Commission on Status of Women
Topic: A
Elimination of Violence Against Women
in Developing Nations
Algeria
Algeria is committed to keep their efforts of collecting national data on trying to stop
violence against women. They will continue to collect, analyze, and disseminate data. One-three
women get abused, either sexually, physically, or otherwise abused in their lifetime. Violence
against women and young girls is a global epidemic. It has no barriers and effects millions of
women and girls daily. The International Violence Against Women Act will bring people
together to help gender-based abuse change from one-in-three to zero-in-three. To help this
epidemic, the Algerian government encourages women and girls to denounce abuse and to resort
to protection and safety. As Lakshmi Puri has said in her speech on ending violence against
women and children, "Laws, policies and programmes that explicitly prohibit and punish
violence must be put into place."
According to the Bureau of Democracy, child abuse is a commonly reported crime
although it is illegal. Approximately ten thousand children suffered from abuse and sixteen
children have died from extreme abuse. There have also been 36 reports of kidnapped children.
About 2,072 girls were victims of physical abuse in 2010. Algeria is taking action as up to 70%
of women and children have/will face physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. As
unwomen.org has said, "Violence against women and girls is rooted in gender-based
discrimination and social norms and gender stereotypes that perpetuate such violence."
As stated before, violence against women against women and girls is an epidemic and
needs to be stopped. To help this, prevention should start early in childhood and education at
schools teaching young women and girls. To do this, they should promote healthy relationships
and teach how to avoid abuse. Algeria is planning on helping women and girls to help teach
young men and women how to promote non-violence and to learn about what a heathy
relationship looks like. With these steps, Algeria and other people can help eliminate violence
against women and girls in developing nations.
Sources
http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/takeaction/commit/government-commitments
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ag.html
http://www.unwomen.org/en
http://ciddef-dz.com/pdf/autres-publications/balsam_anglais.pdf
http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/algeria/report-2012
http://www.un.org/en/women/endviolence/situation.shtml
Costa Rica
Violence against women is a worldwide issue that is affected thousands and
thousands of people in hundreds of countries. Women are abused and mistreated for the
simple fact that they are women, or for personal reasons. Violence against women also put
people at risk for major health issues such as STDs, unwanted pregnancies, depression,
PTSD, eating disorders, stress, and many other issues. The UN is fighting to stop this issue,
as Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon says, "we must unite. Violence against women cannot be
tolerated, in any form, in any context, in any circumstance, by any political leader or by any
government." Globally 35% of women who have been in a relationship have reported some
type of sexual violence, which is about one third of all women. Also, globally as many as
38% of all murders of women are committed by intimate partners. On top of the mental and
emotional issues the violence causes, it also can cause physical injuries. And asked me at
42% of women who experienced sexual violence have also reported a physical injury. Risks
are high when dealing with violence against women, but one of the most prominent and
serious effects of violence are sexually transmitted diseases. A 2013 Analysis found that
women who have been physically or sexually abused were 1.5 times more likely to have a
sexually-transmitted disease, and in some regions HIV and AIDS. Rape is a big part of
violence against women it is an issue in many countries around the world. In the Democratic
Republic of Congo, approximately 1100 rapes are reported each month, with an average of
36 women and girls raped every day. It is estimated that 200,000 women and girls have been
subjected sexual violence since armed conflict began. Sexual, physical, and mental violence
against women is an extremely important issue that affects thousands of people all over the
world, and needs to be stopped. The UN is working hard to put an end to violence against
women once and for all. Into thousand eight UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon launched a
UNiTE to End Violence Against Women campaign, which aimed to raise awareness and
increase resources for preventing and responding to violence against women and girls all
over the world. This campaign called together all types of people and groups tonight and
addresses this global issue. UNiTE also works to engage men in part of the solution to this
issue and worked to embrace equality and inspire men to speak out against violence. Because
of this campaign, policies and laws have been put in place, strong president has been put in
place, and well-trained personnel have been hired. because of the US effort this issue has
been moved in a positive direction and is continuing to get better for women all over the
world.
