A/HRC/32/42
every 10,000 inhabitants, providing safe emergency accommodation, qualified counselling
and assistance in finding long-term accommodation.11
56.
Shelters have an important role in removing one of the greatest barriers preventing
women from leaving abusive situations and avoiding re-victimization and risks of new
assaults. Various economic factors can contribute to women’s vulnerability to violence and
prevent them from seeking help.12 Rehabilitation programmes for women survivors of
violence should promote their physical, emotional and economic assistance, in particular by
allowing them to secure immediate financial support, and promote opportunities to achieve
and sustain income, to enable them to rebuild their lives. 13
57.
The mandate holder has visited a number of shelters and made recommendations on
their availability in specific countries to ensure that women can have access to them (see
E/CN.4/2006/61/Add.5 and A/HRC/4/34/Add.2 and Add.4). Women’s shelters should offer
specialized services for women, providing safe accommodation and support for women
who have been subjected to violence and their children. In addition to these services, other
prevention and protection measures should be available, including efficient and immediate
protection and barring orders for survivors, witnesses and their families.14 The Special
Rapporteur intends to work on a compilation of good practices that could guide the
establishment of shelters and support for women and children, and a compilation of good
practices on protection orders.
C.
Code of conduct for security and police forces dealing with violence
against women
58.
At the Special General Assembly of the Kigali International Conference Declaration,
on the role of security organs in ending violence against women and girls (see para. 19
above), 12 Member States signed the Declaration following the high-level international
conference on the same topic, which was held in Kigali in 2010. Since then, 43 States have
taken part in activities to implement the Declaration, which includes a commitment “to
recruit and promote more women officers at all echelons of the security organs”.
59.
In the view of the Special Rapporteur, the involvement of security organs, including
those in peacekeeping operations, and the police in combating violence against women and
11
12
13
14
14
16
“Good practices in legislation on violence against women”, report of the expert group meeting,
United Nations Office at Vienna, May 2008.
United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women),
“Economic development and opportunities” (available at www.endvawnow.org/en/articles/1457economic-development-and-opportunities.html).
See Follow-up Mechanism to the Belém do Pará Convention, Guide to the Application of the InterAmerican Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women,
2014, p. 55.
See Women against Violence Europe Network and European info Centre against Violence (WAVE),
“Description of a women’s shelter” (available at www.wavenetwork.org/sites/default/files/shelterdescription.pdf).
Some cases in which a restraining or protection orders were requested by the victim have been
analysed by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, including Sahide
Goekce (deceased) v. Austria (case 5/2005); Fatma Yildrim (deceased) v. Austria (case 6/2005); V.K.
v. Bulgaria (case 20/2008); Isatou Jallow v. Bulgaria (case 32/2011) (in this case, the perpetrator was
granted a protection order, on the basis that he was victim of violence, requiring the real victim to
leave the family house); Gonzalez Carreño v. Spain (case 47/2012); and A.T. v. Hungary (case
2/2003) (at the moment of the facts there were no protection or restraining orders available under the
domestic law).
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