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Protection of children from sale and sexual exploitation following humanitarian crisis due to natural disasters 2012, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- To partially remedy this situation, UNICEF and its partners undertake primary responsibility for the identification and registration of children. Following the typhoon emergencies in the Philippines in 2009, UNICEF partnered with the governmental Council for the Welfare of Children and established rapid registration activities to facilitate family tracing for missing, separated and unaccompanied children. In Haiti, UNICEF and its partners registered more than 5,000 children who were separated or unaccompanied following the earthquake in 2010. UNICEF worked with the Child Protection Brigade of the Haitian Police to verify the documents of 11,774 children at border crossings and the international airport; more than 2,500 irregular voyages were recorded, nearly 460 of which proved to be cases of trafficking, while close to 50 were found to be instances of forced labour. Also in Haiti, Save the Children supported the Government in the registration of separated and unaccompanied children, and those who were born after the earthquake.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2012
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and young women with disabilities 2017, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- Girls and young women with disabilities also encounter significant challenges when attempting to access justice, prevention mechanisms and response services for sexual and gender-based violence. Sexual assault is often underreported, and even more so when the individual has a disability. Girls and young women with disabilities face numerous challenges when reporting abuses, such as the risk of being removed from their homes and institutionalized; stigmatization; fears with regard to single parenthood or losing child custody; the absence or inaccessibility of violence prevention programmes and facilities; the fear of the loss of assistive devices and other supports; and the fear of retaliation and further violence by those on whom they are both emotionally and financially dependent (see A/67/227, para. 59). In addition, when, as survivors of sexual violence, they report the abuse or seek assistance or protection from judicial or law enforcement officials, teachers, health professionals, social workers or others, their testimony, especially that of girls and women with intellectual disabilities, is generally not considered credible, and they are therefore disregarded as competent witnesses, resulting in perpetrators avoiding prosecution.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Girls
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Violence against women: Twenty years of developments to combat violence against women 2014, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- In general recommendation No. 19, the Committee establishes that gender-based violence, which impairs or nullifies the enjoyment by women of human rights and fundamental freedoms under general international law or under human rights conventions, is discrimination within the meaning of article 1 of the Convention and links gender-based violence to the different rights and substantive areas covered by the Convention. In practice, the Committee invokes several substantive provisions in the Convention to address the issue of violence against women, including article 5 on stereotyping and the consequences thereof; article 11 on sexual harassment; article 12 on sexual and reproductive health violations; and article 16 on matters relating to marriage and family relations. The adoption of the Optional Protocol to the Convention, in 1999, and the subsequent jurisprudence thereunder further reinforce the Committee's position that violence against women equates to discrimination based on sex, which disproportionately affects women. It is important to note that these developments do not explicitly articulate violence against women as a human rights violation in and of itself.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2014
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Continuum of violence against women from the home to the transnational sphere: the challenges of effective redress 2011, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- Honour-related violence and killings against women intersect with discrimination and inequalities within both the family and community spheres. Statistics from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) suggest that approximately 5,000 women are murdered each year by family members in honour-related violence. Since the establishment of the mandate, violence and murder of women in the name of honour have been reported on in the course of visits to Algeria, Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Netherlands, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Pakistan, Sweden, and Turkey. As described by the Secretary-General in his 2006 in-depth study on all forms of violence against women, crimes committed in the name of honour often have a collective dimension, with the family as a whole considered to be injured by a woman's actual or perceived behaviour. They are also public in character and influence the conduct of other women. This collective element makes it extremely difficult to separate the victim from actual or potential perpetrators unless she is willing to break all family relations and start a life outside her social frame of reference.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Pathways to, conditions and consequences of incarceration for women 2013, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- In some countries, women are imprisoned for leaving their homes without permission. Many of these women leave in an attempt to escape violence in the home, including forced marriages, forced prostitution, and physical or sexual violence by a family member.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Trafficking in persons in conflict and post-conflict situations 2016, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- A range of conditions particular to or commonly associated with situations of conflict fuel trafficking by amplifying vulnerabilities and increasing opportunities for exploitation. These include, but are not limited to, a distorted economy that is heavily reliant on criminality and the presence of organized criminal groups already involved in cross-border trafficking of arms, drugs and other illicit products that have the capacity to expand their activities into trafficking in persons and are therefore in a position to take advantage of additional opportunities to generate profit. A weak or non-existent justice and protection system that perpetuates impunity fails to protect the most vulnerable groups and individuals of society from exploitation. Other factors include a high prevalence and toleration of violence that extends beyond armed forces to include communities and families, as well as pressure to move, leading to dangerous migration decisions. Failure to consider anti-trafficking responses within humanitarian or peacekeeping efforts at the outset of conflicts further increases the vulnerability of trafficked persons or potential victims of trafficking.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2016
