25.11.02
Urgent Interventions
Press Release: International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
Geneva, 25 November 2002
Press Release: OMCT expresses concern at violence against women on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) would like to express its deep concern at the high levels of violence against women that persist throughout the world.
Despite the fact that States have an obligation under international law to prevent, investigate, punish and provide reparations for acts of violence against women, irrespective of whether this violence is committed by a State official or a private individual, OMCT continues to receive information that demonstrates that large numbers of States are failing to fulfil these obligations with due diligence.
Women and girls continue to be exclusively or disproportionately subjected to a number of different forms of violence within the context of the family, in the community and at the hands of State officials. This violence includes; domestic violence, sexual abuse, violence linked to cultural practices such as the payment of dowry or bride price, son preference, female genital mutilation, crimes committed in the name of honour, rape and other forms of sexual violence, sexual harassment, trafficking and forced prostitution, rape and other forms of torture of detained women and abuse, harassment and intimidation of women by police or prison authorities.
Over the course of the year 2002, the Violence against Women programme at OMCT circulated 25 urgent appeals concerning cases of violence against more than 50 women in 8 countries. These appeals addressed acts of violence including; sexual harassment, rape and sexual violence as well as other forms of torture against women in detention, and sentences of corporal and capital punishment handed down by religious courts against women accused of adultery or of having sexual relations outside of marriage.
In addition to these urgent appeals, OMCT also submitted 14 alternative country reports to the United Nations human rights treaty monitoring bodies concerning violence against women in: Croatia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Moldova, Poland, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Yemen and Zambia. These reports demonstrated that women continue to be subjected to violence within the family, in the community and to violence perpetrated by the State.
OMCT would like to take this occasion to recall that a number of international and regional human rights instruments provide protection to women and girls against violence and require States to take effective measures to prevent and eradicate this violence. At the international level, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention against Torture all provide protection to women and girls against violence. At the regional level, the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence Against Women as well as the American Convention on Human Rights, the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights also guarantee women the right to be free from violence.
For further information, or for copies of reports, please contact:
Lucinda O’Hanlon
The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
Tel.: ++41 22 809 49 39
Fax: ++41 22 809 49 29
E-mail: omct@omct.org
Press Release: OMCT expresses concern at violence against women on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) would like to express its deep concern at the high levels of violence against women that persist throughout the world.
Despite the fact that States have an obligation under international law to prevent, investigate, punish and provide reparations for acts of violence against women, irrespective of whether this violence is committed by a State official or a private individual, OMCT continues to receive information that demonstrates that large numbers of States are failing to fulfil these obligations with due diligence.
Women and girls continue to be exclusively or disproportionately subjected to a number of different forms of violence within the context of the family, in the community and at the hands of State officials. This violence includes; domestic violence, sexual abuse, violence linked to cultural practices such as the payment of dowry or bride price, son preference, female genital mutilation, crimes committed in the name of honour, rape and other forms of sexual violence, sexual harassment, trafficking and forced prostitution, rape and other forms of torture of detained women and abuse, harassment and intimidation of women by police or prison authorities.
Over the course of the year 2002, the Violence against Women programme at OMCT circulated 25 urgent appeals concerning cases of violence against more than 50 women in 8 countries. These appeals addressed acts of violence including; sexual harassment, rape and sexual violence as well as other forms of torture against women in detention, and sentences of corporal and capital punishment handed down by religious courts against women accused of adultery or of having sexual relations outside of marriage.
In addition to these urgent appeals, OMCT also submitted 14 alternative country reports to the United Nations human rights treaty monitoring bodies concerning violence against women in: Croatia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Moldova, Poland, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Yemen and Zambia. These reports demonstrated that women continue to be subjected to violence within the family, in the community and to violence perpetrated by the State.
OMCT would like to take this occasion to recall that a number of international and regional human rights instruments provide protection to women and girls against violence and require States to take effective measures to prevent and eradicate this violence. At the international level, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention against Torture all provide protection to women and girls against violence. At the regional level, the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence Against Women as well as the American Convention on Human Rights, the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights also guarantee women the right to be free from violence.
For further information, or for copies of reports, please contact:
Lucinda O’Hanlon
The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
Tel.: ++41 22 809 49 39
Fax: ++41 22 809 49 29
E-mail: omct@omct.org