Noting with appreciation the Special Rapporteur's participation at the twentieth session of the
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women,
Bearing in mind that the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action calls for action to integrate the
equal status and human rights of women into the mainstream of United Nations system-wide activity, stresses
the importance of working towards the elimination of violence against women in public and private life, and
urges the eradication of all forms of discrimination against women,
1.
Welcomes the report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and
consequences (E/CN.4/1999/68 and Add.1-4), and encourages her in her future work;
2.
Commends the Special Rapporteur for her analysis of violence in the family, violence in the
community and violence as perpetrated and/or condoned by the State;
3.
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;
4.
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 genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women, non-spousal
violence and violence related to exploitation;
5.
Also condemns all violations of the human rights of women in situations of armed conflict,
recognizes them to be violations of international human rights and humanitarian law and calls for an effective
response to violations of this kind;
6.
Welcomes the inclusion of gender-related crimes 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 any other forms of sexual violence constitute, in defined circumstances, a
crime against humanity and a war crime;
7.
Requests all Governments to cooperate with and assist the Special Rapporteur in the
performance of the tasks and duties mandated, to supply all information requested and to respond to the Special
Rapporteur's visits and communications;
8.
Welcomes the efforts of the Special Rapporteur to seek information from Governments
concerning specific cases of alleged violence in order to identify and investigate situations of violence against
women, its causes and consequences, in particular, where appropriate, by sending joint urgent appeals and
communications with other special rapporteurs;
9.
Also welcomes the efforts of those special rapporteurs, special representatives and independent
experts who have considered the issue of violence against women and encourages any other relevant United
Nations mechanisms to give consideration to this issue in the implementation of their mandates;
10.
Requests human rights treaty bodies, other special rapporteurs responsible for various human
rights questions, United Nations bodies and organs, specialized agencies and intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, including women's organizations, to cooperate with and assist the Special
Rapporteur in the performance of her mandated tasks and duties, and in particular to respond to her requests for
information on violence against women, its causes and consequences;
11.
Recalls the report of the Special Rapporteur to the Commission at its fifty-second session
(E/CN.4/1996/53 and Add.2) which, inter alia, contained general and specific recommendations to guide State
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