A/HRC/17/22 I. Introduction 1. The Human Rights Council, in its resolution 11/2, requested the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to convene “an expert workshop, open to the participation of Governments, regional organizations, relevant United Nations bodies, civil society organizations and experts from different legal systems, to discuss specific measures for overcoming obstacles and challenges that States may face in preventing, investigating, prosecuting and punishing the perpetrators of violence against women and girls, as well as measures for providing protection, support, assistance and redress for victims” (para. 11(d)). This workshop was held in Geneva on 24 and 25 November 2010. II. Organization of the expert workshop 2. The workshop was announced on the OHCHR website and a note verbale dated 27 October 2010 invited permanent missions, United Nations programmes and agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to participate. The workshop, with an audience of approximately 100 participants, considered the challenges, good practices and opportunities in relation to five essential and cross-cutting aspects of the elimination of violence against women: (a) investigating cases of violence against women; (b) the prosecution of violence against women and punishment of perpetrators; (c) remedy and reparation for women subjected to violence; (d) prevention of violence against women; and (e) protection of women subjected to violence. 3. The present report contains a summary of the presentations and ensuing discussions. The outcome of the workshop has also informed the compilation of good practices in efforts aimed at eliminating violence against women, contained in document A/HRC/17/23, for consideration by the Human Rights Council. III. Summary of proceedings 4. The Director of the Research and Right to Development Division of OHCHR, Marcia V. J. Kran, underlined in her opening remarks that the Human Rights Council had been tasked by the General Assembly with setting priorities in addressing violence against women as a follow-up to the consideration of the Secretary-General’s study on the subject. She emphasized that the experts were to present their work with the understanding that eliminating violence against women is a cross-cutting issue. Some presentations and reflections would be of a global nature, while others would focus on experiences and findings in particular regions, countries or contexts. The Director expressed the wish that the workshop’s presentations and discussions would inspire the Human Rights Council members to take further steps to accelerate the elimination of violence against women. 5. Introductory remarks from the floor were made by the Deputy Permanent Representative of Canada, the main co-sponsor of resolution 11/2. The representative noted that the workshop was being held at a very opportune time, after the 15-year review of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the 10th anniversary of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security. The representative said she was shocked by the reported horrific acts committed against women worldwide. She recognized that Canada also faced challenges, including higher rates of violence against aboriginal and migrant women, and underreporting of cases of domestic violence. 3