Stressing the importance of a comprehensive, well-coordinated, effective and adequately resourced response by the United Nations system to all forms of violence against women and girls, Stressing also the need for renewed political will and enhanced efforts to overcome obstacles and challenges faced by States in addressing, preventing, investigating, prosecuting and punishing the perpetrators of all forms of violence against women and girls, Welcoming the holding of the Council’s panel discussion on 5 June 2008 on the theme “Violence against women: identification of priorities”, Welcoming also the report of the Secretary-General on the intensification of efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women (A/63/214), 1. Stresses that “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 private life; 2. Strongly condemns all acts of violence against women and girls, whether they be perpetrated by the State, private persons or non-State actors, and calls 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, in accordance with the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, and stresses the need to treat all forms of violence against women and girls as a criminal offence, punishable by law, and the duty to provide access to just and effective remedies and specialized assistance to victims, including medical and psychological assistance, as well as effective counselling; 3. Stresses that States have the obligation to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls and must exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate, prosecute and punish the perpetrators of violence against women and girls and provide protection to the victims, and that failure to do so violates and impairs or nullifies the enjoyment of their human rights and fundamental freedoms; 4. Calls upon States to enact and, where necessary, reinforce or amend domestic legislation, including measures to enhance the protection of victims, to investigate, prosecute, punish and redress the wrongs done to women and girls subjected to any form of violence, whether in the home, the workplace, the community or society, in custody or in situations of armed conflict, to ensure that such legislation conforms with relevant international human rights instruments and international humanitarian law, to abolish existing laws, regulations, customs and practices which constitute discrimination against women, to remove gender bias in the administration of justice, and to take action to investigate and punish persons who perpetrate acts of violence against women and girls; 5. Also calls upon States to support initiatives undertaken by women’s and non-governmental organizations on the elimination of violence against women and girls and to establish and/or strengthen, at the national level, collaborative relationships with relevant non-governmental and community-based organizations, and public and private sector institutions, aimed at the development and effective implementation of provisions and policies 2