人权理事会召开关于妇女人权的年度全日讨论，讨论针对妇女和女童的家庭暴力（部分翻译）

人权理事会
上午

2015年6月19日

人权理事会今天上午召开关于妇女人权的年度全日讨论，并举行关于消除和预防针对妇女和女童的家庭暴力的小组讨论。

人权理事会主席约阿希姆•卢埃克（Joachim Rücker）在介绍发言中指出，过去20年内取得了真正的进展，如今针对妇女的暴力被视为一项国际人权议题而非私人问题。然而，针对妇女的暴力依然普遍，令人难以接受，各国不接受性别暴力是一个人权议题，这通常是惯例而非例外情况。需要更多的努力，另外，要依靠男性来推动妇女权利及其在决策过程中的平等参与。

联合国人权事务副高级专员弗拉维亚•潘谢里（Flavia Pansieri）在其开场发言中表示，过去20年来，国际社会在界定家暴是一种人权侵犯行为上取得了巨大进展。然而，关于家暴的数据仍令人震惊：全球每三个妇女中就有一个在其有生之年遭受特定形式的家庭暴力。暴力的核心是认为男性拥有妇女、有权控制她们的行为并保护她们的荣誉的观念。需要同时解决暴力根源及其影响的综合干预方式，各国的行动在一些领域绝对重要，包括在宪法上承认男女平等、禁止婚内强奸、确保对肇事者进行问责和对幸存者进行赔偿、保障妇女可以获得真正的司法救助、改变思维定势、重组性别权力关系并打击不平等现象。

世界基督教女青年会（YWCA）秘书长、非洲联盟终结童婚运动亲善大使兼小组主持人尼亚拉扎伊•古姆庞兹万达（NYARADZAYI GUMBONZVANDA）表示，小组应探索针对妇女和女童的家暴的表现形式和发生率、探索家暴的新形式并讨论防止家暴和保护受害者的国家应对方式以及加速消除针对妇女的暴力的措施。

海地妇女状况及权益部长玛丽•伊夫•罗塞•莫格特•密尔迪尔（Marie Yves Rose Morquette Myrtil）表示，海地已通过反对性暴力的法律、确保了定期的报告并在全体人口中提升了对这一问题的意识。密尔迪尔女士强调，消除家暴要求基于可靠数据落实公共政策。

西班牙性别暴力事务成功的良好做法政府代表布兰卡•埃尔南德斯•奥利弗（Blanca Hernández Oliver）提到了推广知识、让数据透明且可用并确保为公共政策提供广泛政治支持和足够资源的重要性。就业就是赋权，妇女需要组建网络确保其免于虐待。不显眼的虐待形式需要被记录下来并尽早制止，需要解决年轻一代中流行的大男子主义和沙文主义态度。

来自印度尼西亚新男性联盟（Aliansi Laki-Laki Baru）并兼任秘书长“男性领导人终结暴力侵害妇女问题联合网络”（UNiTE Network of Men Leaders to End Violence against Women）成员的努尔•哈斯伊（Nur Hasyim）表示，印度尼西亚几乎90%的家庭暴力受害者女性只有两个选择：离婚或继续与其具有虐待倾向的伴侣一起生活并继续暴力循环。应对家暴肇事者并不容易，但却是必须的，预防方案应针对年轻男子和男童，还有夫妇、母亲和父亲。

联合国妇女署领导及治理司负责人贝戈尼亚•拉萨格巴斯特（Begoña Lasagabaster）提到了各国在通过法律方面取得的进展，但指出，还存在政治意愿和资源不足以及对相关项目的影响监控不足等形式的挑战。最持久的挑战是对针对妇女的暴力根深蒂固的社会态度。预防是减少并最终消除针对妇女和女童的暴力行为的唯一方法；预防战略应全面且多部门，解决男女之间社会和经济不平等的问题。