Costa Rica is surrounded by places that are not changing bounce against women,
whereas they are working to move this issue in a positive direction. in Brazil, for example,
the number of them sides has reached massive portions, whereas in the last 10 years, 40,000
women have been killed, just because they were women. In 2011 the UN launched a program
called "Safe and Sustainable Cities for All". This program was in Costa Rica and many other
countries. This program partnered governments, Mayors office, and women's organizations
to help stop bounce against women including public harassment. Also into thousand 11,
Panama and Costa Rica join together to find one common solution to the problem of
domestic violence. In Costa Rica authorities received, on average 222 reports of domestic or
gender violence each day. Over the last three decades the number of the feticides has
increased. Costa Rica has been working to give a wide range of support and prevention
programs for youth and women. Former Pres. Laura chinchilla said, "when you Face
unexpected events, you have to try to overcome those problems, but at the same time, you
have to continue working according to the plan that you designed since the beginning. So
that's what we have time to do – not to avoid the urgent responses but to continue the route
that we have defined."
Costa Rica is working towards fixing this issue by putting acts in place, and getting
support from the UN. Recently in Costa Rica there was a march for equality. This march was
to bring attention to new laws that were put in place to stop this issue. These last team to the
condition women worked in and coexist in. Costa Rica would like you and support in this
issue by strengthening research on this topic, and collaborating with international
organizations to reduce violence against women both nationwide and globally. By
collaborating with these organizations not only Costa Rica, But many countries will get
support and information that will help decrease in overall diminish this issue.
Bibliography
Biden, Joe, Congress. Factsheet:Violence Against Women.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/vawa_factsheet.pdf
UN Women. Creating Safe Public Spaces. http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/endingviolence-against-women/creating-safe-public-spaces
World Health Organization. Violence Against Women.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs239/en/
Submitted By: Ghana
“The day my father will stop beating my mother, salvation will come to our home,” says 17-yearold Emilia whose mother is a victim of domestic violence. According to World Vision Ghana every one
in three women is affected by family violence. Over 109,784 cases of domestic violence have been
recorded in Ghana’s capital city of Accra alone within the last decade. Sexual violence, child marriages,
elderly women accused of witchcraft, and denial of widowhood rights are all common (World Vision
Ghana). Six people tortured and poured kerosene on 75-year-old Ama Hemah. They set her on fire,
burning her to death. Other women have been murdered by their husbands sometimes from acid wounds
and battering. Female entrepreneurs have been robbed millions of dollars. Due to political and religious
beliefs, women in developing countries are commonly viewed as inferior to men, and these views have
unfortunately lead to the justification of violence against women and children.
Domestic family violence can affect Ghana by child maltreatment and child abuse. Being abused
or treated harshly can affect children when they grow up. It can affect their ability to learn (when they go
to school) and their ability to interact with each other. Of course that is important to us because children
are our future. We have done a lot of things to attempt to put a stop to this. We have done protests
including Unite, and 16 days of preventing domestic violence, and many more. This is effecting
surrounding countries because if children and women are being abused, they may decide to run away
from the abusers to a surrounding country where it may be a little bit more safe however, if the abuser
immigrates to the where the victim is and starts abusing other people there and move the trend so that
then there is a problem in one of Ghana's surrounding countries. (UNICEF.org) A solution I will propose
is possibly to host more protests, parades, and speeches to raise awareness about domestic violence.
Trying to have people donate money in wealthier countries such as America. All we need participants,
between 100‐200, and people willing to raise awareness like participants willing to donate money, people
who will make fliers and posters and people who will listen to the things we have to say. We hope to
make and end to domestic violence and raise awareness of it.
Work Cited
‐www.womankind.org
‐www.UNICEF.org
‐World Vision Ghana
Submitted by: Madagascar
Violence against women is one of the most widespread violations of human rights. Ending
violence against women is one of UN women's key priority areas with programs taking this
unfortunate widespread issue. 71% of women in Ethiopia reported physical and/or sexual
violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Studies show that many men who abuse their
wives also abuse their children (Irinnews.org). This shows that not only are our women being
abused, mistreated, and harmed but so are our children. " Violence against women is perhaps the
most shameful human rights violation. It knows no boundaries of geography, culture, or wealth.
