Distr. GENERAL E/CN.4/2006/61/Add.2 26 January 2006 Original:  ENGLISH

                 Economic and Social           

                 Council

COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS

Sixty-second session

Item 12 (a) of the provisional agenda

INTEGRATION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN AND A

GENDER PERSPECTIVE: VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women,

its causes and consequences, Yakin Ertürk

Addendum*

MISSION TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION 

* The summary of this report is being circulated in all official languages. The report itself is

contained in the annex to the summary and is being circulated in the language of submission and

in Russian only.

GE.06-10447 (E) 010206

Summary

The present report contains the findings of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, of her visit to the Russian Federation from 17 to 24 December 2004. It addresses violence related to the prevailing insecurity in the North Caucasus and domestic violence in the Federation at large, and identifies key measures and initiatives needed to protect and promote women’s rights and eliminate violence against women.

The Soviet legacy and the recent transition to a market economy are important elements that have shaped the current patterns of human rights violations of women in the Federation. Although the 1993 Constitution ensures the equal rights of women and men and Russia is party to many of the human rights instruments, including the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and its optional protocol, women disproportionately endure the adverse impact of the transition process. Together with the upsurge of patriarchal values, transition has resulted in a general loss of status for women and increased the risk of multiple forms of violence in public and private spheres. Women in the North Caucasus bear the additional burden of the multifaceted hardships in the region.

The lack of a domestic legislation on violence, gender biases in particular in law enforcement and the judiciary, difficulties in accessing subsidized housing, residency registration practices, insufficient shelters for victims of violence as well as the extraordinary circumstances in the North Caucasus are among the factors that hinder women’s access to justice in the Federation.

Public discourse and policy on gender equality is hampered by the lack of a national machinery for the advancement of women, strategically placed within State structure and endowed with the necessary power and resources, and by the lack of a strong civil society to serve as a pressure group and lobbying force.

Violence against women in the Federation poses a major challenge to the Government in terms of its human rights obligations and sustained security. The Government, with its well-developed State apparatus and human rights commitments, is well equipped to mobilize society to put an end to violence, provided that this issue is prioritized.

In her recommendations, the Special Rapporteur calls on the Government to take action aimed at combating domestic violence and violence against women in the North Caucasus as well as to take general measures to empower women and improve women’s access to justice.

FULL REPORT IS ATTACHED.