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Violence against women: Twenty years of developments to combat violence against women 2014, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- Prior to, and during, the United Nations Decade for Women, from 1975 to 1985, the issue of violence against women in general, and more specifically domestic violence, was high on the agenda of women's rights activists. Advocacy at the World Conferences on Women, held in Mexico City and Copenhagen in 1975 and 1980 respectively, served as a catalyst for the adoption in 1985 of General Assembly resolution 40/36 on domestic violence. The Third World Conference on Women, held in Nairobi in 1985, and the Expert Group meeting on violence in the family, held in Vienna in 1986, further highlighted the global nature and concern regarding violence against women. In May 1991, the Economic and Social Council adopted resolution 1991/18 on violence against women in all its forms, in which it recommended the development of a framework for an international instrument that would explicitly address the issue of violence against women. The Council also urged Member States to adopt, strengthen and enforce legislation prohibiting violence against women and to take appropriate administrative, social and educational measures to protect women from all forms of physical and mental violence.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2014
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
The right to an effective remedy for trafficked persons 2011, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- Consideration of the best interests of the child also extends to the question of what form of reparation would be most appropriate for the child. For example, while the right to compensation should be equally available to trafficked children and adult trafficked persons, many children do not have bank accounts and the capacity to manage money. Where the child's parents were complicit in the crime of trafficking, it may not be in the best interests of the child to transfer the compensation payment to the parents on trust for the child. From this perspective, there is a need to frame remedies for trafficked children more broadly and creatively. The best interests of the child formula suggests that reparative measures for trafficked children should be geared towards building a comprehensive child protection system which guarantees children's rights, such as the right to education, the right to health and the right to physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration in the case of child victims of exploitation. In this regard, the repatriation and reintegration programme for the Pakistani child camel jockeys mentioned in paragraph 21 above is a unique example of linking the entitlement to a monthly cash grant to the school attendance rate of 80 per cent by the children.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Overview of working methods and vision 2011, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur reiterates that efforts to combat torture require a more victim-centred perspective that seeks an integrated long-term approach to adequate redress and reparation, including compensation and rehabilitation for victims of torture and their families. He recommends that the perspectives of victims of torture be included in the development of programmes and policies aimed at addressing torture. In that respect, the Special Rapporteur reiterates the importance of a victim-centred approach to dealing with victims and survivors of torture. Similarly, he believes that victims have an important role to play as interested parties in holding torturers accountable for their actions. Indeed, the criminal procedures of some States are more hospitable than others to this engagement by victims; nevertheless, without undermining defendants' rights to all guarantees of a fair trial, victims should be allowed to participate actively in attempts to hold torturers accountable. Efforts to provide assistance to victims must seek to recognize and validate the traumatising experience of torture they have suffered, prevent further isolation by reintegrating them into society, and address the fundamental aim of torture which is, often, to isolate and engender fear in victims in order to break their will.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Families
- Year
- 2011
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Servile marriage 2012, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- In situations in which a bride has been forced into marriage because of a debt, it is often impossible for her family to repay the bride price. For example, where brides are victims of physical, psychological or sexual violence, their nuclear families will not take them back because they would need to repay the bride price.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2012
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- A number of sources have reported that children are subjected to contemporary slavery in Ghanaian fisheries by "fisher-entrepreneurs" or middlemen who take them far from their homes to work in fisheries. Recruiters reportedly deceive families with promises of educational opportunities in exchange for a few hours of work each day. Children are also often promised cash or in-kind payments for their labour, such as a cow for boys or a sewing machine for girls. Parents may be offered an advance for their child's work, thus placing the child in a situation of debt bondage. Lake Volta is a popular destination for child slaves, as fishery resources have been depleted and children are considered cheap sources of labour. Tasks in the fishing sector are gendered: boys paddle canoes, pull in nets and carry fish; girls sort, pack and transport fish; and both boys and girls are often tasked with deep-water diving to clear entangled nets. Children usually work six to seven days a week, at least 12 hours a day, and fishing expeditions can last for many days. These children are exposed to dangerous working conditions, long hours, sexual and physical abuse, and even death due to drowning, snake bites or physical abuse at the hands of boat or equipment owners.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2013
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Servile marriage 2012, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- Reports also indicate that relentless pressure and emotional blackmail are used by parents and families to force young girls into unwanted marriages. More extreme forms of pressure can involve threatening behaviour, abduction, imprisonment, physical violence, rape and, in some cases, murder.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Girls
- Youth
- Year
- 2012
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Information and communication technologies and the sale and sexual exploitation of children 2015, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- Various organizations have begun to develop empowerment programmes for children. A good example is the New Jersey Child Assault Prevention organization, which developed their initial programmes to empower children to be protected against (offline) child sexual exploitation into an empowerment programme for online abuse. The programme is a series of tailored training activity workshops that seek to help children understand how to keep safe online, including by providing case studies and role play. Safe Internet usage is at the heart of many programmes of non-governmental organizations, most notably ECPAT International and RedNATIC. There is recognition that there must be a multi-faceted approach. Key professionals such as the police, social workers, teachers and health-care workers must be aware of the types of exploitation that occur and how to detect them and assist child victims. Parents also need to be supported and encouraged to discuss such issues with their children. More importantly, resources specifically for children allow them to understand the behaviour, and identify and report when perpetrators are trying to abuse or exploit them.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2015