北方边境学院（El Colegio de la Frontera Norte）教授兼研究员茱莉亚•埃斯特拉•蒙纳瑞•弗拉戈索（Julia Estela Monárrez Fragoso）阐述了家暴的成因和挑战、需要采取的措施以及挽救妇女和女童生命的紧急措施，并补充称性别并不是杀戮女性问题的唯一考量。   在发展中国家，将它与社会等级以及该国的地缘政治位置联系起来也十分重要。各国和社会需要承认，存在多种杀戮女性的原因，比如政治问题、结构和等级问题、财富分配以及各国的安全政策。

联合国毒品和犯罪问题办事处的斯文•菲佛（Sven Pfeiffer）表示，2014年11月成立于曼谷的妇女和女童杀戮问题不限成员名额专家组承认，杀戮妇女和女童通常代表了持续的家暴和其他形式暴力行为的最后阶段，由于有罪不罚率高且缺少问责，暴力仍在继续。专家强调了法律、政策、步骤和做法在预防和解决不单单是杀戮问题，还有针对妇女和女童的暴力以及在罪行预防和刑事司法上使用国际标准和准则方面的重要性。

在随后的讨论中，发言人对针对妇女的暴力行为仍为最普遍的人权侵犯行为之一深表关切，家暴仍是全球妇女最经常遭受的暴力形式。家暴通常被掩盖在沉默文化之中，沉默将肇事者的沉重耻辱转嫁给了受害者，承认性别不平等和歧视是所有社会针对妇女的暴力行为的根本原因至关重要。消除针对妇女的暴力行为仍应是各个国家的首要优先事项，各国应落实改革议程来解决贫困和教育不足等根本原因，同时还要消除性别陈规定型、增强妇女权力并解决姑息暴力的负面社会态度和规则。经验表明，所有这些对于为预防和消除家暴提供有效的解决方案都至关重要。需要更多的努力来支持受冲突影响的国家，让它们能有效地预防和应对冲突中的性暴力。

发言的有欧盟、代表24个国家的中国、代表法语国家国际组织的摩洛哥、代表非洲集团的阿尔及利亚、代表东南亚国家联盟的菲律宾、代表北欧集团的挪威、代表拉美及加勒比国家共同体的厄瓜多尔、墨西哥、英国、阿尔巴尼亚、巴拉圭、埃及、伊斯兰合作组织、尼加拉瓜、伊拉克、尼泊尔、斯洛文尼亚、德国、智利、塞拉利昂和泰国。

发言的还有摩洛哥国家人权理事会以及以下非政府组织。南风发展政策协会（Verein Sudwind Entwicklungspolitik）、联合彩虹社区国际（Allied Rainbow Communities International）、公谊会世界协商委员会（Friends World Committee for Consultation，联合声明）、加拿大人口与发展行动组织（Action Canada for Population and Development）以及非洲文化国际组织（Africa Culture Internationale）。

人权理事会正在今天举行全天会议。中午，人权理事会将继续与教育权问题特别报告员以及人权与国际团结问题独立专家进行互动对话，之后是与法外处决、即审即决或任意处决问题特别报告员以及法律和实践中的歧视妇女问题工作组进行集体互动对话。下午3点，理事会将继续其妇女人权问题的年度全日讨论，其中有个小组讨论将聚焦妇女赋权及其在决策中的作用问题。

Opening Statements

JOACHIM RÜCKER, President of the Human Rights Council, in his introductory remarks said that today’s panel discussion would present an opportunity to reflect on progress made, as well as remaining and emerging challenges since the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995 in which the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action had been adopted. Real progress had been made over the past 20 years, and violence against women was today considered a human rights issue of international concern, and not a private matter. Nevertheless, violence against women remained unacceptably widespread, and lack of acceptance by States of gender-based violence as a human rights issue was often the rule rather than the exception. More efforts were needed, and it was also up to men to promote women’s rights and equal access to decision-making processes.

