OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR
HUMAN RIGHTS
Elimination of violence against women
Commission on Human Rights resolution 2002/52
The Commission on Human Rights,
Reaffirming that discrimination on the basis of sex is contrary to the Charter of the United Nations, the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women and other international human rights instruments, and that its elimination is an integral part of
efforts towards the elimination of violence against women,
Reaffirming the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted in June 1993 by the World
Conference on Human Rights (A/CONF.157/23) and the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against
Women adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 48/104 of 20 December 1993,
Recalling all its previous resolutions on the elimination of violence against women, in particular its
resolution 1994/45 of 4 March 1994, in which it decided to appoint a special rapporteur on violence against
women, its causes and consequences,
Noting all General Assembly resolutions relevant to elimination of violence against women,
Welcoming the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action adopted in September 1995 by the Fourth
World Conference on Women (A/CONF.177/20, chap. I), follow-up action by the Commission on the Status of
Women on violence against women and the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly,
entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”,
Recalling Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) of 31 October 2000 on women, peace and security,
Reaffirming the responsibility of all States to put an end to impunity and prosecute those responsible for
genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes,
Recalling the inclusion of gender-related crimes and crimes of sexual violence in the Rome Statute of
the International Criminal Court (A/CONF.183/9), which affirms that rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution,
forced pregnancy, enforced sterilization and other forms of sexual violence constitute, in defined circumstances,
a crime against humanity and/or a war crime, and reiterating that acts of sexual violence in situations of armed
conflict can constitute serious violations or grave breaches of international humanitarian law,
Deeply concerned that some groups of women, such as women belonging to minority groups,
indigenous women, refugee and internally displaced women, migrant women, women living in rural or remote
communities, destitute women, women in institutions or in detention, the girl child, women with disabilities,
elderly women, widows and women in situations of armed conflict are often especially targeted or vulnerable to
violence, as are women who are otherwise discriminated against,
Convinced that racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance reveal themselves in a
differentiated manner for women and girls, and can be among the factors leading to a deterioration in their living
conditions, poverty, violence, multiple forms of discrimination and the limitation or denial of their human rights,
and recognizing the need to integrate a gender perspective into relevant policies, strategies and programmes of
action, including effective implementation of national legislation, against racism, racial discrimination,
xenophobia and related intolerance in order to address multiple forms of discrimination against women,
Expressing its appreciation of the initiatives of the United Nations Development Fund for Women to
combat violence against women at the international, national and regional levels,
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