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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. 13
- Paragraph text
- Article 2 of the Protocol requires States to take positive action to address inequalities between women and men in State efforts to ensure that women enjoy their rights. Other articles set out obligations with respect to, among other things, the right to dignity; the right to life, integrity and security of the person; protection from harmful practices; rights in marriage, which include entitlement to property and the custody and guardianship of children; protection from early and forced marriages; the right of access to justice and equal protection of the law; the right to participate in political and decision-making processes; the right to peace; the rights to adequate housing, food security, education and equality in access to employment; reproductive and health rights, including control of one's fertility; and the right to be protected against HIV infection. The Protocol also includes specific provisions on the protection of rights of women with disabilities. All promotional and protective provisions in the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and other human rights instruments are equally applicable in the interpretation of the Protocol.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Men
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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. 14
- Paragraph text
- Article 2 of the Protocol requires States to take positive action to address inequalities between women and men in State efforts to ensure that women enjoy their rights. Other articles set out obligations with respect to, among other things, the right to dignity; the right to life, integrity and security of the person; protection from harmful practices; rights in marriage, which include entitlement to property and the custody and guardianship of children; protection from early and forced marriages; the right of access to justice and equal protection of the law; the right to participate in political and decision-making processes; the right to peace; the rights to adequate housing, food security, education and equality in access to employment; reproductive and health rights, including control of one's fertility; and the right to be protected against HIV infection. The Protocol also includes specific provisions on the protection of rights of women with disabilities. All promotional and protective provisions in the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and other human rights instruments are equally applicable in the interpretation of the Protocol.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Men
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Pathways to, conditions and consequences of incarceration for women 2013, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- Afghanistan's Penal Code does not criminalize the act of leaving one's home without permission, whether for women or men. Despite this, it is only women who are imprisoned for running away without permission. One study reflects that approximately 20 per cent of incarcerated women were charged with the crime of running away in 2007, and this was often combined with another offence, such as adultery or theft.
- 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
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender-related killings of women 2012, para. 100
- Paragraph text
- In 2008 Guatemala passed the Law against Femicide and Other Forms of Violence against Women. It includes a comprehensive framework and incorporates a wide definition that acknowledges that femicide is committed by a person who, in the context of unequal power relations between men and women, puts to death a woman because she is a woman.
- 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
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Violence against women: Twenty years of developments to combat violence against women 2014, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- It is clear from the many concerns raised with the Special Rapporteur that, although the shift to the men and boys agenda is fraught with difficulty, it appears to have attracted a great deal of funding, recognition and political support. In order to legitimize their mandates, many men's organizations claim that the inclusion of men and boys is a binding obligation called for in numerous international documents and frameworks, including the Rio Declaration of the Global Symposium on Engaging Men and Boys on Achieving Gender Equality, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 29 March to 3 April 2009. This Declaration outlines an obligation for States, United Nations agencies and donors to promote the agenda of engaging men and boys, and advocates the allocation of resources to further work in that direction. The Rio Declaration is an NGO declaration and does not have comparable status, in legal terms, with United Nations documents; and it was developed and promoted by the very men's groups that it provides for and strengthens. The distortion of the rationale and the interpretation of international human rights standards and frameworks, particularly as regards gender equality and engaging or partnering with men to transform gender inequality, is thus reinforced by such arguments. Such conflating of United Nations commitments with an NGO declaration has resulted in the mushrooming of independent men's groups and organizations, separate from the women's movement, many of which have redefined engagement with men and boys, in male terms.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Men