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Sale of children for the purpose of forced labour 2016, para. (c)
- Paragraph text
- A definition of forced labour from a child rights perspective takes into consideration children's specific vulnerability. Working and living conditions may be particularly harmful to children's development, especially when separated from their family environment;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2016
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Study on illegal adoptions 2017, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- There have also been mounting concerns in several countries regarding the practice of child protection services using the placement of children in alternative care, which may involve adoption, as an option of first resort, rather than providing the required support to families.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2017
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Reflection on a 6-year tenure as Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography 2014, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- The breakdown of families, communities and social and institutional structures during conflict and in its aftermath puts children at great risk of being sold, trafficked and sexually exploited. The World Development Report 2011 of the World Bank estimates that approximately 1.5 billion people live in countries affected by repeated cycles of political and criminal violence. The current nature of conflicts, mostly civil wars fought by armed groups rather than the military, disproportionately affects civilians. Children pay a high toll. A child living in a conflict-affected or fragile developing country is nearly three times more likely to be out of school than a child living in a developing country that is unaffected by these factors. Sexual and gender-based violence is a major issue, during and in the aftermath of conflict. Women and children account for close to 80 per cent of refugees and internally displaced persons. As more countries fall into conflict and high levels of political and criminal violence, involving an increasingly complex range of protagonists and ever more violent schemes, children will continue to be exposed to heightened risks.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2014
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Comprehensive prevention strategies against sale and sexual exploitation of children 2013, para. 92b
- Paragraph text
- [Specific activities to promote child participation in order to prevent sale and exploitation include:] Awareness-raising with parents to address possible discrimination against girls and to promote the child's right to be heard;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2013
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Effective Implementation of the OPSC 2010, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- Accordingly, most cases are settled amicably, between the victim's family and the perpetrator, without taking into account the views of the victim. The perpetrators thus get away with making amends in cash or in kind, or by marrying the victim (reparatory marriage).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2010
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Effective Implementation of the OPSC 2010, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- In some circumstances, early marriage is used as an economic survival strategy by poor families. Girls are given into marriage, often against their will and in exchange for a dowry, in order to settle the family's debts, to acquire land or even to settle disputes between families or clans.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Harmful Practices
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2010
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Women human rights defenders and those working on women’s rights or gender issues 2011, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- During the 2004-2009 period, the mandate sent some 29 communications regarding threats and death threats against this group of defenders in sub-Saharan African countries. Half of these communications concerned those working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In this context, those regularly targeted included members of organizations working on women's rights issues, particularly impunity for sexual and other forms of violence against women in the context of the armed conflict, and their family members, along with wives and other female family members of male human rights defenders. The threats delivered included numerous death threats and often accompanied attacks or break-ins at the home of the defender in question. The sources of such threats were often armed individuals and members of the armed groups party to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including State forces and police. A similar pattern of threats against defenders working on women's rights, albeit less frequently reported, was notable in Zimbabwe, primarily women's rights defenders. Other communications were also sent to the Central African Republic, Kenya and Uganda.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Right to health in conflict situations 2013, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- Mass displacement, breakdown of community and family networks, and institutional collapse may create a vacuum in which women and young girls are vulnerable to sexual violence. They face a heightened risk of sexual exploitation and trafficking, as well as increased domestic violence and abuse from family members. Health facilities that lack qualified health professionals, patient referral mechanisms and psychological counselling may be unable to identify and respond to these forms of conflict-related sexual violence. This is especially true when health services are restricted to sexual violence perpetrated by armed groups. The stigma associated with sexual violence and HIV and the absence of adequate protection mechanisms may also contribute to negative physical and mental health outcomes. Stigma, abandonment by families and communities, and retribution from perpetrators create an atmosphere that perpetuates gender-based violence and leads to the exclusion and disempowerment of survivors. The failure to provide services that promote the safety and respect the confidentiality of survivors undermines their full participation in society, particularly in post-conflict reconstruction efforts.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Girls
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2013
