A/HRC/23/25 observations in this section are almost in their entirety based on a review of the work of these bodies during the period 2009-2012. A. General Assembly 25. The General Assembly has considered violence against women under several agenda items, including advancement of women, human rights and crime prevention and criminal justice. Every second year, it receives reports from the Secretary-General on legislative, policy and other measures undertaken by Member States, and by bodies and entities of the United Nations to combat all forms of violence against women. Since 2009, under the item on the advancement of women, the General Assembly has received two reports on trafficking in women and girls; three on intensification of efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women and two on violence against women migrant workers. All these reports refer to relevant Human Rights Council resolutions. Under the agenda item on human rights, the Assembly also receives reports from Council special procedures including the Special Rapporteur on violence against women.47 Since 2009, it has received 103 reports from Human Rights Council special procedures. The Special Rapporteur and other special procedures mandate holders hold an interactive dialogue with the Third Committee of the General Assembly on an annual basis. 26. Following the Secretary-General’s 2006 in-depth study on all forms of violence against women, the General Assembly has adopted annual – and since 2011 biannual – resolutions on the intensification of efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women, as well as on, inter alia, issues related to violence against women migrant workers (biennial) and trafficking in women and girls (biennial).48 During the period under review, the General Assembly adopted a total of 905 resolutions, 22 of which concerned women’s human rights and six specifically referred to the issue of violence against women and girls.49 Other resolutions have a specific focus on gender equality issues.50 27. Resolutions originating from the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council use similar language and approaches for addressing violence against women and girls. Both bodies reference the other’s respective resolutions on the issue. The General Assembly frequently commends the Council and its mechanisms’ efforts on the issue including contributions made by the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children. Since 2009, resolutions from the two bodies have called upon States to “exercise due diligence to prevent and investigate acts of violence against women and girls and punish the perpetrators”,51 including by putting in place penal and criminal sanctions to punish perpetrators and by providing redress and justice mechanisms that victims can access effectively. The resolutions encourage States to formulate and implement training 47 48 49 50 51 10 The Special Rapporteur submitted her first report to the General Assembly at its 66th session in accordance with General Assembly resolution 65/187. See for example, Intensification of efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women (A/RES/64/137, A/RES/65/187 and A/RES/67/144), Violence against women migrant workers (A/RES/64/139 and A/RES/66/128), Trafficking in women and girls (A/RES/63/156), and Strengthening crime prevention and criminal justice responses to violence against women (A/RES/65/228). Three resolutions were on the subject of intensification of efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women, two were on violence against women migrant workers and one was on strengthening crime prevention and criminal justice responses to violence against women. See document A/67/185, para. 11. Resolutions A/RES/64/137 and A/RES/65/187.

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