2.
Condemns all acts of gender-based violence against women and in this regard calls, in
accordance with the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, for the elimination of all forms
of gender-based violence in the family, within the general community and where perpetrated or condoned by the
State, and emphasizes the duty of Governments to refrain from engaging in violence against women and to
exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate and, in accordance with national legislation, punish acts of violence
against women and to take appropriate and effective action concerning acts of violence against women, whether
those acts are perpetrated by the State, by private persons or by armed groups or warring factions, and to provide
access to just and effective remedies and specialized, including medical, assistance to victims;
3.
Affirms that the term “violence against women” means any act of gender-based violence that
results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including
threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life, and
including domestic violence, crimes committed in the name of honour, crimes committed in the name of passion,
traditional practices harmful to women, including female genital mutilation, and forced marriages;
4.
Also affirms that violence against women constitutes a violation of the rights and fundamental
freedoms of women and impairs or nullifies their enjoyment of those rights and freedoms;
5.
Strongly condemns physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring in the family, which
encompasses, but is not limited to, battering, sexual abuse of female children in the household, dowry-related
violence, marital rape, female infanticide, female genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to
women, non-spousal violence and violence related to exploitation;
6.
Reminds Governments that their obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women must be implemented fully with regard to violence against women,
taking into account general recommendation 19 adopted by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women at its eleventh session, reaffirms the commitment to accelerate the achievement of universal
ratification of the Convention, and urges all States that have not yet ratified or acceded to the Convention to do
so;
7.
Welcomes the entry into force of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination against Women on 22 December 2000;
8.
Urges States parties to consider signing and ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention;
9.
Welcomes the adoption by the General Assembly of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and
Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children supplementing the United Nations Convention
against Transnational Organized Crime, and urges Governments to consider signing and ratifying or acceding to
the Protocol;
10.
Stresses the conclusions and recommendations of the Special Rapporteur that States have an
affirmative duty to promote and protect the human rights of women and must exercise due diligence to prevent
all forms of violence against women, and calls upon States:
(a)
To apply international human rights norms and to ratify and implement fully international
human rights instruments that relate to violence against women;
(b)
To condemn violence against women and not invoke custom, tradition or practices in the name
of religion to avoid their obligations to eliminate such violence;
(c)
To enact and, where necessary, reinforce or amend penal, civil, labour and administrative
sanctions in domestic legislation to punish and redress the wrongs done to women and girls subjected to any
form of violence, whether in the home, the workplace, the community or society, in custody or in situations of
armed conflict, to ensure that they conform with relevant international human rights instruments and
humanitarian law, and to take action to investigate and punish persons who perpetrate acts of violence against
women;
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