A/HRC/17/22 46. Mr. Langari explained that in Afghanistan the main causes of violence against women were found at family, society and structural/institutional levels. In the family, causes for violence were many and diverse, ranging from illiteracy, poverty, the maledominated culture, polygamy, and the prohibition on working outside of the home. At the societal level, Mr. Langari cited the abusive environment, cultural and security barriers to female education, misinterpretation of Islamic texts, a weak civil society, and lack of awareness of women’s rights, among other causes of violence against women. At the governmental level, he said that a weak political commitment to ensuring the presence of women in decision-making and managerial positions, the non-existence of affirmative measures to empower women, the inadequate educational facilities for girls, poor enforcement of the rule of law, and the influence of conservatism and discriminatory misperceptions all played a role in favouring violence against women. 47. Mr. Langari referred to the recent law on the elimination of violence against women adopted by presidential decree in August 2009, but not yet by the Parliament. He said that the law, based on both sharia and civil law, had the objectives of protecting the human dignity of women, the family and the victims of violence against women, as well as promoting public awareness of the issue, and prevention. The law, which recognized 22 categories of violence, defined violence against women as a crime and a practice that goes against Islam, and provided for punishments for perpetrators. Mr. Langari concluded by noting that the law on violence against women should be applied over any other contradictory legal provision and that the Attorney General’s office had established a new prosecution department for perpetrators of violence against women. 48. Ms. Sabat said that while violence against women was internationally defined, at the local level State and non-State actors changed the norm or prevented it from being applied locally. She added that preventing violence against women requires understanding of the circumstances and factors that influence it. One cannot create effective prevention strategies for violence against women without identifying all the stages, agents and conditions needed to translate the international norm into local reality. She said that in Lebanon the prevention of violence against women had to take into account the social structural conditions which are tied closely to the country’s history of civil war, domination and occupation. Ms. Sabat emphasized that in Lebanon politics were conflated with religion, and the role of religious leaders and confessional laws is particularly important, with up to 15 different personal status codes existing in parallel. 49. Ms. Sabat indicated that there are inherent practices in society that pose obstacles to addressing violence against women: (a) family honour – whereby the society places the burden of upholding family honour on women, shifting the balance of power in favour of men who have to protect the family and women’s honour; (b) family cohesion – whereby women are perceived as ultimately responsible for the preservation of the family; and (c) language – whereby gender-specific language is used to structure relations. There is an urgent need to address the underlying causes of violence against women, with a focus on individuals, relationships, communities, and society as a whole at the same time. 50. Mr. Kapito highlighted the preventive interventions in Malawi. He acknowledged that, despite significant progress, women and girls remained highly vulnerable to violence and other types of abuse. The forms of violence against women were diverse, including high rates of domestic violence, violence related to HIV/AIDS, sexual exploitation, harmful traditional practices, and trafficking. Mr. Kapito attributed this situation to a combination of factors including high illiteracy rates, the underrepresentation of women in employment and the public sector, limited access to and control of productive resources, less access to legal and financial assistance, and discriminatory inheritance practices. He noted that all these trends led to a feminization of poverty and a perpetuation of the subordination of women and their economic dependency. 12