United Nations Human Rights Council

23^rd Session

Agenda Item 3

 On  the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls

Liberal International (LI) welcomes the statement of the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against women, its causes and consequences, Ms. Rashida Manjoo, to the 57^th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in which she rightfully acknowledged that impunity for the killings of women has become a global concern. LI fully supports her conclusions that the responsibility to protect women and girls from violence and discrimination lies primarily with the state. LI also firmly aligns with the Special Rapporteur’s final remarks that while it is important to apply due diligence in the protection and prevention measures to eliminate such violence it is equally imperative to go beyond the mere enactment of formal legal provisions.

Liberal International also welcomes the UN Secretary-General’s “UNiTE” campaign initiative on ending violence against women and girls. Women’s rights are top priority of LI’s human rights work and we have long advocated for the advancement of the role of women in all aspects of societal life.

Stressing that:

• it is a disgrace and a human injustice to see that in all corners of the world, violence against women and girls in all of its facets, is still a very prevalent problem. Whether it is the result of war or it is in the form of domestic abuse, violence against women should be treated as a universal phenomenon as it does not have geographical or cultural boundaries
• violence against women and girls cannot be justified as an issue of religious or ethnical affiliation as it constitutes a breach of basic human rights
• harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation cannot be considered as part of a religion, but as an act of violence as they cause short and long term harm on women and girls’ physical, psychological, sexual, and reproductive health. Possible physical complications include severe bleeding, problems urinating, cysts, infections (including HIV), infertility, and complications in childbirth
• approximately 100 to 140 million girls and women in the world have experienced female genital mutilation/cutting, with more than 3 million girls in Africa annually at risk of the practice
• violence against women such as rape, forced labor and prostitution is often used as a weapon in wars
• worldwide, up to 50 percent of sexual assaults are committed against girls under 16
• the first sexual experience of some 30 percent of women was forced
• women and girls are 80 percent of the estimated 800,000 people trafficked across national borders annually, with the majority (79 percent) trafficked for sexual exploitation.
• over 60 million girls worldwide are child brides, married before the age of 18, primarily in South Asia (31.3 million) and sub-Saharan Africa (14.1 million) with violence and abuse characterizing married life for many of these girls.
• any law which criminalizes contraception is clearly discriminatory as it takes away the basic right of every woman to decide what to do with her own body. Most importantly any such law puts the lives of many women in danger as contraception is often necessary in order to prevent irreversible diseases as a result of sexual violence.
• ensuring equal access to education for all girls and women is a fundamental step towards the elimination of gender discrimination and violence.
• governments in regions of crisis must live up to their obligations by not only taking measures to protect women and girls from violence but also by subsequently prosecuting all those who do violate such measures.

Recognizing that:

• women should be major stakeholders in conflict management and resolution in order to prevent gender specific violence as the mere presence of women in negotiations can change the focus and outcome of the decisions being made. Women can ensure that proper psychological and medical care is given to female victims of conflict violence and they can also provide the much needed comfort and support that such victims are often lacking.
• women have to be empowered by giving them the right tools as by empowering one woman we are empowering her entire family, community and even country.
• women and men are not valued as equal in many parts of the world which robs women from the possibility to live the life they want, to realize their dreams, and take their future into their own hands.
• women have to be provided with a safe and nurturing environment where they are cherished, respected and loved so that they are no longer victims but rather active agents of change.
• improving maternal health and reducing maternal mortality remains as a major challenge in many countries throughout the world due to a lack of sufficient preventive prenatal care, obstetrical care and family planning
• often the role of the family can be a fundamental and influential foundation in its function as inciter of violence such as female genital mutilation, honor battering and even honor killing.
• many countries around the world still lack laws against domestic violence with some 603 million women living in countries where domestic violence remains legal.

Liberal International recalls:

• its resolution to the 59^th Congress in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire on eliminating female genital mutilation where LI called for the continued ratification and implementation, through comprehensive legislation, of all international instruments that prohibit all forms of female gender mutilation and for the effective sanctioning against the perpetrators and propagators of this practice
• its resolution to the 59^th Congress in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire on improving maternal health which LI called on all governments to provide the necessary funding for reproductive and maternal health programs worldwide and to improve the access to voluntary family planning and to emergency obstetric care when complications arise, including interventions to reduce maternal death from unsafe abortions
• its resolution to the 56^th Congress in Cairo, Egypt titled  “Women’s Rights are Human Rights” where LI called on the international community to act when women’s rights, including those related to sexual and reproductive health, are violated, and to respect and protect women’s rights in their political work

Liberal International calls on the international community:

• to take responsibility for ensuring that women’s rights are enshrined in every UN member state’s national legislation and all forms of violence against women and girls are criminalized
• to organize special educational campaigns aimed at the elimination of social and cultural bias associated with violence against women and girls.
• to ratify the UN Convention Against the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
• to exclude the Islamic Republic of Iran as a member of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in light of the country’s discriminatory laws against women

Liberal International calls on all Arab countries which are developing their democratic institutions after the Arab Spring:

• to enshrine in both their constitutions and in every-day societal life the rights of women so that they can enjoy full freedom in expressing their personal opinions, beliefs, and convictions without fear of prosecution or stigmatization
• to ensure that women play an important role in the process of constructing new democracies, including by allowing for their full participation in political life, as the best way of eliminating sex-based discriminatory laws and promoting and advancing women’s rights