WUNRN
Women's International League for
Peace & Freedom - WILPF
WILPF PeaceWomen
WILPF Statement on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence
The 25th of November is International Day for the Elimination of Violence
Against Women. For the last 15 years, from this day until UN Human Rights
Day (10 December) 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence are
observed, recognized by the UN since 1999.
Protecting
women’s human rights and eliminating violence against women has advanced
through the United Nations. Since 1995 substantial work has been done to
implement the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action arising
from the 4th UN World Conference on Women; 185 countries – more than 90 percent
of the UN member states – have now ratified the 1979 Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); and,
United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and
Security in 2000.
Despite
this recognition, violence against women is a reality that cuts across borders,
wealth, race, religion and culture. Every day women experience extensive
violence, particularly in countries at war, in crisis or conflict where women’s
rights deteriorate and are under pressure:
Violence
against women in war areas has, according to UNDP, reached epidemic heights.
The common denominator for the 1990’s conflicts and the conflicts in this
millennium has been comprehensive sexual abuse, forced pregnancy as a tool in
ethnic genocide, kidnapping, intentional infection with HIV/AIDS and
trafficking in women and children for sexual purposes. 3
Changes
in the pattern of gender roles are one of the consequences of conflict, war or
occupation. Violence and aggression becomes integrated into everyday life. When
killing becomes legitimate, it also becomes legitimate to rape or buy and sell
human bodies; a systematic brutalization of the whole society occurs resulting
in numerous and grave assaults on women who are abused by family members as
well as by unknown men, civilians as well as soldiers.
Every
day and everywhere women are working for respect of their rights and for better
conditions. WILPF honours the courage and endurance of women and recommits
itself to eliminating violence against women, achieving disarmament and an end
to violent conflicts.
Since 1915 when it was founded, the Women’s International League for Peace and
Freedom has worked to eliminating war and militarism as the best way to reduce
and eliminate violence in our societies and in the world. Ensuring that women
are active participants in the decisions that affect their lives before, during
and after conflicts is the best way to ensure that women’s concerns and needs
are on the agenda and get the priority they need.
--------------------------------------
1) Amnesty
International, international and Danish websites; 2) Women Building Peace
Around The World: The Case of Colombia in a 1325 perspective, WILPF
Delegation to Colombia, July 12– 20, 2007; 3) UNDP, Newsletter from the Nordic
Office, 23th of April 2003.
================================================================
To leave the list, send your request by email to:
wunrn_listserve-request@lists.wunrn.com. Thank you.