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Vision for the mandate 2016, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- Challenges to ending impunity may include lack of confidence in the law enforcement or judicial system owing to fear of reprisals or stigmatization, ignorance of their rights or lack of financial resources. Barriers also subsist at the investigations level, where there might be difficulties in finding witnesses owing, inter alia, to stigmatization and discrimination, fear of reprisals (including through witchcraft), lack of comprehensive witness protection programmes, involvement of family members and lack of financial resources. Barriers subsisting at the prosecution stage may include restrictions in the implementation of the right to a fair trial and due process, such as the lack of adequate legal representation. In addition, even when perpetrators are successfully prosecuted, it has been reported that too often the sentence pronounced is not proportionate to the gravity of the crime committed. Such outcomes can undermine the trust of victims in the justice system and lead to a reduction in the number of cases reported. Other barriers to ending impunity can be found at the policy and legislative levels, including the need for a clear and adequate legal framework regarding albinism that covers attacks and the impact of witchcraft on the human rights of persons with albinism.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2016
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Adequacy of the international legal framework on violence against women 2017, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- Civil society organizations added that a new treaty could make clear the necessity to ensure consistency across different domestic legal regimes. In some States, domestic violence might be a criminal offence, but it was still intrinsically accepted through other procedures, such as mediation and conciliation in family law proceedings.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2017
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Vision-setting report 2016, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- The mandate holder considers that the universal and full acceptance and incorporation by States of both international and regional instruments are crucial for the establishment and improvement of existing national legal frameworks on the elimination of violence against women, including by the elimination of discriminatory family laws and penal laws, also with regard to harmful practices that hinder the enjoyment by women and girls of their rights.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Existing legal standards and practices regarding violence against women in three regional human rights systems and activities being undertaken by civil society regarding the normative gap in international human rights law 2015, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- With respect to substantive law, States are required to provide for adequate civil remedies; ensure that all forms of violence against women and domestic violence are criminalized and appropriately punished; and recognize in law that being a family member or ex-spouse of a victim of violence against women and domestic violence is an aggravating circumstance that must be taken into consideration in the determination of the penalty. As regards investigation, prosecution and procedural aspects, States must ensure that all forms of violence against women and domestic violence are appropriately punished; ensure that culture, custom, religion or so-called honour are not accepted as justification for any act of violence; ensure that victims have access to special protection measures during investigation and judicial proceedings; implement risk assessment protocols to enhance the protection of victims; ensure that law enforcement agencies respond promptly to calls for assistance and that they manage dangerous situations adequately; and introduce preventive and protective legislation, including emergency barring orders.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2015
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Closing the gap in international human rights law: lessons from three regional human rights systems on legal standards and practices regarding violence against women 2015, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- With respect to substantive law, States are required: to provide for adequate civil remedies; to ensure that all forms of violence against women and domestic violence are criminalized and appropriately punished; and to recognize in law that being a family member or ex-spouse of a victim of violence against women and domestic violence is an aggravating circumstance that must be taken into consideration in the determination of the penalty. As regards investigation, prosecution and procedural aspects, States must ensure that all forms of violence against women and domestic violence are appropriately punished; ensure that culture, custom, religion or so-called "honour" are not accepted as justification for any act of violence; ensure that victims have access to special protection measures during investigation and judicial proceedings; implement risk assessment protocols to enhance the protection of victims; ensure that law enforcement agencies respond promptly to calls for assistance and that they manage dangerous situations adequately; and introduce preventive and protective legislation, including emergency barring orders.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2015
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Gender-related killings of women 2012, para. 116d
- Paragraph text
- [In cases involving gender-related killings, the international and regional human rights systems have included some of the following standards regarding the due diligence obligations of States:] Ensure comprehensive reparations for women victims of violence and their relatives, including measures that are designed to address institutional and social factors;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Gender-related killings of women 2012, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- In this report, the Special Rapporteur addresses the topic of gender-related killings of women whether they occur in the family or the community or are perpetrated or condoned by the State. Globally, the prevalence of different manifestations of such killings is increasing, and a lack of accountability for such crimes is the norm. Terms such as femicide, feminicide, honour killings and crimes of passion, among others, have been used to define such killings.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Gender-related killings of women 2012, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- United Nations treaty bodies have expressed concerns that honour-related crimes often go unreported, are rarely investigated and usually go unpunished, and that when they are punished the sentences are far less than those for equally violent crimes without the "honour" dimension. Reduced sentences are justified on the basis of the necessity of murdering such women, to defend the misconceived notion of family honour.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph
Gender-related killings of women 2012, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- As with all forms of intimate-partner violence, intimate-partner femicide is likely to be significantly underreported. Studies have shown that in some countries between 40 and 70 per cent of female murder victims are killed by an intimate partner. In many countries the home is the place where a woman is most likely to be murdered, whereas men are more likely to be murdered in the street.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Date modified
- Feb 14, 2020
Paragraph