FLAVIA PANSIERI, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that the international community had come a long way in the previous 20 years in framing domestic violence as a human rights violation. States had recognized that domestic violence against women was a result of deep-rooted structural discrimination which States had the obligation to address and hold accountable. Worldwide awareness was growing on the issue, and policies were being put in place. Yet the figures on domestic violence were still shocking: one out of three women in the world would suffer from some form of domestic violence during their lifetimes. The reasons why domestic violence continued to be so widespread were multiple and were compounded by discrimination and economic inequalities. At the heart of the matter there continued to be a very basic tenant: the belief that men had an entitlement over women, and a right to control their behaviour and protect their honour. Those beliefs were subtly ingrained in society and were often triggers of violence. Families and communities sometimes viewed victims with suspicion.

What was needed was a comprehensive intervention that addressed both causes and impacts of violence. State action was absolutely crucial in three areas. First, addressing discriminatory legislation. Over 50 countries still did not recognize equality between men and women in their constitutions. In at least 10 countries, women were required by law to obey their husbands. Marital rape was not prohibited in many countries around the world. Second, accountability for perpetrators and reparations for survivors ought to be ensured. Women needed to have real access to justice, which would also help protect them from stigma and retaliation. Thirdly, targeted efforts needed to be introduced to change mind sets and re-engineer gender power relationships and combat inequalities. Engaging traditional and religious leaders could be, and had been in some cases, extremely powerful. New understanding valuing full equality needed to be promoted. Boys needed to be helped to escape expectations of their own masculinity that promoted aggressive behaviour. Education played a key role in teaching children about consent and choice, and helping future adults build healthy couples, relationships and families.

It was heartening to see the matter of domestic violence regularly addressed by the Human Rights Council. This would have been unthinkable several decades earlier. 2015 provided a great opportunity to change the world for the better. Efforts had to be maximized in order to ensure that every woman and every girl lived in a world free from the fear of violence.

Statements by the Moderator and Panellists

NYARADZAYI GUMBONZVANDA, General Secretary of the World Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) and African Union Goodwill Ambassador for the Campaign to End Child Marriage, panel moderator, in her introductory remarks said that family members should nurture each other, and domestic violence was a negation of that space. The YWCA provided shelters, legal assistance and counselling services in 120 countries, and yet it was important to note that domestic violence was preventable. The panel should explore the manifestation and prevalence of domestic violence against women and girls, explore new forms of domestic violence, and discuss national responses to prevent domestic violence and protect victims, and the measures to accelerate the efforts for the elimination of violence against women.

Turning to the panellists, the moderator asked Ms. Myrtil to share her perspective of some of the key dimensions that States should ensure in addressing violence against women, and in particular domestic violence.

MARIE YVES ROSE MORQUETTE MYRTIL, Minister on the Status of Women and Women’s Rights of Haiti, said that fighting violence against women was one of the 12 key areas identified in the Beijing Platform for Action. In Haiti, there were efforts to regularly report violence against women, laws against sexual violence had been adopted, and measures were in place to raise awareness on those issues. Victims reporting sexual violence enjoyed support and protection and programmes were in place to protect women and girls, which included developing partnerships. Eradicating domestic violence required the implementation of public policies based on reliable statistics. Haiti intended to strengthen measures aimed at eradicating domestic violence.

NYARADZAYI GUMBONZVANDA, General Secretary of the World Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) and African Union Goodwill Ambassador for the Campaign to End Child Marriage, panel moderator, said that it was shocking that one in three women over 15 years of age had experienced violence, frequently by the intimate partner, which was the most prevalent form of violence against women. What were good practices among States in the protection of victims?

BLANCA HERNÁNDEZ OLIVER, Spain’s Government Delegate for Gender-based Violence,
said that publicity on this issue should be used to promote knowledge. Data needed to be transparent and available. If anything was not made public, people would not know about it. Another successful good practice was having public policies that enjoyed wide political support. It was important to assign sufficient resources to those policies. Employment was empowerment, and women needed to form networks to ensure that they were protected from such abuse. Awareness among people on violence against women had increased dramatically, which was thanks to awareness-raising campaigns, but also thanks to the involvement of other actors in society. Main pending challenges included the prevalence of subtle forms of mistreatment, which needed to be registered and stopped early, and prevailing macho and chauvinist attitudes among the young generation, thanks to new technologies. Each member of the society had to be involved in the struggle.