As long as it continues, we cannot claim to be making real progress towards equality,
development, and peace." -Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General. The Zimbabwe Women Lawyers
Association (ZWLA) has been helping women bring cases against their partners to court. In
Ghana, mother gender center helps support and counsel the victims of domestic violence. The
feminist Dalit organization (FEDO) in Nepal organizes training and community meetings to raise
awareness in Bolivia, CDIMA lobbies politicians and decisions- makers to make sure the law is
used to protect Indigenous women from violence. (www.Womenkind.org.uk)
To help end violence against women, we must raise more awareness. To raise awareness and
trigger action to end torture, the UN observes International Day for the elimination of violence
against women on November 25th. This ensures and raises awareness of gender base violence.
We also have to show women it is not their fault. We must show women if they are being abused
they are not alone. Find someone whom they trust and talk to that person. Tell them about what
they have been going through. Last show them a safe haven. If they choose to stay in the
situation, they should have a safe plan if the situation were to get out of hand. It is not the
women's fault. The partner needs to take responsibility for their actions as well. Seeking an
alternative way to release their anger, stress, or frustration rather than beating women. "The
global spread of ideas about women's rights and the increasing international attention to the
problem of violence against women may be contributing to the striking change in attitudes about
the issue." -Rachel Pierotti.
In conclusion the UN needs more help with ending violence against women no matter where
they are. The only way to end this horrid act of violence is to raise awareness. The more people
know, the better. The U.N women will provide a program for women, men, boys, and girls
aging from 12-35, educating them on the effects it has on not only them, but also the community.
The program will consist of an overnight seminar. It will provide people with the tools to
understand the causes of violence in their communities and around the world. Our hope is for us
to engage young people in efforts to prevent and end violence against girls and women. With a
little more help, we can decrease or even stop violence against women.
Bibliography
UN Women "small steps in Madagascar's fight against gender-based violence, copyright 2014,
10–20 7–14 www.irinnews.org/report/99304/small-in-Madagascar-s-fight-against-gender-baseviolence
www.Womenkind.org.uk
"Women's world" Womankind Worldwide, 2013
www.womenkind.org.uk/2013/05/attitudes-domestic-violence/
www.Womenshealth.gov
"Violence against women."200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
http://womenshealth.gov/violence-against-women/help-end-violence-against-women/
Country:
Sierra Leone
Many women in developing nations suffer violence in their lifetime. Women's
violence is defined as gender-based violence resulting in harm, mentally or physically.
Violence suppresses the potential of women. According to feminist.com, the Department of
Justice 2007 says that about 1/3 of female murder victims are killed by an intimate partner.
Unwomen.org says it is estimated that of all the women killed in 2012, a family member or
intimate partner killed almost half. One out of three women in the world will experience
some form of violence in their lifetimes. Most cases of violence against women are
unreported, and few cases are reported.
Even though Sierra Leone's civil war ended, Sierra Leonean women are still faced
with gender-based violence. Violence against women in Sierra Leone has continued out of
war years and into the present. Sierra Leone is included in the (3 year) Girls Making Media
project (plan-children media.org) along with Ghana, Liberia, and Togo. The project's goal is
to contribute to elimination of gender discrimination in west Africa.
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is dedicated to promoting gender
equality. The UN's secretary-general launched a campaign called Orange your Neighborhood
to raise awareness of violence against women in local areas. It included lighting up the
Empire State Building and headquarters one Tuesday night in orange (Themoniter.com).
Orange is to represent a brighter future. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against women (CEDAW) is an international treaty and bill of rights for
women. It has been ratified by 188 states.
