UNITED NATIONS Press Release

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UN HUMAN RIGHTS EXPERT ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN TO VISIT GHANA

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2 July 2007 Prof. Yakin Ertürk, the Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Violence against Women, its Causes and Consequences, will conduct an official visit to Ghana, at the invitation of the Government, from 7 to 15 July 2007. During the visit, the Special Rapporteur will meet with Government authorities, civil society representatives, United Nations officials and individual victims of violence against women. The Special Rapporteur plans to visit the Greater Accra Region, the Northern Region and the Volta Region to gather first-hand information on the situation of violence against women in the country. The mission, which will focus on domestic violence and other social and cultural practices that are violent towards women, is meant to assist the Government and civil society in their efforts to address these human rights concerns. Based on the information obtained during the visit, Ms. Ertürk will present a report to the United Nations Human Rights Council containing her findings and recommendations. Ms. Ertürk, Professor of Sociology at Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey, was appointed Special Rapporteur in 2003. For more information, please go to http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/women/rapporteur/index.htm