Dear Friends and Colleagues,
The following is Rabat Declaration on Violence Against
Women and Young Girls/Gender Based Violence. The meeting took place at the Farah
Hotel in Rabat, Morocco between 23rd and 25th of November
2005.
Eradicating violence against women and achieving
maximization of women’s human rights are very difficult tasks requiring
interdisciplinary and holistic approaches. Gender-based perspective, an
international human rights framework, and good cultural practices are crucial
keys in the debate on women’s human rights, culture, and religion. These
extremely sensitive issues must be debated with all relevant parties
present if we want to achieve results. That is why the United Nations Population
Fund for Women hosting such a meeting is not only very important and but also is
one of the very few ways to reach a solution.
As Helene Cixous said in the Laugh of Medusa, women are
robbed from using the language. Writing and using the Rabat Declaration should
be healing for all of us.
Please distribute the Rabat Declaration as widely as
possible.
Leylâ Pervizat, Ph.D
Baskent Women's Platform
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Rabat Declaration On
Violence Against Women and Young
Girls
Gender-based-Violence
Resulting from
The 1st Mediterranean Forum on Gender-Based
Violence
Rabat 23-25 November, 2005
Introduction
To celebrate the International Day on Violence against
Women, The capital of the Kingdom of Morocco has hosted from 23 to 25 November
the 1st Mediterranean Forum on Violence against Women organized by the State
Secretariat in charge of Family, Children and the Disabled, in the Government of
Morocco in partnership with United Nations Fund For Population (UNFPA) and the
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
The following delegations representing governmental
institutions concerned by this issue, NGOS, legislative bodies, associations,
NGO’s involved and working on this issue from the Mediterranean civil societies,
attended the forum: Algeria, Egypt, Greece, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco,
Palestine, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey, in addition to Canada, as well as
international and national experts.
In the light of the presentations made within the
framework of the Forum which lasted 3 days and which was characterized by its
depth and seriousness, which has enabled the meeting to achieve its goals,
namely the exchange of expertise, and the benefit from the successful
experiences, whether in the legal field or the means of prevention such as
awareness-rising campaigns, as well as the management tools for women and girls
survivors to gender-based violence (GBV), which will allow for the enhancement
for a participative approach and the opening of new field of bilateral or
multilateral collaboration between governments, legislative bodies and NGO’s in
Mediterranean countries.
For furthering the
qualitative action in light of the vision of the
participating States with their all present institutions as well as national and
international organizations namely CIDA and UNFPA and for addressing the Women’s
and their societies concerns and in light of the goals generated by
International and regional Covenants and Conferences’s Programmes of Action, the
participants enunciate and endorse the following declaration entitled as “Rabat
Declaration on Violence
against Women and Young Girls /Gender-based-Violence”:
First: The participants stress the following
principles
o Women’s and girl’s human rights are part and parcel of
Human Rights, and GBV constitutes a serious violation of HR and is an obstacle
to human development
o The ratification of UN conventions related to women
through life cycle, especially the Convention on Elimination of all forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the Declaration for Eradication of all
forms of Violence against Women, constitute the main platform for the struggle
against GBV but also covenants as regards to trafficking on women and children,
women political rights as well as rights in workplace International Labor
Organization (ILO) in addition to regional charter on Human Rights of
individuals and societies
o The adhesion to international agreements on Human Rights
will remain limited in their scope as long as they are not coupled with
international policies and the adoption of gender-based legislative and
institutional measures, which address and protect the human rights of
Women.
o The Gender mainstreaming Approach is a prerequisite to
integrate women in the process of political, economic, social and cultural
development and a main tool for the achievement of the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs).
Second: The participants note
that:
1. Despite
being considered against humankind, the GBV phenomenon, is till prevalent at all
levels and under its different material, psychological and moral
forms;
2. Despite
the growing interest in this issue in most of the two-side Mediterranean
countries in the recent years, and despite major achievements in some of these
countries, and the positive indicators as regards to the legislative, political
and programmatic change in addressing this issue, obstacles are still facing the
implementation of the principle of gender equality and the eradication of
gender-based discrimination in the economic, social, and cultural
areas.
