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. Encourages Governments and the United Nations system to ensure greater international cooperation in, and national attention to, acquiring data and developing indicators on the extent, nature and consequences of violence against women and girls, and on the impact and effectiveness of policies and programmes for combating this violence; 7. Welcomes the decision by the General Assembly to designate 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women; 8. Also welcomes the establishment in March 1999 by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights of a programme against trafficking in persons; 9. Encourages Governments to ensure that all international and national measures to eliminate trafficking, including the draft protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, promote and protect the human rights of victims; 10. Urges all Governments to mainstream a gender perspective, as appropriate, into national immigration and asylum policies, regulations and practices, in order to extend protection to those women whose claim for protection is based on gender-related persecution; 11. Requests all Governments to cooperate with and assist the Special Rapporteur in the performance of her mandated tasks and duties, to supply all information requested and to respond to the Special Rapporteur’s visits and communications; 12. 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; 13. Invites the Special Rapporteur to continue to cooperate with other special rapporteurs, special representatives, independent experts and chairpersons of the working groups of the special procedures of the Commission on Human Rights, including, where appropriate, undertaking joint missions and writing joint reports; page 2