A/HRC/17/26
forms of violence against women will not be successful if they continue to be solely
focused on the immediate health concerns of the victims, or on implementing legal
measures that only consider the most severe forms of abuse. Violence against women
happens because it can. Determining how best to protect, promote and fulfil women's
rights to non-discrimination, equality and freedom from violence is fundamentally a
question of law – with affirmative State obligations associated with preventing and
eliminating gender-based violence, whether public or private.
106. Violence against women cannot be resolved with a one-size-fits-all
programmatic approach. Combating violence against women requires multiple
approaches for its elimination. In adopting multiple approaches, preventing and
combating violence must become localized, but also take into account differences
within community populations. In addition, multiple approaches require adequate
human and material resources in order to assess and monitor how policies, laws and
institutions impact violence and discrimination, including in the areas of redress and
compensation to victims.
107. The interdependence of human rights requires countries to ratify all human
rights treaties and optional protocols. While determining how best to protect, promote
and fulfil women's rights to non-discrimination, equality and freedom from violence,
it is essential that States respect their international commitments under the due
diligence obligation to prevent, protect and provide compensation to women victims of
violence perpetrated both in the public and private spheres, as well as to hold the
perpetrators of such violence responsible for their actions. These obligations include a
wide range of issues, including the adoption of legislation and public policies, and
increased educational efforts aimed at addressing the prejudices and stereotypes on
which gender-based violence and multiple forms of discrimination are based. Efforts
should also support and empower the work being done by civil society in its efforts to
combat violence against women.
108. The United Nations system and the United Nations human rights mechanisms
should also strive to adopt a holistic approach to violence against women and multiple
forms of discrimination. In particular, UN Women, which has the mandate to lead
and coordinate United Nations efforts to protect and promote women's rights, should
be mindful to integrate a holistic approach. This will require efforts at gendermainstreaming which systematically adopt a twin-track approach of both
mainstreaming and specificity, which take into account women's inter- and intragender equality and non-discrimination rights, and also the right to be free of all
forms of violence, both public and private.
22
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