Elimination & Prevention of All Forms of Violence Against Women & Girls

by 2013 UN Commission on the Status of Women, New York, Feb/Mar 2013

NGO participation in CSW, including written & oral statements

Preparatory Panel for 2013
In preparation for the 57th session of CSW, a panel was
held on next year’s priority theme, “Elimination and    
prevention of all forms of violence against women and
girls.” Panelists agreed that violence against women is
not only a specific and serious human rights violation
but also a direct result of social and political gender           
inequality. Protection from violence against women is
enshrined in various human rights treaties, in              
international charters that address women’s issues, and
is one of the UN Secretary‐General’s initiatives during
his term. The panel, made up of representatives of three
women’s organizations from Africa, Europe, and Latin
America, stressed that the pursuit to end violence
against women must be accomplished at a global and
national scale, involve multiple stakeholders, be based in          
education, and must be exhaustive and maintained. All
forms of violence against women negatively impact
whole communities. Access to “support services” such
as justice, women’s refugees, and health services, should
be adequately provided to all women who face violence;
unfortunately, these services do not reach certain         
vulnerable groups, including rural women, disabled
women, children and young women, indigenous     
women, and minority groups. The panel concluded by
addressing the main gaps in the implementation of     
policy on eliminating violence against women, and     
discussed how to overcome those challenges in order to
better support vulnerable groups.  

Archives of 2012 CSW on rural women, including webcasts & issue sheets

Summary report on 2012 CSW