NYARADZAYI GUMBONZVANDA, General Secretary of the World Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) and African Union Goodwill Ambassador for the Campaign to End Child Marriage, panel moderator, asked Mr. Hasyim if he could share some good practices and stereotypes facing women and constructs of masculinity that encouraged violence by men.

NUR HASYIM, Aliansi Laki-Laki Baru Indonesia and Member of the Secretary-General’s UNiTE Network of Men Leaders to End Violence against Women, stated that he was working with a women’s crisis centre helping women victims of domestic violence. Almost 90 per cent of women victims of domestic violence had only two options: get divorced or remain with their abusive partners and continue to live in the cycle of violence. The Centre was working on a third option: working with male partners to stop their abusive behaviour. Counselling manuals for the perpetrators of domestic violence consisted of 12 sessions, which focused, inter alia, on building healthy relationships and good fatherhood. It was not easy to deal with the perpetrators of domestic violence, but it was necessary. There were many challenges in that regard, such as high rates of dropouts, or failing sessions completely. Prevention programmes were also conducted, targeting young men and boys, but also couples, mothers and fathers. Fathers were encouraged to spend more time engaged in fathering, which was believed to contribute to a decrease in domestic violence.

NYARADZAYI GUMBONZVANDA, General Secretary of the World Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) and African Union Goodwill Ambassador for the Campaign to End Child Marriage, panel moderator, asked about the role of prevention as part of States’ and other stakeholders’ efforts for the elimination of domestic women, including in conflict contexts.

BEGOŇA LASAGABASTER, Director of Policy Division at UN Women, said there was progress by States in the adoption of laws. However, many challenges persisted, such as the lack of political will, lack of adequate resources, and insufficient monitoring of the impact of relevant programmes. The most persistent challenges were deeply entrenched social attitudes towards violence against women. Prevention was the only way to reduce and eventually eliminate violence against women and girls. However, without the critical mass of data it was not possible to do so. Unfortunately, the approach towards prevention was often fragmented. Prevention strategies should be holistic and multi-sectoral, addressing social and economic inequalities between men and women. Education programmes strengthened the awareness of men and boys about gender relations. Strengthening of partnerships in the community was crucial. All forms of violence against women could increase by the actions of armed actors. UN Women in collaboration with other United Nations agencies was about to finalize a global inter-agency framework on the prevention of violence against women.

NYARADZAYI GUMBONZVANDA, General Secretary of the World Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) and African Union Goodwill Ambassador for the Campaign to End Child Marriage, panel moderator, reminded that almost half of female victims were killed by their marital and intimate partners. She asked about the underlying causes of such behaviour.

JULIA ESTELA MONÁRREZ FRAGOSO, Professor and Researcher at El Colegio de la Frontera Norte in Mexico, elaborated on the causes and challenges of domestic violence, and the necessary steps to be taken and urgent measures to save the lives of women and girls. There was a very high percentage of female murder victims. That was especially true among elderly women. The murder of women by their intimate partners was particularly concerning. Gender was not the only issue in considering femicide. In developing countries it was also important to link it with social class and the geopolitical position of the country. In the globalized world it was very important to consider the gender perspective on violence. States and societies had to recognize that there existed multiple reasons for femicide, such as political problems, structural and hierarchical issues, distribution of wealth, and security policies of States. A very important development in Latin America was the fact that 17 countries legally recognized femicide as a crime.

NYARADZAYI GUMBONZVANDA, General Secretary of the World Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) and African Union Goodwill Ambassador for the Campaign to End Child Marriage, panel moderator, asked about outcomes of the open-ended intergovernmental expert group on killing of women and girls that had taken place in Bangkok in November 2014.

