A/HRC/41/42
regular platform for the examination every year of the progress achieved in the elimination
of violence against women.36
Human Rights Council
91.
The Human Rights Council has instituted a day of general discussion on women’s
human rights and violence against women. However, the Special Rapporteur believes that
one day per year is not sufficient. In the past, the Chairs of the human rights treaty bodies
presented reports to the Commission on Human Rights, but that practice ended with the
establishment of the Council. Therefore the Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women does not report to the Council and, while the Special
Rapporteur is mandated to do so, the information she provides would be significantly
enhanced should the Committee be invited to present its reports on eliminating
discrimination and violence against women.
General Assembly
92.
In accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 7/24, the Special Rapporteur
submits reports to the General Assembly on the basis of the General Assembly resolution
on violence against women, which is adopted on a biannual basis. The Special Rapporteur
considers that to be an excellent opportunity for the mandate holder to engage with the
Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee (the Third Committee). However, she notes
that, while the aforementioned resolution calls on the mandate holder to report to the
Assembly, no provisions are made for additional financial or human resources to support
the preparation of such reports, while the funding for preparatory expert group meetings is
often managed through external partners and with the assistance of civil society.
Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
93.
While welcoming the opportunity for the mandate holder to engage with the
Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, the Special Rapporteur considers
that more focus should be placed within the Commission’s work on addressing genderbased violence against women and the criminal justice system. She also believes that the
Commission has a significant role to play in combating violence against women worldwide
and, as such, should be included as one of the key mechanisms within the United Nations
system to combat gender-based violence against women.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
94.
UNODC plays an important role in the collection of data on homicide and, in 2018,
it published its first global study the gender-related killing of women and girls (see para.
74). The report clearly reveals that women make up the vast majority of victims killed by
an intimate partner, at 82 per cent in 2017. It also demonstrates that targeted criminal
justice responses are needed to prevent and end gender-related killings.
IV. Conclusion and recommendations
95.
At present, at the international normative level, the right of women to be free
from violence is recognized as an international human rights standard but, in practice,
gender-based violence against women and girls continues to be tolerated and has
become normalized in many societies. There is also a general lack of understanding of
the relevant provisions of international women’s human rights instruments, including
the interrelationship between discrimination and violence against women. Within that
context, Special Rapporteur makes the recommendations below.
96.
With respect to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and other
reviews, States, United Nations entities and other relevant stakeholders should
consider the following:
36
18
See www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=24339&LangID=E.
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