We believe that to eliminate violence against women first we need more people to see
it as a problem. People need to know what effects violence against women has on women
and families. We believe that we should launch more campaigns similar to Orange Your
Neighborhood, but telling how gender discrimination can damage a nation. Violence against
women can also result in girls dropping out of school. For those countries that do not have
the financial ability to run certain programs, it would be beneficial for the UN to provide
additional educational resources to those countries in order to bring about additional
awareness.
Citations
"Feminist.com." Feminist.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2014.
"The Monitor." The Monitor. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2014.
"Plan." Plan. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2014.
Submitted by: Ukraine
Violence against women is a big problem in developing countries, and all over
the world. According to "Who.int","...based on existing data from over 80 countries, that
globally 35% of women have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner
violence or non-partner sexual violence. Worldwide, almost one third (30%) of all
women who have been in a relationship have experienced physical and/or sexual
violence by their intimate partner, in some regions this is much higher." With rape
survivors, sometimes the scars on the outside don't even compare to the one's on the
inside. For example, Renee was raped by her best friend's husband, and then became
pregnant. "The Rape and then the trauma of the subsequent choices I had to make as a
result of being raped haunted me for years." Says Renee from "verahouse.org". Ukraine
has many cases of violence. "Violence against women comprises at least 90% of
reported cases of violence in Ukraine, yet it is estimated that only 1 in 4 women who
have been victims of domestic violence have sought support from the legal system.""stopvaw.org". Many government officials agree that ending violence against women is
important. "Violence against women and girls is a global pandemic that destroys lives,
fractures communities and holds back development."- According to General Ban Kimoon from "un.org".
The laws for violence against women in Ukraine are currently unclear. In 2013,
the Ukraine Parliament approved a bill to amend the law prohibiting direct and indirect
discrimination against women. The bill was stalled in May, 2013, and as of July, 2014,
the bill still has not been passed. It is not of the greatest importance in Ukraine. There
are other more important things such as the civil war with Russia. "We must unite.
Violence against women cannot be tolerated, in any form, in any context, in any
circumstance, by any political leader or by any government."-- Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon from "un.org". Recently, the un has created a campaign to help raise
awareness. "To mark the International Day to Eliminate Violence against Women and
the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence, the United Nations SecretaryGeneral’s Campaign UNiTE to End Violence against Women invites you to “Orange
YOUR Neighbourhood.”"-"endviolence.un.org".
The solution for ending violence against women is education. Educating
children at a young age will help prevent violence. Women don't know that violence is
bad if they were raised in an environment where they witnessed violence every day.
Creating a program that can travel from school to school in developing countries and
talk to children of all ages is the solution. If we educate the children, then the children
will become the adults and they will rule the world with their brilliance. General Ban Kimoon agrees. "It is only by changing the everyday experience of women and girls that
we can challenge discrimination and impunity, and put a stop to practices and customs
that encourage, ignore or tolerate violence against them."- Says General Ban Ki-moon
from "un.org". CSW of Ukraine, topic a: The Elimination of Violence Against Women in
Developing Nations, wants to create a traveling school to educate children and teens of
all ages, races, and sexes. We want to educate them about how unacceptable violence
against women is, so that they will not let it happen to themselves, or if it's the opposite
sex, we must educate them so that they won't hurt women or their children.
Bibliography
Yakovleva, Liudmyla, "Presentation at THE 57th UN COMMISSION ON THE STATUS
OF WOMEN Side Event “A Global Outcry: It Should Not Hurt to Be a Girl”."
http://www.unwla.org/PDF/2013/Status%20of%20Women.pdf. unwala.org. 2013. Web.
8 December 2014.
U.N. Statistics Division, Social Indicators. "Violence Against Women in Ukraine."
http://www.stopvaw.org/ukraine. The advocates for human rights, 2010. Web. 8
December 2014.
Commission on the Status of Women. "Commission on the Status of Women."
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/index.html. un.org. Web. 8 December 2014.
UN WOMEN. "Take action to Orange your day." http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-wedo/ending-violence-against-women/take-action. UN Women, 25 November 2014. Web.