SVEN PFEIFFER, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, said that the meeting had recognized that killing of women and girls often represented the final event of a continuum of domestic and other forms of violence, which continued due to high levels of impunity and a lack of accountability. The meeting stressed the importance of laws, policies, procedures and practices to prevent and address not only the killing, but violence against women and girls and making use of international standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice. A resolution had been adopted calling for further action by States and the United Nations to continue to step up efforts to address violence against women and girls.

NYARADZAYI GUMBONZVANDA, General Secretary of the World Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) and African Union Goodwill Ambassador for the Campaign to End Child Marriage, panel moderator, noted that what had emerged from panellists’ statements was that domestic violence also included incest, and child and forced marriages and said that the issue of impunity needed to be discussed.

Discussion

European Union stated that the European Union had undertaken steps to eradicate the problem of domestic violence. The European Union asked if panellists could point out the best schemes in combatting violence against women. China, on behalf of a group of like-minded countries, said that the elimination of violence against women needed to remain a top priority for all States, for which a transformative agenda was needed, including through the eradication of gender stereotypes. Morocco, speaking on behalf of the countries of the Organization of the Francophonie, said that the most common form of violence against women was inflicted by an intimate partner. Engagement with Francophone countries in combatting this scourge was continuous. Algeria, speaking on behalf of the African Group, said that regardless of the form or context in which violence took place, it had to be combatted. Those responsible needed to be denounced and punished, so that impunity was avoided.

Philippines, speaking on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), expressed firm commitment to the elimination of violence against women and in 2013 regional countries had adopted the ASEAN declaration for the elimination of all forms of violence against women. Norway, speaking on behalf of Nordic States, expressed deep concern that violence against women continued to be one of the most pervasive human rights violations. Ecuador, speaking on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, stressed the importance of empowering women against poverty, social disadvantage and all forms of violence. Mexico noted that domestic violence against women undermined the social development of women and, thus, States had to take measures to empower women to break the cycle of violence.

United Kingdom said that all forms of domestic violence were unacceptable and must be addressed, including intimate partner violence, sexual violence and harmful practices, and more must be done to support conflict-affected States to enable them to prevent and respond effectively to sexual violence in conflict. Domestic violence often remained shrouded in a culture of silence, which shifted the burden of shame from the perpetrator to the victim, said Albania, adding that it had criminalized domestic violence and introduced harsher sanctions against perpetrators. Paraguay said that reality indicated that domestic violence remained the most frequent form of violence that women suffered from around the world and had in place a comprehensive law to protect women from violence. Egypt said that experience in many countries proved that addressing root causes such as poverty, lack of education, low levels of empowerment, and negative social attitudes and norms that tolerated such practices were fundamental to providing effective solution for prevention and elimination of domestic violence.

National Council of Human Rights of Morocco took note of the alarming scale and prevalence of domestic violence and had drafted a memorandum which defined regulatory and legislative frameworks which should be adopted and included measures to support and protect victims and survivors. Vereen Unwind Entwicklungspolitik said that Iran had denied the existence of prevalent violence against women during its second Universal Periodic Review cycle, and yet it was poised to become a member of the UN Women Executive Board in 2016. Allied Rainbow Communities International said that forms of oppression and violence were accentuated against lesbian, bisexual, transgender women.

Response

NYARADZAYI GUMBONZVANDA, General Secretary of the World Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) and African Union Goodwill Ambassador for the Campaign to End Child Marriage, panel moderator, noted that violence against women was not a social issue, but a crime. If there was no implementation and enforcement of existing laws, the scourge would continue. There was a growing number of regional initiatives, including the Istanbul Convention and the ASEAN commitments. The role of civil society was recognized, as well as the strong link between the lack of economic empowerment and gender based violence.

MARIE YVES ROSE MORQUETTE MYRTIL, Minister on the Status of Women and Women’s Rights of Haiti, said that violators should to be denounced, or otherwise frustration would emerge. Awareness and information raising campaigns needed to be organized. Acts of violence needed to be severely punished, and people needed to hear about that.

