WUNRN
ESCWA - UN Economic & Social Commission
for Central Asia
ESCWA comprises 17
Arab countries in Western Asia: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco,
Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, The Sudan, The Syrian Arab Republic,
Tunisia, The United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
ESCWA Centre for Women
International Women’s
Day 2013
Voices from the Arab World Decry Violence against
Women
PRESS RELEASE
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58 Arab Figures Echo ESCWA’s Initiative, Condemn Violence against Women |
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Beirut, 8
March 2013 By
initiative of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western
Asia (ESCWA) on International Women’s Day, 58 Arab figures from various
intellectual backgrounds today decried violence against women in an appeal
that they signed, cognizant of the challenges faced by women in the process
of democratic transition in the Arab region. It was circulated in member
countries undergoing political transition (Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and
Yemen) as well as in the ESCWA host country, Lebanon. Below is the complete
text of the appeal: Every year
on this date, the world observes International Women’s Day. This year,
Women’s Day is particularly significant for the Arab world as Arab countries
and societies are undergoing historic changes laying the foundation for a
better future; a future that guarantees human rights, human dignity,
individual freedoms and equal citizenship for all. We hope that these changes
will lead Arab countries away from oppression and dictatorship, toward
freedom, democracy and the rule of law. Women have
been at the forefront of the masses claiming freedom and dignity side by side
with men sharing their firm resolve to realize that dream and put an end to
longstanding suffering and pain of which they bore the greatest burden. They
have long suffered from physical and sexual violence, discrimination within
their families, denial of their right to health and education and exclusion
from economic and political decision-making. Today, amidst
promising developments in the region, women remain subject to new forms of
violence that threaten their safety, affect their physical integrity,
endanger their lives and deny them the right to realize their aspirations and
fulfil their potential. Violence against women is not a new phenomenon, but
it has taken on a new and alarming dimension and has become a means to
obstruct change and hinder democratic transition. On this
day, our thoughts go to Palestinian women who suffer all types of abuse,
displacement and violence, under an illegal occupation that aims to uproot
and replace them through settlement expansion. They are to be upheld as an
example in resilience and the never-ending struggle for justice and life. We, the
signatories of this appeal, value the courage and determination of Arab women
to fight all types of violence against them, and admire their resolve to
reject tyranny and to hold others accountable for their deeds; We reaffirm
that violence not only harms women, but also the society as a whole,
undermining the credibility of all systems and preventing people from living
in harmony. Violence hinders progress, in a world which needs the full
potential of men and women to realize human development and prosperity; We
reiterate our commitment to protect the human rights of women, to empower
them to seek justice and to defend their role and value as active members of
society; We call for
stringent rules and procedures to identify the perpetrators of crimes of
violence against women, to hold them accountable and to end impunity; We declare
our resolve to enshrine the right for physical integrity and respect for
human dignity as a fundamental principle of law, in political, social and
cultural life. There is no acceptable justification to denying any individual
the right to a safe and decent life and the aspiration to a better future
guaranteeing justice, equality and human dignity for all, a future in which
no one suffers discrimination on the basis of race, colour or gender. Signatories:
Abdallah Bouano, Abdallah Saef, Abdallah Shahata, Abdel Kader Helal, Abdel
Karim Al-Eryani, Abdel Moneem Aboul Foutouh, Abdel Wahhab Al-Ounsi, Abu
Yaareb Al-Marzouki, Albaji Kaed Sabsi, Al-Habib Al-Shoubani, Ali Fayad, Ali
Nasser Mohamad, Ali Oumlil, Amat Al-Alim Al-Soswa, Amina Nseir, Amro Moussa,
Bahia Hariri, Basimat Al-Hakkawi, Essam Sharaf, Ezzedine Al-Asbahi, Fahmi
Howeidi, Farida Allaghi, Fathalla Walaalou, Fathi Al-Jerbi, Ghassan Saleme,
Gouda Abdel Khalek, Haidar Abou Bakr Al-Attas, Hamdin Sabbahi, Hani Fahs,
Houriya Mashhour, Kamal Abdel Latif, Klovis Maksoud, Mahmoud Gebril, Maya
Al-Jeribi, Mervat Tallawy, Mohamad Al-Baradei, Mohamad Al-Magharief, Mohamad
Al-Mekhlafi, Mohamad Oujar, Mohrezia Al-Obeidi, Mostafa Al-Ramid, Mostafa Ben
Jaafar, Mostafa Kamel Al-Sayyed, Moulay Ahmad Al-Iraki, Nader Bakkar, Nader
Fergany, Rabab Al-Sadr, Ramzia Al-Eryani, Rashida Ben Massoud, Saad Eddine
Al-Othmani, Salwa Boughaisis, Sami Brahem, Samir Dilo, Samir Morcos, Sultan
Al-Otwani, Tawakkol Kerman, Yassin Sayed Neeman, Rima Khalaf. ________________________________________________________ |