Violence Against Women – Call to UN States for Accountability, Implementation +

The former Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and
consequences, Dr. Yakin Ertürk, has brought her term as mandate holder to a
close with a call to States to accept the challenges of accountability,
implementation and compliance which would give full effect to measures
prohibiting violence against women.

Ertürk, who has been the Special Rapporteur for this mandate for the last
six years, retired from the position at the end of July 2009. Two Rapporteurs
have occupied the position since it was created in 1994 by the then Human
Rights Commission.The Special Rapporteur investigates and reports to the Human
Rights Council on violence against women, makes recommendations to eliminate
violations and suggests measures to remedy its consequences.

In speeches reviewing the mandate, Ertürk has described the establishment of
the mandate as a milestone. “As the first mechanism to monitor violations of
women’s rights, particularly in the private sphere which for so long was
shielded from public scrutiny”, Ertürk says, “the mandate has provided a venue
for the voices of those who dared to break the silence of violence and has
helped mobilize women from around the world.”

Gender violence in armed conflict has been a particular focus of the
mandate. Ertürk says the work of the Special Rapporteurs in this area has made
a significant contribution to the recognition of sexual violence as a serious
violation of international law and a crime against humanity.

The Special Rapporteur is also charged with on-going investigations of the
causes of violence against women. By placing greater emphasis on the underlying
conditions that lead to violations, Ertürk believes the mandate holders have
helped prevent rights’ abuses as opposed to offering only palliative reactions.

Despite the many achievements, very significant challenges remain. Ertürk
leaves her mandate cautioning that violence against women continues unabated
and is re-emerging in new and dangerous forms. Global trends such as
militarization, increasing armed conflict, neoliberal global policies, and
fundamentalism will continue to pose serious challenges in years to come, she
says.

A study commissioned to review the work of the mandate over the past 15
years has found that the role of the Special Rapporteur has been invaluable to
uncover hidden violations, support and advocate for the most vulnerable women
and facilitate access to justice and accountability where national systems are
undeveloped or non existent.

Commenting on the 15 years of the mandate, the UN’s Deputy High Commissioner
for Human Rights, Kyung-wha Kang says: “There has been significant progress in
setting international standards, mechanisms, and policy measures to prevent,
respond and eradicate all forms of violence against women, and in raising
awareness over the issue.” Kang noted that these positive results flow from the
combined efforts of the Special Rapporteur and many others and the advocacy of
successive UN Secretaries-General, the General Assembly, the Security Council,
and the Human Rights Council.

In 2008, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon initiated his campaign, “United to
End Violence against Women” which runs until 2015. The initiative was the
result of a study which showed that many countries still had not put in place
legislation reflecting international standards on violence against women, that
gender-based discrimination continues to go unchallenged in many places, and
crimes against women continue to be perpetrated with impunity.

The independent review of the mandate commissioned by Ertürk reinforces this
view, finding that access to justice for women is often ridden with obstacles,
and likewise accountability in cases of domestic abuse remains elusive.

While acknowledging the obstacles ahead, Ertürk, is ending her mandate with
a positive message. “Eradicating violence against women and ensuring that human
rights are universally enjoyed is a common goal and a shared obligation. The
progress achieved thus far towards this goal, although uneven, has verified
that oppressive values, institutions and relationships can be transformed.”

Ms Rashida Manjoo (South Africa) has been appointed as the new United
Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and
consequences.

7 September, 2009