WUNRN
March 04, 2009
Source: Agence France Presse
HELSINKI -Some 25 Finnish activist groups demanded Wednesday that the government allocate more resources to prevent violence against women.
"Above all we demand that the Finnish state live up to its responsibility to change and significantly improve actions aimed at preventing violence against women," the groups said in a petition handed to Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen.
Finland has for years struggled with a staggering record of domestic violence against women and Amnesty International has since 2004 called for the Nordic country to work harder to prevent the problem.
The Finnish government is currently putting together a programme to tackle violence against women that it is expected to finalise by the end of the year.
The organisations behind the petition, including Amnesty International and the Federation of Mother and Child Homes and Shelters, stressed that even during an economic recession sufficient resources and actions were needed for that work to succeed.
According to the National Research Institute of Legal Policy, around 12 percent of Finnish women between the ages 18 and 74 experienced violence or were threatened with violence in 2005.
"Studies show that violent punishment of children has decreased thanks
to wide campaigning,
"If we want to get the violence against women under control, a similar campaign concentrating on prevention could be successful," she added.
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Full Press Release Link: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/wom1693.doc.htm
UN Committee on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
9 July 2008
FINLAND’S
NEW GENDER EQUALITY PLAN WILL ADVANCE WOMEN’S RIGHTS, PREVENT DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE, REDUCE GENDER PAY GAP, WOMEN’S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE TOLD
While lauding Finland’s progress in implementing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Committee experts expressed concern over the continued prevalence of violence against women, particularly domestic violence, discrimination against migrant women, the marginalization of Roma and Sami women, and female genital mutilation. One expert lamented that the budget for gender equality had been reduced by one third over the past three years and wondered if Finland’s gender mainstreaming strategy was sufficiently focused on women’s specific needs and if its implementation was being monitored and analyzed. Another expert was dismayed over weak penalties for perpetrators of sexual harassment in the workplace, while another was alarmed by the high suicide rate among young girls -- the second highest in the world.
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