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Violence against women: Twenty years of developments to combat violence against women 2014, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- Violence against women is a systemic, widespread and pervasive human rights violation, experienced largely by women because they are women. The concept of gender neutrality is framed in a way that understands violence as a universal threat to which all are potentially vulnerable, and from which all deserve protection. This suggests that male victims of violence require, and deserve, comparable resources to those afforded to female victims, thereby ignoring the reality that violence against men does not occur as a result of pervasive inequality and discrimination, and also that it is neither systemic nor pandemic in the way that violence against women undisputably is. The shift to neutrality favours a more pragmatic and politically palatable understanding of gender, that is, as simply a euphemism for "men and women", rather than as a system of domination of men over women. Violence against women cannot be analysed on a case-by-case basis in isolation of the individual, institutional and structural factors that govern and shape the lives of women. Such factors demand gender-specific approaches to ensure an equality of outcomes for women. Attempts to combine or synthesize all forms of violence into a "gender neutral" framework, tend to result in a depoliticized or diluted discourse, which abandons the transformative agenda. A different set of normative and practical measures is required to respond to and prevent violence against women and, equally importantly, to achieve the international law obligation of substantive equality, as opposed to formal equality.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Violence against women as a barrier to the effective realization of all human rights 2014, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- It is clear from the many concerns that numerous interlocutors have raised with the Special Rapporteur that, even though the shift to the "men and boys" agenda is fraught with difficulty, it appears to have attracted a great deal of funding, recognition and political support. In order to legitimize their mandates, many men's organizations claim that the inclusion of men and boys is a binding obligation called for in numerous international documents and frameworks, including the Rio Declaration of the Global Symposium on Engaging Men and Boys on Achieving Gender Equality, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 29 March to 3 April 2009. This Declaration outlines an obligation for States, United Nations agencies and donors to promote the agenda of engaging men and boys, and advocates the allocation of resources to further work in that direction. The Rio Declaration is an NGO declaration and does not have status comparable, in legal terms, with United Nations documents, and it was developed and promoted by the very men's groups that it provides for and strengthens. The distortion of the rationale and the interpretation of international human rights standards and frameworks, particularly as regards gender equality and engaging or partnering with men to transform gender inequality, is thus reinforced by such arguments. Such conflation of United Nations commitments with an NGO declaration has resulted in the mushrooming of independent men's groups and organizations, separate from the women's movement, many of which have redefined engagement with men and boys, in male terms.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Men
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and violence against women 2011, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- A holistic approach underscores the interdependence and indivisibility of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights; it situates violence against women on a continuum; it acknowledges the structural aspects and factors of discrimination, which includes structural and institutional inequalities; and it analyzes social and/or economic hierarchies between women and men and also among women. Thus, it explicitly interrogates the places where violence against women coincides with multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and their attendant inequalities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and violence against women 2011, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- This report argues that the elimination of violence requires holistic measures that address both inter-gender and intra-gender inequality and discrimination. The holistic approach requires rights to be treated as universal, interdependent and indivisible; situating violence on a continuum that spans interpersonal and structural violence; accounting for both individual and structural discrimination, including structural and institutional inequalities; and analyzing social and/or economic hierarchies among women, and between women and men, i.e. both intra- and inter-gender.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Continuum of violence against women from the home to the transnational sphere: the challenges of effective redress 2011, para. 80
- Paragraph text
- A holistic approach to understanding discrimination and violence against women requires, among others, (a) treating rights as universal, interdependent and indivisible; (b) situating violence on a continuum that spans interpersonal and structural violence; (c) accounting for both individual and structural discrimination, including structural and institutional inequalities; and (d) analysing social and/or economic hierarchies among women, and between women and men, i.e., both intra gender and inter-gender.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Reparations to women who have been subjected to violence 2010, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- In Europe, States that have ratified the European Convention on the Compensation of Victims of Violent Crimes are obliged to provide compensation for victims and their dependants when such compensation cannot be fully obtained by other means and when the offender cannot be prosecuted or punished. The Convention does not include a specific gendered perspective of the crimes considered and only covers material damages and not non-economic loss. Since loss of earnings for women tends to be lower, leaving out non-economic loss might affect women more negatively than men.
- 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
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Vision-setting report 2016, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur regards the prevention of violence against women as an aspect of the mandate that focuses on the elimination of the root causes of violence against women, and its consequences. To that end, she has identified the main components that should be further elaborated, including States' obligations to take positive measures to change harmful stereotypes relating to gender roles conducive to violence and, at the same time, to undertake activities to empower women and reduce their vulnerability to violence; the meaningful inclusion of men and boys to contribute actively to the prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls; and awareness-raising campaigns to fight violence against women on a regular basis and at all levels, in cooperation with national human rights institutions, civil society and non-governmental organizations.