3. Despite
the integration of the principle of equality between men and women in the
private and public sector within the legislation framework of many countries,
these countries still face shortcomings reflecting women’s inferior position at
many levels and domains; which is in contradiction with international agreements
including for those having ratified them.
4. According
to some laws in force in some of the Mediterranean countries, Gender-based
discrimination is still consolidated and still do not recognize woman as human
being entitled to all her rights;
5. Despite
the adoption of Gender Mainstreaming Approach in several countries, there are
still some constraints to the integration of this approach in the national
policies and plans as well as programs.
6. The
discrepancy between certain countries where progress has been achieved in terms
of concrete results in certain keys areas in the field of fight against GBV, and
other countries which are just trying to find their way in such a process, and
in other countries women suffer from all forms of violence under the occupation,
Armed Conflicts, political violence including religious extremisms. The Israeli
occupation in Palestine was particularly raised;
Thirdly: The participants call
for:
7. The
lifting of all reservations issued concerning the CEDAW convention and the
ratification of the Optional protocol appended to it, and the International Pact
for the Eradication of Violence against Women;
8. The
ratification of ILO conventions which pertinent to
women;
9. The
setting up of national policies based on the principled of equality between men
and women
Fourthly: The participants urge
to:
10.
Consider
Violence against women and girls not as a private issue, but deal with it as a
public interest issue concerning the whole society, due to its negative impact
on it, and representing obstacle face to the full participation of women in
Development on an equal footage with men,
11.
The
necessity to put the national legislations in compliance with relevant
international conventions,
12.
Enacting
national laws which repress all forms of GBV, together with practical measures
supported by the necessary mechanisms;
13.
The
necessity to organize awareness-raising campaigns concerning the dangers of GBV,
and in particular those related with health and reproductive
health;
14.
Set
up national strategies for Gender Mainstreaming in Development Plans with
special attention and interest for needy regions and groups more particularly
rural women and girls and those with special
needs,
15.
Review
the school curricula and cleaning them from everything that tarnished the image
of women,
16.
Intensify
the media programs aiming at raising the awareness of society in the fight
against all prejudice and clichés against the roles of women and men and the
improvement of the image of women in the media and communications means and
publication as well as strengthening of values of tolerance and denunciation of
all types of extremism,
17.
Establish
necessary mechanisms and tools to review and monitor media reports with a GBV
perspective
18.
Support
the role of associations and NGO’s, and considering them as an essential partner
for the establishment of the national visions, policies and Programmes, their
implementation and evaluation
19.
Improve
the taking care of women and girls survivors to GBV, by strengthening the role
of the Counseling Centers, Psychological Support and Legal Guidance Centers and
shelters, with an appropriate mechanisms, able to guarantee a full monitoring at
all stages;
20.
Establish
national programs of specialized training for all relevant parties and
stakeholders, working with women and girls survivors to GBV, such as health
workers, physicians and psychologists, judges, lawyers, police forces,
counselors, managers and staff, social workers and community and religious
leaders
21.
Establish
a national mechanism to collect information on GBV, with appropriate mechanisms
and methodology for documentation, analysis, monitoring and, promote of
scientific research by strengthening efforts for raising awareness and financial
resources to diagnose and address GBV,
22.
Efforts
to be made to quantify the economic and financial cost of GBV in order to raise
and increase awareness and financial resources devoted to addressing this
issue.
23.
Offer
all types of assistance for the protection of women suffering from the violence
of Israeli occupation.
Finally, the participants in the Mediterranean Forum on
Gender-Based-Violence proposed the
24.
Establishment
of a Mediterranean network on Gender-Based-Violence, in cooperation with the
UNFPA, among the participating states, in order to exchange information on the
above-mentioned recommendations and good practices in addition the agreed
strategic Plan Of Action on GBV.
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