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UN Special Rapporteur
on Violence Against Women Launches First Official Visit to Afghanistan in a
Decade
GENEVA (30 October 2014) – The United Nations Special
Rapporteur on violence against women, Rashida Manjoo, will visit the Islamic
Republic of Afghanistan from 4 to10 November 2014 to assess the situation of
violence against women, including its causes and consequences in the country.
“Violence against women continues to be one of the most
pervasive human rights violations globally, affecting every country in the
world,” Ms. Manjoo said, announcing the first visit to Afghanistan since 2005*
by an independent expert charged by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor,
report and advise on the situation women and violence around the world.
During her seven-day visit, the Special Rapporteur will meet
with government authorities and civil society representatives in Kabul, Herat
and Jalalabad. “I intend to look into the problem of violence against women,
its causes and consequences holistically, taking into account all relevant
issues affecting women and violence,” she stressed.
“Every State in the world has a primary responsibility to
take effective action to eliminate violence against women, so it is ultimately
up to State authorities to make its eradication a reality,” Ms. Manjoo said.
“I hope that as a result of my interactions with government
and civil society representatives, I will contribute to the current discussions
and efforts in the fight against violence in the country,” the expert added. “I
am very grateful to the Government of Afghanistan for the invitation to conduct
an official visit to the country during this crucial period.”
The Special Rapporteur will hold a press conference
on the initial findings of her visit on Monday 10 November, time and place to
be confirmed.
Ms. Manjoo will present a report with her final findings and
recommendations to a forthcoming the UN Human Rights Council.
*Read
the report on Afghanistan of former Special Rapporteur Yakin Ertürk (July
2005): http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Women/SRWomen/Pages/CountryVisits.aspx
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Ms. Rashida Manjoo (South Africa)
was appointed Special Rapporteur on Violence against women, its causes and
consequences in June 2009 by the UN Human Rights Council. Ms. Manjoo holds a
part-time position as a Professor in the Department of Public Law of the
University of Cape Town. Learn more, visit: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Women/SRWomen/Pages/SRWomenIndex.aspx
The Special Rapporteurs are part of
what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special
Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights
system, is the general name of the independent fact-finding and monitoring
mechanisms of the Human Rights Council that address either specific country
situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures
experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a
salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization
and serve in their individual capacity.
UN Human Rights, Country Page –
Afghanistan: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/countries/AsiaRegion/Pages/AFIndex.aspx
For more information and press
inquiries, please contact:
In Afghanistan: Mariannick Koffi
(+41 79 1096 873 /+93 777 770 795 / mkoffi@ohchr.org) or write to: Spokesperson-unama@un.org
In Geneva: María Vivar Aguirre (+41
22 917 9179 / mvivaraguirre@ohchr.org) or write to vaw@ohchr.org