- 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
- Boys
- Girls
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Vision-setting report 2016, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur encourages the inclusion of equality between women and men and violence against women as subjects of study in university curricula on law and related fields, and in training of legal professionals, such as judges and law enforcement officials. Training should include the international women's human rights framework and practical studies of the rich jurisprudence and case law on violence against women and the obligation of States to take appropriate measures to modify or abolish customs and practices that constitute discrimination against women and that affects women's right to a fair and just trial (see CEDAW/C/57/D/34/2011, para. 8.8).
- 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
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Violence against women: Twenty years of developments to combat violence against women 2014, para. 75
- Paragraph text
- A brief analysis of the mandates and principles of organizations associated with engaging men and boys in efforts to counter violence against women reveals a series of internal contradictions which compromise the understanding of the foundational principles linked to women's human rights. This is reflected in several ways, including reaffirmation of patriarchal norms of men as "protectors" and, by extension, women as "victims"; reinstatement of the family as the principal referent for analysis; depoliticization of the understanding of both gender equality and gendered violence; reinforcement of the public/private dichotomy; instrumentalization of arguments for the elimination of violence against women; conceptual confusion over men, masculinity and gendered roles; and the justifications and contradictions in the shift to men and boys and its supposed link to binding international law obligations.
- 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
- Boys
- Families
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Violence against women: Twenty years of developments to combat violence against women 2014, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- Between 1993 and 2013, the General Assembly adopted 57 resolutions relating directly or indirectly to the work of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences. A seminal development was the adoption in 1993 of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, which provided a comprehensive framework in terms of definition, scope, obligations of States to act with due diligence and the role of the United Nations. The Declaration constitutes a more explicit statement on violence against women and it has formed the basis for numerous subsequent resolutions. In the preamble to the Declaration, the General Assembly recognizes that the root causes of violence against women are patriarchy and the subordination of women; and that violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women, and has led to domination over and discrimination against women by men and the prevention of the full advancement of women.
- 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
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Violence against women as a barrier to the effective realization of all human rights 2014, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- A brief analysis of the mandates and principles of organizations associated with engaging men and boys in efforts to counter violence against women reveals a series of internal contradictions that compromise the understanding of the foundational principles linked to women's human rights. This is reflected in several ways, including the reaffirmation of patriarchal norms of men as protectors and, by extension, women as victims; the reinstatement of the family as the principal referent for analysis; the depoliticization of the understanding of both gender equality and gendered violence; the reinforcement of the public-private dichotomy; the instrumentalization of arguments for the elimination of violence against women; the conceptual confusion over men, masculinity and gendered roles; and the justifications and contradictions in the shift to men and boys and its supposed link to binding international law obligations.
- 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
- Boys
- Families
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
State responsibility for eliminating violence against women 2013, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- Furthermore, the shift in focus to men and boys is having a negative impact on holistic service provision to women and children; and men's programmes are in fact competing for funds with established and experienced organizations that provide specialized services for women and children. Also, many of these new men's programmes have not been assessed and evaluated for effectiveness - especially with respect to victim safety and offender accountability. There are views that the recent development towards a shift in focus and funding is a further indicator of the perpetuation of male privilege within already existing patriarchal societies.
- 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
- Boys
- Children
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
State responsibility for eliminating violence against women 2013, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- In some countries, judicial sentences focus on treatment for perpetrators rather than on the protection of victims. Psychosocial and addiction treatment programmes are ordered along with suspended sentences, even in high-risk cases in some instances. The Special Rapporteur heard testimonies of court decisions being influenced by patriarchal views among judges who feel that they need to be sensitive with men when deciding on a spousal/partner violence case, due to men's roles as "breadwinners" and the need to take into account the financial support needs of the family. This is a consideration for some judges when they are deciding on whether to incarcerate a male perpetrator. However, these kinds of considerations or concerns regarding the offenders' family finances are not considered in cases involving drug offences, robbery or other crimes; which the criminal justice system apparently deems much more serious than violence against women crimes. These challenges indicate an urgent need for comprehensive judicial training on violence against women.
