A/67/227 I. Introduction 1. The present report is the second submitted by the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Rashida Manjoo, to the General Assembly, pursuant to Assembly resolution 65/187. Section II summarizes the activities of the Special Rapporteur carried out between October 2011 and July 2012, and section III discusses the issue of violence against women with disabilities. II. Activities A. Country visits 2. In the period under review, the Special Rapporteur conducted official country missions to Jordan, from 11 to 24 November 2011; Somalia, from 9 to 16 December 2012; Italy, from 15 to 26 January 2012; Solomon Islands, from 12 to 16 March 2012; and Papua New Guinea, from 18 to 26 March 2012. 3. In 2012, the Special Rapporteur received positive replies to her requests to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and India and is thankful to the respective Governments in that regard. She urges Governments that have not yet responded to do so favourably and looks forward to receiving positive responses from the Governments of Bangladesh, Nepal, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) and Zimbabwe. B. Thematic report 4. The thematic report of the Special Rapporteur (A/HRC/20/16), submitted to the Human Rights Council in June 2012, focused on gender-related killings of women. Such killings are the extreme manifestation of existing forms of violence against women. They are not isolated incidents that arise suddenly and unexpectedly, but represent the ultimate act of violence that is experienced in a continuum of violence. The report highlighted that, on a global scale, the prevalence of different manifestations of gender-related killings was reaching alarming proportions. Culturally and socially embedded, such manifestations have continued to be accepted, tolerated or justified — with impunity as the norm. The responsibility of States to act with due diligence in the promotion and protection of women’s rights in general, and to a life free of violence in particular, was found to be largely lacking. C. Communications and press releases 5. The communications sent to Governments concern a wide array of issues that reflect a pattern of inequality and discrimination related to violence against women, its causes and consequences (see A/HRC/20/30 and A/HRC/19/44). The Special Rapporteur regrets that very few Governments have replied to the communications sent to them during the reporting period. 6. The Special Rapporteur also issued press statements, either individually or jointly with other mandate holders. 12-45120 3