[women-rights] International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

***Learn more about the International Day for the Elimination of Violence
Against Women, 25 November 2004:
http://www.hrea.org/feature-events/vaw-day.php


United Nations Press Release
16/11/2004

UN Secretary-General, in International Day message, stresses need to
protect women, eliminate violence against them

Following is Secretary-General Kofi Annan's message on the International
Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, observed on 25
November:

Violence against women is global in reach, and takes place in all
societies and cultures, affecting women no matter what their race,
ethnicity, social origin, property, birth or other status may be.

Gender-based violence is particularly pervasive in situations of armed
conflict, when women and girls become victims of rape and other forms of
sexual abuse, and are vulnerable to trafficking.  Last May, in an
important step towards ending the impunity with which such crimes are
committed, the Trial Chamber of the Special Court for Sierra Leone
approved a motion to add a new count of "forced marriage" to indictments
against six defendants.  Thus, for the first time, forced marriage will be
prosecuted as a crime against humanity.

Violence against women is a challenge in itself, but comes with an added
deadly dimension:  the risk of HIV infection.  Sexual violence increases
women's vulnerability to the virus.  All too frequently, the threat of
violence forces women to have unprotected sex.  Violence can also make it
impossible for women to seek information, follow treatment or even raise
the subject for discussion.

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the
human rights treaty body that monitors implementation of the Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, continues to
play a dynamic role in ensuring that this issue is a high priority for the
international community.  The Optional Protocol to the Convention gives
women and groups of women the right to petition, and has the potential to
become a highly effective tool for addressing gender-based violence and
other violations of women's human rights.

On this fifth International Day for the Elimination of Violence against
Women, let us be encouraged that there is a growing understanding of the
problem.  But let us also pledge to do our utmost to protect women, banish
such violence, and build a world in which women enjoy their rights and
freedoms on an equal basis with men.



---
The "women-rights" mailing list provides information on issues related
to women's human rights. Archives of "women-rights" messages, as well
as instructions on how to (un)subscribe to the list, can be found at:
http://www.hrea.org/lists/women-rights/markup/maillist.php