- 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
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
State responsibility for eliminating violence against women 2013, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- The expansion of power and discretion to prosecutors and judges, in addressing violence against women, is not necessarily accompanied by appropriate training on the issue or on how to effectively interpret and implement new laws. Furthermore, the investigation of cases and the sanctioning of perpetrators is underpinned by patriarchal notions linked to myths and stereotypes about women and men and their gendered roles. Prosecutors also often rely heavily on testimonies of victims and witnesses, rather than collecting the necessary evidence during the investigatory phase. This challenge is linked to the deficiencies in police investigation, in the first instance. Women victims often undergo criminal proceedings without adequate social, psychological and legal assistance and are at risk of re-victimization during these processes. While free legal aid is often available for victims, it is difficult to access, either because application forms are complicated, or due to low-income level requirements, or a lack of awareness about the availability of such assistance.
- 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
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Pathways to, conditions and consequences of incarceration for women 2013, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- Many new minimum sentencing regulations have resulted in harsher sentences for drug-related offences than for crimes such as rape and murder. Such sentencing regulations result in gendered disparity as regards incarceration. For example, in Ecuador, in one year 77 per cent of women in prisons were incarcerated for drug-related offences, compared with 33.5 per cent of men. An ironic consequence of such sentencing regulations is that women who commit relatively low-level drug crimes find themselves serving prison time while more serious offenders often escape imprisonment by entering into plea-bargaining deals, which involve giving "substantial assistance" to the prosecution. Women are usually unable to provide such "assistance".
- 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
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender-related killings of women 2012, para. 89
- Paragraph text
- In 2000, the Human Rights Committee adopted general comment 28 on the equality of rights between men and women, in which it stated that honour crimes which remained unpunished constituted a serious violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Moreover, laws which imposed more severe penalties on women than on men for adultery or other offences also violated the requirement of equal treatment. In 2004, the General Assembly passed a resolution on the elimination of crimes against women and girls committed in the name of honour. It stressed the need to treat such crimes as criminal offences punishable by law. It emphasized that such crimes are incompatible with all religious and cultural values, and called upon all States to continue to intensify efforts to prevent and eliminate crimes against women and girls committed in the name of honour, by using legislative, administrative and programmatic measures.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender-related killings of women 2012, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- As regards Mexico, in 1993 reports began to appear in the international media of the discovery of the mutilated bodies of raped and murdered women on wastelands outside the city of Ciudad Juárez. Data collection on femicides has indicated an escalation in the numbers of killings, with one author estimating that approximately 740 femicides occurred between 1993 and 2009 in Ciudad Juárez. The patterns of killings include abduction and disappearances for a few days; torture and sexual assault by groups of men; murder and mutilation, particularly of the sexual organs and breasts; decapitation in some cases; and the naked bodies/body parts being left on public display or dumped in empty wastelands of the city. In the worst cases, parts of the bodies are scattered through different areas of the city with messages written on the bodies or on paper found on the bodies. It is argued that the murders are conducted with symbolic effect-destroying the victim's humanity, integrity and identity.
- 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
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and violence against women 2011, para. 100
- Paragraph text
- This report shows the usefulness of a holistic approach in addressing the interconnections between violence against women, its causes and consequences; and multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination. A holistic approach underscores the interdependence and indivisibility of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights; it situates violence against women on a continuum; it acknowledges the structural aspects and factors of discrimination, which includes structural and institutional inequalities; and it analyzes social and/or economic hierarchies between women and men and also among women.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Reparations to women who have been subjected to violence 2010, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- The importance of women's participation in reparations discussions and processes cannot be overestimated. Without the participation of women and girls from different contexts, initiatives are more likely to reflect men's experience of violence and their concerns, priorities and needs regarding redress. Additionally, without such participation, an opportunity is missed for victims to gain a sense of agency that may in itself be an important form of rehabilitation, especially when victims come to perceive themselves as actors of social change. Finally, such participation is important for women and society in general to draw the links between past and present forms of violence and seize the opportunity provided by reparations discussions to press for more structural reforms.
- 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
- Girls
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
24 shown of 24 entities