A/HRC/32/42
against women and its most extreme forms resulting in killing. Bringing a name and a face
to statistics also highlights the horrendous nature of the crime, the reality of patriarchal
violence and the extreme pain and suffering inflicted on women and girls because of their
gender.
B.
Protection of and services for women survivors of violence
51.
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
and the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women established global
standards and the obligations of States to prevent violence against women and to provide
services for survivors of violence. With regard to services, the Declaration calls upon States
to work to ensure, to the maximum feasible extent, in the light of their available resources
and, where needed, within the framework of international cooperation, that women
subjected to violence and, where appropriate, their children have specialized assistance,
such as rehabilitation, assistance in child care and maintenance, treatment, counselling and
health and social services, facilities and programmes, and support structures, and should
take all other appropriate measures to promote their safety and physical and psychological
rehabilitation. In addition, the Declaration states that organs of the United Nations system
should promote the formulation of guidelines or manuals relating to violence against
women.
52.
In its general recommendation No. 19, the Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women recommended that States parties should take all legal and
other measures necessary to provide effective protection of women against gender-based
violence.
53.
The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action establishes that women subjected
to violence should have access “to just and effective remedies for the harm they have
suffered”, but they should also have access to “well-funded shelters and relief support”, and
“appropriate assistance to enable them to find a means of subsistence”.
54.
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women explained in
the case of A.T. v. Hungary that a victim of domestic violence was unable to flee to a
shelter, because none was equipped to accept her together with her children, in particular
one of whom who was fully disabled. According to the Committee, the State should ensure
that a safe home was given to the victim, in which she could live with her children, and that
the victim should receive proportional reparation to the physical and mental harm endured.
55.
The Istanbul Convention builds on existing international and regional instruments
and international and national legal and policy advances. It contains a specific provision on
shelters; article 23 in fact states that parties should “take the necessary legislative or other
measures to provide for the setting-up of appropriate, easily accessible shelters in sufficient
numbers to provide safe accommodation for and to reach out proactively to victims,
especially women and their children.” The Council of Europe has developed minimum
standards for support services, in which, for example, one place in a women’s shelter per
7,500 inhabitants should be provided, and the minimum standard should be one place per
10,000 inhabitants.10 According to another standard, one shelter should be available for
10
Liz Kelly, Combating violence against women: minimum standards for support services, Council of
Europe, 2008, p. 18.
15
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents