WUNRN
JOINT UN EXPERTS RECOMMENDATION ON HARMFUL TRADITIONAL PRACTICES ON WOMEN & GIRLS – UN CEDAW COMMITTEE & UN COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
Direct Link to Full 21-Page Joint General Recommendation:
|
United Nations |
CEDAW/C/GC/31-CRC/C/GC/18 |
|
|
|
|
|
Convention
on the Elimination |
Distr.: General 4 November 2014 Original: English ADVANCE UNEDITED
VERSION |
||
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women
Committee on the
Rights of the Child
Joint general recommendation/general comment No. 31 of the Committee on the
Elimination of Discrimination against Women and No. 18 of the Committee on the
Rights of the Child on harmful practices
JOINT
UN EXPERTS RECOMMENDATION ON HARMFUL TRADITIONAL PRACTICES ON WOMEN & GIRLS
– UN CEDAW COMMITTEE & UN COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
GENEVA (5 November 2014) – For the first time, two UN human
rights expert committees have joined forces to issue a comprehensive
interpretation of the obligations of States to prevent and eliminate harmful
practices inflicted on women and girls, such as female genital mutilation,
crimes committed in the name of so-called honour, forced and child marriage,
and polygamy.
“Harmful practices are frequently justified by invoking social
or religious customs and values often embedded in patriarchal cultures and
traditions. They are deeply rooted in attitudes that regard women and girls as
inferior to men and boys. They are also often used as a means of ‘protecting’
the honour of women, children and their families and as a way of controlling
women’s choices and expressions, in particular their sexuality,” said Violeta
Neubauer from the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW).
“Harmful practices are found across the world. They have become
increasingly common in some countries where they did not used to exist, mainly
as a result of migration, while in some regions, especially those affected by
conflict, they had declined but are now re-emerging,” said Hiranthi Wijemanne
from the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
The Committees’ Joint General Recommendation/General Comment* –
released today – also highlights other harmful practices such as virginity
testing, binding, widowhood practices, infanticide, and body modifications
including fattening, neck elongation and breast ironing. The Committees also
pay attention to practices such as women and girls undergoing plastic surgery
to conform to social norms of beauty.
“It is time to examine harmful practices from a human rights
perspective. Children have a right to be protected from practices that have
absolutely no health or medical benefits but which can have long-term negative
effects on their physical or mental well-being,” said Ms. Wijemanne.
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child both contain
provisions under which harmful practices constitute human rights violations and
obliging States to take steps to prevent and eliminate them.
“Prevention is vital, and that requires the design of measures
aimed at changing existing social norms and patriarchal cultures. Very often,
the parents who decide to marry their girl-child or agree to FGM being
performed on her do so in the belief that they are doing what is best for their
daughter in a given community,” said Ms. Neubauer. “We also need to recognise
that boys also suffer from harmful practices and that men and boys have a key
role in eliminating them,” Ms. Wijemanne said.
The Committees’ recommendations to States on ensuring their full
compliance with their legal obligations detail the criteria for determining the
causes and manifestations of harmful practices. They call for a holistic
approach, backed by appropriate legislation, political will and accountability,
to tackling them.
Strategies should be coordinated at local, regional and national
level and across sectors such as education, health, justice, social welfare,
law enforcement, immigration and asylum. Communities, including traditional and
religious authorities, should be involved in challenging and changing attitudes
that underlie and justify harmful practices.
The joint General Recommendation/General Comment reflects the
common effort to ensure respect for the rights of women and children, and has
been adopted as CEDAW marks its 35th anniversary and CRC its 25th anniversary.