SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN VISITS SUDAN

27 September 2004

The Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights issued the following statement today:

The Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Yakin Ertürk, is visiting Sudan from 25 September to 1 October 2004.

In Khartoum, she participated, together with the Special Rapporteur on Women’s Rights of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights, in an African Regional Consultation on violence against women organized by African women’s organizations. Experts on women’s rights from 13 countries participated in the consultation to discuss strategic interventions to end violence against women in Africa.

Today, the Special Rapporteur will participate in a National Consultation with local women’s organizations to discuss the situation of women in Sudan. She will also meet with various government representatives, national institutions and United Nationss agencies to discuss the particular situation of women in Darfur. At the invitation of the Government, the Special Rapporteur will also travel from 28 September to 1 October to Nyala in South Darfur and El Genina in West Darfur to examine the situation of women in situ and reach an independent assessment of reports and allegations received in relation to her mandate. Her aim is to formulate recommendations to strengthen the protection of women’s rights and response to violence against women.

The Special Rapporteur will also visit camps for internally-displaced persons in both states and hold meetings with local authorities, United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, women’s organizations, as well as to take testimonies from victims of violence. The Special Rapporteur's findings will be presented to the sixty-first session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in her annual report.