FW: [ENAWA] Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women Prepares Final Report

[Szabó Erzsébet]

FYI,
Szabó Erzsébet Mária

-----Original Message-----
From: members of the European WomenAction 2000 team, who work on the
European WomenAction 2000 [mailto:EWA2000 at NIC.SURFNET.NL] On Behalf Of
Nicole Nepton
Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2002 9:14 PM
To: EWA2000 at NIC.SURFNET.NL
Subject: [ENAWA] Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women Prepares
Final Report

Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women Prepares Final Report

Radhika Coomaraswamy, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence
Against 
Women (SRVAW) will end her term in 2003. She is now preparing her final 
report to be presented at the 59th session of the United Nations
Commission 
on Human Rights (UNHCHR). The following article describes what this
report 
will include.

First, the report will be organized according to geopolitical regions.
It 
will analyze how governments have followed the SRVAW's recommendations
from 
1994 to 2003.

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) involved in advocacy against VAW
are 
requested to give assistance by providing an analytical paper that 
discusses how governments have implemented recommendations by the SRVAW
and 
what areas still need action. Paper submissions should preferably be not

more than five pages.

Specific areas to be covered by the report are
.     VAW in the family (e.g., domestic violence, traditional practices)
.     VAW in the community (e.g., rape, sexual harassment, trafficking)
.     VAW perpetrated or condoned by the state (e.g., detention and
custodial 
violence, situations of armed conflict)

Analytical papers by NGOS should also include information on the current

status of the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All 
Forms of Violence against Women (CEDAW), its Optional Protocol, and
other 
relevant international instruments. In addition the report should
mention 
whether States, when reporting to CEDAW or other committees, have
referred 
to the work/recommendations of the Special Rapporteur.

Papers by NGOs can include any of the following:
.     regional or national initiatives to strengthen the legislative and
policy 
framework to prevent, eliminate, and prosecute VAW
.     executive policies or plans of action that attempt to deal with
the 
question of VAW
.     relevant constitutional amendments that have been enacted (Is
there 
constitutional authority guaranteeing equality for women
           or the prohibition of VAW?)
.     relevant legislation that has been passed/amended in accordance
with 
international standards
.     domestic violence legislation that has used the Special
Rapporteur's 
framework
.     national legislation and/or administrative sanctions that provides

adequate redress for women victims of violence.
.     specific directives with regard to the development of legal and 
administrative mechanisms to ensure effective justice for victims
          of violence.
.     reports on the criminal justice system's sensitivity to the issues
of 
VAW, with details on police practice on VAW, the number
          of cases investigated by the police, the number of victims
dealt 
with by the police, the number of prosecutions, types of
          judgments given in VAW cases, and health professionals' 
sensitivity to VAW issues during the prosecution of cases
.     gender training for the criminal justice system to ensure the
appropriate 
handling of cases of VAW and any important court
           cases
.     statistical data on the incidence of gender-based violence
.     support services for women victims of violence (e.g., shelters,
legal and 
psychological counseling, specialized assistance and
           rehabilitation)
.     appropriate measures taken in the field of education
.     media initiatives to raise awareness of VAW as a human rights
violation 
and to modify practices that discriminate against
          women

Reporting organizations are also requested to give examples of how the 
Special Rapporteur on VAW has been successfully used at the 
regional/national level.

If appropriate, the report should include country-specific factors and 
difficulties in the implementation of the Special Rapporteur's 
recommendations, as well principal areas of concern and recommendations
for 
future action.

The Special Rapporteur will follow up on all of her fact-finding
missions 
since 1994. Countries where she has conducted fact-finding missions
include 
the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea and
Japan, 
Poland, Brazil, South Africa, Rwanda, the United States, Indonesia and
East 
Timor, Cuba, Haiti, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Sierra Leone,

and Colombia. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the latest 
information/analysis on the implementation of her specific
recommendations 
in these countries.

NGOs may get further details from and may submit their reports on or
before 
August 1, 2002 to
Christina Saunders
Assistant to the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its
causes 
and consequences
Activities and Programmes Branch
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
UNOG-OHCHR
CH-1210 Geneva 11
Switzerland
Tel. 41 22 917 9150
Fax. 41 22 9179006
E-mail: csaunders.hchr at unog.ch

Source:
A posting by Christina Saunders in the End-Violence mailing list hosted
by 
the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). To join the
list, 
send an e-mail to owner-end-violence at phoenix.edc.org

Related links:
More Information about the SRVAW
http://www.unhchr.ch/women/focus-violence.html
Trust Fund to Eliminate Violence against Women
http://www.undp.org/unifem/trustfund
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