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UN Women welcomes Agreed Conclusions at the Commission on Status of Women
an article by UN Women, United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (abridged)
At the conclusion of the 57th session of the
Commission on the Status of Women, UN Women
welcomes the outcome of the meeting. The Agreed Conclusions are a
testimony to the commitment of Member States to do
the right thing, to prevent and eliminate violence
against women and girls. In the last two weeks
during the meeting in New York, and in the lead-up
to this session, we witnessed global engagement
and mobilization, high-profile advocacy by civil
society, and determined leadership by many Member
States. Expectations of the world’s women and
girls were extremely high for this session of the
Commission.
click on photo to enlarge
Violence against women is a universal problem that
requires, and has now received, a universal
response. Violence occurs in multiple forms in all
countries and settings; it harms women and their
families and communities, impedes development, and
costs countries billions of dollars annually in
healthcare costs and lost productivity. In 2003,
when the Commission took up violence against women
and human rights, Member States were unable to
reach agreement. Thus I am particularly heartened
that agreement was reached this year to end
violence against women and girls. This agreement
comes in unison with rising voices worldwide
saying enough is enough.
The document adopted by the Commission condemns in
the strongest terms the pervasive violence against
women and girls, and calls for increased attention
and accelerated action for prevention and
response. UN Women welcomes the important focus on
prevention, including through education and
awareness-raising, and addressing gender
inequalities in the political, economic and social
spheres. The best way to end violence against
women is to stop it from happening in the first
place.
The document highlights the importance of putting
in place multi-sectoral services for survivors of
violence, including for health, psychological
support and counseling, social support in the
short and long term. It draws attention to the
need for services to protect the right to sexual
and reproductive health. Punishment of
perpetrators is also highlighted as a critical
measure to end impunity, as is the need to improve
the evidence base and availability of data to
inform an effective response.
By adopting this document, governments have made
clear that discrimination and violence against
women and girls has no place in the 21st century.
They have reaffirmed their commitment and
responsibility to undertake concrete action to end
violence against women and girls and promote and
protect women’s human rights and fundamental
freedoms.
The agreement is one step more for realizing the
rights and dignity of women and girls. But we
cannot stop here. We need to do so much more.
Words now need to be matched with deeds, with
action. Now is the time for implementation and
accountability. We must continue moving forward
with courage, conviction and commitment. . .
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DISCUSSION
Question(s) related to this article:
Protecting women and girls against violence, Is progress being made?
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Latest reader comment:
The 47 CPNN articles devoted to this theme suggest that indeed progress is being made.
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