8 December 2014.
Who.int. "Violence against women."
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs239/en/. Who, 2014. Web. 8 December
2014.
Vera House. "SURVIVORS' TRUTHS." http://www.verahouse.org/domestic-violencesexual-assault/survivors/survivors-stories. Vera House, Inc., 2010. Web. 8 December
2014.
VAWA. "Factsheet: The Violence Against Women Act."
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/vawa_factsheet.pdf. whitehouse.org.
Web. 8 December 2014.
United Nations. "Ending Violence Against Women and Girls."
http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/briefingpapers/endviol/quotes.shtml. United Nations,
2014. Web. 9 December 2014.
UN WOMEN. "Focusing on Prevention to Stop the Violence."
http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/prevention.
UN Women. Web. December 9 2014.
UN News Centre. "Remarks on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence
against Women."
http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocus/sgspeeches/statments_full.asp?statID=2446#.VIc
3ckc8KrW. United Nations, 2014. Web. December 9 2014.
CSW Topic A
Submitted by:
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Violence against women due to gender-biased perspectives is prominent in several currently
developing nations. Women and young girls are regularly abused and harmed as a result of cultural
beliefs in which they are viewed as lesser in comparison to the male gender. The United Kingdom
emphasizes that this inequitable violence must stop. Preceding actions taken by the United Kingdom
to eliminate this abuse include; having ministers sign a promulgation agreeing to promote the
discontinuance of female genital mutilation, engendering campaigns against the overall effect of
violence against women, assisting other nations experiencing brutality towards women, speaking
with local administrators about ongoing violence towards women, and holding a symposium on the
way criminal charges of violence towards women are induced by police and crime officials,
encouraging children at young ages to become aware and work to prevent violence towards women,
working to promote a culture in which violence against women is not part, punishing those
responsible for violence against women, and eliminating situations in which women are used as just
sexual objects.
The United Kingdom recalls an excerpt from the speech about violence against women given by
Natalie Samarasinghe from the United Nations of the UK. Natalie Samarasinghe states “ Gender
targets and monitoring should be embedded across the framework, in addition to a standalone goal,
with targets of freedom from violence against women and girls, for gender equality (for example for
reproductive rights, equal pay), involved in decision making at parliament, in families, etc.”
Furthermore, Lynne Featherstone, the United Kingdom’s Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
for international development states “The International Development (gender equality) Act came into
force on 13 May. This act, strongly supported by the Secretary of State for International
Development, makes it law for the UK to consider gender equality before it provides development
assistance, and the differences in gender related needs for its humanitarian support. This puts our
existing commitment to delivering important outcomes for girls and women- including a reduction in
violence - on statutory footing.”
The United Kingdom proposes that countries take action to prevent violence against women by
better training police and local crime authorities, encouraging a culture in which women are not
oppressed and both genders are equal, encouraging children at early ages to understand and abolish
violence against women, holding the violators to account, targeting and annulling pernicious actions
towards women, ensuring that violated women have support and the opportunities to rebuild their
lives, increasing women’s support access, respecting the confidentiality of women who have gone
through abusive situations, preventing women from being used as sexual objects in gang disputes and
in regular situations, launching campaigns promoting the eradication of violence against women, and
encouraging communities to become involved in preventing violence against women.
The United Kingdom strongly emboldens the fact that in order for the abhorrent assault of women
to be completely decimated, all countries and communities will need to take action and simply stop
the vicious and utterly redundant violence towards women. Thusly, the United Kingdom remains,
and will continue to remain, in the unyielding position opposed to violence against women.
CSW Topic A
Works Cited
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Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/>.
"End Violence Against Women." End Violence Against Women. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/>.
"Greater London Authority." Greater London Authority. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec.
2014.<http://www.london.gov.uk/>.
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<http://www.peacewomen.org/>.
"Refworld | The Leader in Refugee Decision Support." Refworld. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.refworld.org/>.
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"Welcome to the United Nations: It's Your World." UN News Center. UN, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.un.org/>.
CSW Topic A