Eliminating Violence Against Women

Eliminating Violence Against Women

Eliminating Violence Against Women in 2013

United States views on international law [1] in relation to Eliminating Violence Against Women: The United States participated in a clustered interactive dialogue on freedom of expression and violence against women at the 23rd session of the HRC on June 3, 2013. The portion of the statement of the U.S delegation relating to eliminating violence against women appears below. The portion on freedom of expression appears in Section M.2., in this world legal Encyclopedia. The statement in its entirety is available at (link resource) geneva.usmission.gov/2013/06/03/clustered-interactive-dialogue-on-freedom-ofexpression-and-violence-against-women/.

Some Aspects of Eliminating Violence Against Women

The United States thanks Special Rapporteur Manjoo for her on-going work to address violence against women and welcomes her report on the State responsibility for eliminating violence against women. Women and girls everywhere should be able to live free from violence, exploitation, and abuse, and this report is an important contribution toward upholding the enjoyment of those rights. The United States is committed to preventing and addressing violence against women and girls, and has prioritized this issue at home and around the world. In 1994, the U.S. Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a critical step in changing the way violence against women is addressed in the United States. The United States Department of Justice implements the VAWA and provides financial and technical assistance to communities across the country to develop programs, policies, and practices aimed at ending intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and stalking, including legal assistance to survivors, court improvement, and training for law enforcement and courts. Between 1993 and 2007, the number of women killed by an intimate partner declined by 35 percent in the United States.

Developments

President Obama signed the reauthorization of the VAWA into law in March 2013. This most recent iteration closes jurisdictional gaps that had long compromised Native American women's safety and access to justice; ensures lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender victims have access to the services they need; and expands protections for immigrant women who experience violence. In December 2011, the United States released its National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (NAP) to empower women to act as equal partners in preventing conflict and building peace in countries threatened and affected by war, violence and insecurity. Through the NAP, the United States will support the development of effective accountability and transitional justice mechanisms that address crimes committed against women and girls. To further advance our efforts to protect women and girls from violence, the United States released its first U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally in August 2012. The Strategy calls on executive agencies to execute a comprehensive and multisector approach to preventing and responding to gender-based violence around the world. The United States is committed to addressing violence against women and advancing gender equality as a cornerstone of our foreign policy.

Details

On June 14, 2013, the HRC adopted resolution 23/25, “Accelerating efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women: preventing and responding to rape and other forms of sexual violence.” U.N. Doc. A/HRC/RES/23/25. Ambassador Donahoe delivered the U.S. statement welcoming the resolution. Her statement is excerpted below and available at (link resource) geneva.usmission.gov/2013/06/14/u-s-welcomesresolution-on-violence-against-women-and-girls/.

More

The United States welcomes the resolution entitled “Accelerating efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women: preventing and responding to rape and other forms of sexual violence.” We strongly support this Council's continuing commitment to the human rights of women and girls everywhere and to insisting upon the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls. By renewing the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, this Council is sustaining a vital tool in global efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls. Ending the global scourge of violence against women and girls will require comprehensive support services for survivors, accountability for perpetrators, redoubled efforts to prevent abuse, and the common recognition that women and girls have inalienable human rights and fundamental freedoms. These efforts should be directed to ending all forms of genderbased violence, including intimate partner violence, which is the most prevalent form of violence against women and girls globally. One in three women worldwide will experience gender-based violence in her lifetime, and in some countries, 70 percent of females are affected. Members of particularly vulnerable populations, including women and girls with disabilities, lesbians and transgender persons, and indigenous women and girls are at increased risk.

More

Intimate partner violence and this resolution's particular focus, sexual violence, must be prevented and addressed through a holistic approach. The World Health Organization defines intimate partner violence to include “acts of physical aggression, psychological abuse, forced intercourse and other forms of sexual coercion, and various controlling behaviours such as isolating a person from family and friends or restricting access to information and assistance.” Violence perpetuates a cycle of violence; evidence shows that children who witness or experience violence are more likely to perpetrate violence and/or experience violence as adults. Emerging evidence shows that in post-conflict situations, intimate partner or domestic violence can increase due to a general breakdown in rule of law or societal norms. Violence seriously jeopardizes the physical and mental health of women and girls, including, in many instances, their sexual and reproductive health. Respecting and promoting the human rights of women—including the right to have control over and decide freely and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality free from coercion, discrimination, and violence—must be at the heart of our efforts to end violence against women and girls or we will never succeed.

Eliminating Violence Against Women in 2013 (Continuation)

United States views on international law [1] in relation to Eliminating Violence Against Women: To that end, we are pleased that this resolution recognizes the strong connection between sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights and efforts to address and end violence against women, including rape. Reproductive rights, originally defined in the International Conference on Population and Development's Program of Action adopted in 1994 and elaborated and reaffirmed in numerous intergovernmental documents since then, provide the foundation for our global effort. Reproductive rights rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing, and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so. The implementation of these instruments is contributing significantly to progress on preventing, mitigating, and ultimately eliminating violence against women and girls. For women, the risk of pregnancy is also an important possible outcome of rape. We are pleased to note that the Commission on the Status of Women and CPD recognized the significance for survivors of access to emergency contraception, safe abortion, and post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. This Council should do the same.

More about Eliminating Violence Against Women

The United States remains deeply concerned by incidents of rape and other forms of sexual violence in armed conflict, as well as in other situations of violence or instability. We must ensure that those who perpetrate these crimes are held accountable. In that regard, we strongly support the resolution's call for States that contribute to UN operations to take all appropriate measures to address and prevent rape and other forms of sexual violence, including by investigating and, as appropriate, prosecuting allegations of misconduct. We also underscore the important role that trained experts play in investigating allegations of mass rapes or systematic sexual violence. In this regard, we welcome the efforts of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Women, and others in expanding the availability of gender, linguistic, and regional experts for deployment for these important investigations. In conclusion, the United States is pleased to renew our commitment to supporting the Council as it redoubles its efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.

Resources

Notes

  1. Eliminating Violence Against Women in the Digest of United States Practice in International Law

Resources

Notes

  1. Eliminating Violence Against Women in the Digest of United States Practice in International Law

Posted

in

,

by

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *