WUNRN
Full 6-Page UN Human Rights Council
18 Resolution on Violence Against Women & Due Diligence in Protection, is
Attached.
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Via WWDA - Women With Disabilities
Australia
From WWDA Newsletter Issue 3, 2011 http://wwda.org.au/wwdanews0311.doc
UN Thematic Study on Violence Against
Women with Disabilities - WWDA
In mid June 2011, at its 17th
session, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a Resolution to
accelerate efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women. The
Resolution called for a study to be conducted on the issue of violence against
women and girls and disabilities, with the report of the study to be presented
to the 20th session of the Human Rights Council in 2012. The
Resolution states:
The Human Rights Council…Invites the Office of the High Commissioner to
prepare a thematic analytical study on the issue of violence against women and
girls and disability, in consultation with the Special Rapporteur on violence
against women, its causes and consequences, the Special Rapporteur on
disability of the Commission for Social Development of the Economic and Social
Council, other relevant special procedure mandate holders, States, United
Nations entities, regional organizations, civil society organizations and other
relevant stakeholders, and to report to the Human Rights Council at its
twentieth session;
The Resolution expresses the Human Rights
Council’s concern that multiple, intersecting and aggravated forms of
discrimination against women and girls increase their vulnerability and
undermine their ability to protect themselves from violence. It recognises that
effective protection requires comprehensive, integrated, coordinated
multi-sectoral approaches involving multiple stakeholders, and that such
responses should avoid re-victimization, be empowering to the victim, be
evidence-based and culturally sensitive, and integrate the specific and
differentiated needs of women and girls who face multiple, intersecting and
aggravated forms of discrimination. It underscores the duty of States to
exercise due diligence to provide protection to women and girls who have been
subjected to or are at risk of violence, including using all appropriate means
of a legal, political, administrative and social nature to provide access to
justice, health care and support services that respond to their immediate needs, protect against further
harm and continue to address the ongoing consequences of violence for women and
girls, taking into consideration the impact of violence on their families and
communities.
WWDA has been invited to contribute to the
Office of the High Commissioner’s thematic analytical study on the issue of
violence against women and girls with disabilities. The thematic study will
occur in phases, and the first phase is researching information from States
parties as to the current situation in relation to violence against women with
disabilities. The Office of the High Commissioner has prepared a questionnaire
requesting detailed information on the following themes: data & statistics;
legislation and policies; prevention and protection; prosecution and punishment,
and recovery, rehabilitation and social integration.
Over the next couple of months, WWDA will
be preparing a Submission addressing these themes.