustained action, backed by adequate
resources and strong, dedicated and permanent institutional mechanisms.
Many good
examples exist of multi-sectoral initiatives:
·
*In the United
Kingdom, there are guidelines for police, social workers and educators on
addressing forced marriages.
·
*Courtroom procedures
that protect the privacy of victims during trial, such as allowing evidence to
be given by video link or restricting access to courtrooms during
rape trials, are being used more often, including in Finland, Ireland, Japan
and Nepal.
·
*Bringing together
health services for victims of domestic or sexual violence in one interagency
unit, often called a “One-Stop Centre,” has been effective. First developed in
Malaysia, this model is currently being replicated in much of Asia as well as
in other countries.
·
*Hotlines and
helplines, now standard in many countries, provide important access to
information and support systems for victims of violence against women
·
*Legal services for
women victims of violence, including free legal services to indigent women, are
usually provided by civil society organizations. However, it is good practice
for governments to support such projects.
·
*Access to shelters
that meet safety standards are important in ensuring that women fleeing violent
situations are protected from further violence.
There is
compelling evidence that violence against women is severe and pervasive
throughout the world. However, there is an urgent need to strengthen data
collection in order to inform and influence policy.
The
problem of under-reporting complicates data collection. A 2005 WHO study based
on data from 24,000 women in ten countries noted that 55% to 95% of women who
had been physically abused by their partners had never contacted the police,
NGOs or shelters for help.
Stigma and
fear prevent women from seeking assistance and redress.
Many
countries do not undertake systematic data collection on all forms of violence
against women. Such information is urgently needed to evaluate how various
forms of violence affect different groups of women and to devise meaningful
strategies to address such violence.
In
addition, there is a lack of information to assess the measures taken to
address violence against women and to evaluate their impact.
Increasing
awareness to change attitudes and influence behaviour amongst people from all
walks of life is essential to preventing and ending violence against women.
From
individuals to governments to NGOs, people are being mobilized in local,
national and international efforts to deal with the problem.
Activities
range from government campaigns to let women know which laws exist to prevent
and punish violence, to global petitions, to community and village meetings on
the adverse effects of female genital mutilation, to projects to engage men and
boys in preventing violence against women.
More
mobilization is needed, however.
Everyone,
everywhere has a responsibility to end violence. Find out more about how you
can take
action.
Rape
during conflict is a war crime and a serious violation of human rights and
humanitarian law, and has received widespread condemnation.
However,
sexual violence during conflict remains vastly under-addressed due to weak
national mechanisms for protection and judicial redress and inadequate health
and social support services.
Many still
view sexual violence as an inevitable, if regrettable, consequence of conflict
and displacement – an attitude which encourages impunity for perpetrators and
silences survivors. Sexual violence in conflict and impunity for perpetrators’
crimes are amongst history’s great silences.
Although a
range of governmental, non-governmental and international initiatives to
address sexual violence are being implemented, the scale and complexity of the
problem, coupled with coordination challenges, has meant huge gaps in the
response.
In
September 2009, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1888 on Women and Peace
and Security, which demands that all parties to armed conflict take immediate
action to protect civilians, including women and children, from all forms of
sexual violence.
The
Council also urged greater measures by States and the UN to end sexual violence
in conflict.
Attempts
to end and respond to sexual violence must protect and promote women’s rights,
as well as empower women.
Good
practices and existing programmes addressing sexual violence must be reinforced
and strengthened.
Women are
often leaders in the drive to end sexual violence and to secure peace. Their
voices must guide advocacy and programming efforts. The constructive
involvement of men and boys is also vital to help prevent and respond to sexual
violence in conflict.