BLANCA HERNÁNDEZ OLIVER, Spain’s Government Delegate for Gender-based Violence,
stated that violence against women was a public policy problem. Communication with the mass media needed to be strengthened. Statistical data, results of studies, research and investigations had to be made public. Comprehensive political agreements were indispensable. Needs of the youth had to be taken into consideration.

BEGOÑA LASAGABASTER, Director a.i., Policy Division, UN Women, said that the post-2015 legal framework provided a great opportunity to promote gender equality. Work on the accountability of State and non-state actors in conflicts was important. It was very significant to allocate resources through national channels to combat violence against women.

NUR HASYIM, Aliansi Laki-Laki Baru Indonesia and Member of the Secretary-General’s UNiTE Network of Men Leaders to End Violence against Women, stressed that counselling had to be integrated in domestic violence prevention policies. Most victims decided to remain with their abusive partners, which was why counselling was essential. Working with young boys had to be an integral part of preventing violence.

JULIA ESTELA MONÁRREZ FRAGOSO, Professor and Researcher, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, said that State policies were a crucial factor. States had to spell out what their policies on women were. Violence against women was a political issue; databases had to contain various factors, including details on femicide. If impunity continued, they would have a colossal problem on their hands in the future.

NYARADZAYI GUMBONZVANDA, General Secretary of the World Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) and African Union Goodwill Ambassador for the Campaign to End Child Marriage, panel moderator, underlined the importance of moving from awareness towards behaviour change. She added that in her work it was very difficult to find a client coming from an aware family.

Discussion

Ecuador said that respecting and protecting women’s rights was enshrined in Ecuador’s Constitution and that it was one of the first countries to recognize femicide as a crime. United States asked what the international community could do to ensure that the breakdown of social order did not lead to a dramatic escalation in domestic violence, and to ensure the same level of assistance to victims of domestic violence. Brazil noted that major obstacles and challenges remained in the elimination of violence against women, and thus it supported the introduction of a specific sustainable development target for the elimination of domestic violence against women. Republic of Korea said that domestic violence was a major social ill that threatened public safety and thus the Government took a holistic approach to dealing with the issue. Argentina noted that States needed to deal with the problem of domestic and gender-based violence through appropriate educational and social programmes. Indonesia shared the concern that violence against women, in particular domestic violence, persisted at the global level. Full gender equality depended on targeting the root causes, such as socio-economic factors. Monaco voiced its commitment to combatting violence against women and had introduced a law on domestic violence, which aimed to reduce repressive acts of violence committed against marital partners.

Organization of Islamic Cooperation said that it was vital to raise awareness about national legal arsenals and international instruments available on domestic violence, and to use centres for survivors as places of open discussion in which stereotypes, including gender, could be deconstructed. Nicaragua said that women must be promoted and empowered within societies and countries and encouraged the Council to continue to promote exchange of good practices. Iraq said that since the Gulf War in 1991, the situation of the rights of women in the country had worsened, but since 2003 a number of measures and policies had been put in place to limit discrimination against women. Nepal said that it was integrating the fundamental principle of equality between men and women in its new Constitution and had in place a plan for the elimination of discrimination against women and ensuring their equal rights. Slovenia asked the panellists how to accelerate the closing of the gap between the normative framework of prohibiting violence against women and the practical elimination of it.

Friends World Committee for Consultation in a joint statement said that measures to address domestic violence must include women in prison, because of the proven links between domestic violence and incarceration and the continuum of violence after incarceration. Action Canada for Population and Development said that it was crucial to recognize that gender inequalities and discrimination were at the root of violence against women in all societies and in families, and emphasized the importance of addressing gender stereotypes and patriarchal norms around women’s sexuality. Indian Law Resource, in a joint statement with the National Congress of American Indians and Native American Rights Fund, called on States to ensure that indigenous women enjoyed full protection against all forms of violence and discrimination, and on the United Nations to develop a system-wide action plan to that end. Africa Culture International believed that States had the obligation to protect life and the well-being of both men and women. Poverty, as one of the main sources of inequality, had to be overcome.

