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.4/1998/54 and Add.1), 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
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.
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 a particularly
effective response to violations of this kind, including in particular murder, rape, including systematic rape,
sexual slavery and forced pregnancy;
5.
Encourages Governments to support efforts to create an international criminal court that
integrates a gender perspective in its statute and functioning, enabling a gender-sensitive interpretation and
application of the statute;
6.
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;
7.
Welcomes the efforts by 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 its consequences, in particular, where appropriate, by sending joint urgent appeals and
communications with other special rapporteurs;
8.
Requests human rights treaty bodies, other special rapporteurs responsible for various human
rights questions, United Nations bodies and organs, specialized agencies and intergovernmental and
non-governmental organizations, including women's organizations, to cooperate with and assist the Special
Rapporteur in the performance of her mandated tasks and duties, in particular to respond to her requests for
information on violence against women, its causes and its consequences, and to address the issue of violence
against women in custody and in times of armed conflict;
9.
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
violence against women, including violence against women in times of armed conflict, violence against women
in custody and violence against refugee and internally displaced women, and calls upon States:
(a)
To work actively to ratify and/or implement international human rights norms and instruments
as they relate to violence against women, and to comply with the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of
Prisoners;
(b)
To include in reports submitted in accordance with the provisions of relevant United Nations
human rights instruments gender-disaggregated data, whenever possible, information pertaining to violence
against women and measures taken to implement the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women
and the Beijing Platform for Action;
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