Germany highlighted the link between domestic violence and violation of sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls, and asked the panellists about best practices in that respect. Chile said that domestic violence was anchored in gender relations and Chile was not exempt in that respect. Particular attention had to be paid to women with disabilities who were victims of violence. Namibia raised the issue of women who suffered disproportionately in armed conflicts and other humanitarian crises, especially of the high level of sexual violence committed against women in conflict-ridden areas. Holy See warned that women in many parts of the world were subject to modern forms of slavery, forced prostitution, early and forced marriages, lack of access to education, employment and wage discrimination. Mali said the rights of women should be protected through a holistic approach of the Sustainable Development Goals, and reaffirmed its commitment to continue working until violence against women was eradicated.

Sierra Leone stressed the need for awareness-raising and well-functioning mechanisms within the police and judicial systems to ensure that offenders could indeed be brought to justice. Victims had to be protected from recourse by their families and communities when they reported cases of domestic violence. Thailand stated that gender-related killing was at one extreme end of the continuum of violence, which might begin at home. A draft resolution to enhance gender-specific criminal justice policy and strategies would be recommended for adoption by the General Assembly.

Concluding Remarks

NYARADZAYI GUMBONZVANDA, General Secretary of the World Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) and African Union Goodwill Ambassador for the Campaign to End Child Marriage, panel moderator, invited the panellists to provide their concluding remarks and answer the outstanding questions by national delegations and civil society organizations.

MARIE YVES ROSE MORQUETTE MYRTIL, Minister on the Status of Women and Women’s Rights of Haiti, in her concluding remarks said that domestic violence was an impediment to women both in the north and south. She underlined the necessity to introduce education on rights and gender-based violence, as well as to establish national observatories on domestic violence and to allocate appropriate funds. A legal framework would help to make headway.

BLANCA HERNÁNDEZ OLIVER, Spanish Government’s Delegate for Gender-based Violence, said that any action at the public level that would bring equality between men and women would promote the ultimate goal and tackle other social inequalities. Anything to publicize and raise awareness would help bring about a solution. Data did not just inform about what was going on, but it also helped raise awareness. Agreement had to exist among stakeholders. A message of rejection towards perpetrators needed to be sent, and that of respect for women reinforced. Everyone could be involved in finding solutions. Women with disabilities and rural women deserved special attention in that respect.

JULIA ESTELA MONÁRREZ FRAGOSO, Professor and Researcher at El Colegio de la Frontera Norte in Mexico, said that many examples of good practices existed. There had to be a national budget on an annual basis, and States had to ensure that institutes for women were independent and properly funded. Impunity was another important question that had to be addressed. Youth groups and groups of men committed to equality also had to be strengthened. Good practices for women who came out of prison was another important issue. They were often in prison because of what was done to them by their partners. Without help, they were destined to be murdered by their men.

NUR HASYIM, Aliansi Laki-Laki Baru Indonesia and Member of the Secretary-General’s UNiTE Network of Men Leaders to End Violence against Women, noted that men were not naturally violent. They became violent and thus they needed to be educated about gender relations. They had to be engaged in order to avoid harmful masculine practices through school curricula.

BEGOŇA LASAGABASTER, Director of Policy Division at UN Women, said that conflict contexts exacerbated violence against women. One of the ways to counter that situation was through the involvement of civil society organizations. The impact of women’s movements was proven to be effective.

NYARADZAYI GUMBONZVANDA, General Secretary of the World Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) and African Union Goodwill Ambassador for the Campaign to End Child Marriage, panel moderator, in her concluding remarks noted that States needed to recognize the linkages between the right to sexual and reproductive health and violence against women. Other important topics in tackling domestic violence were: access to justice and fighting impunity, the importance of dealing with domestic violence in disaster management policies, and new forms of social media and their psychological consequences on violence against women.

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For use of the information media; not an official record

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