EXPERT MEETING ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN CONCLUDES AT HEADQUARTERS, 20 AUGUST

Press Release
WOM/1074

EXPERT MEETING ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN CONCLUDES AT HEADQUARTERS, 20 AUGUST

NEW YORK, 20 August (Division for the Advancement of Women) -- Five comprehensive regional studies addressing domestic violence against women were the subject of a United Nations expert group meeting, held at United Nations Headquarters from 18 to 20 August. The meeting was hosted by the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

The meeting of five experts, each of whom authored one of the five studies, concluded the second phase of a global project on domestic violence against women. The project, which is a collaborative effort by Equality Now, a United States-based international women's rights organization, and the Division for the Advancement of Women, was funded by the Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence Against Women, which is administered by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). The final outcome of the project will be a special publication outlining measures and best practices introduced at the national level to address domestic violence and identify innovative strategies for the future.

During the project's first phase, which began earlier this year, studies were prepared by the experts. The studies cover research in five regions of the world: Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Western Asia, and Central and Eastern Europe. This week, the second phase of the project was completed when the authors of the regional studies met in New York to assess progress, ensure coherence of approach and agree on the key issues to be addressed in an overview chapter for the studies.

The overall objective of the project is to direct Governments, regional bodies, and civil society, including non-governmental organizations, toward effective strategies at the national level. Its focus is on the evaluation of the impact of those strategies in eliminating domestic violence against women.

The Beijing Platform for Action, the core document of the Fourth World Conference on Women, cites violence against women and lack of respect for and inadequate promotion and protection of the human rights of women as two of the 12 critical areas of concern identified as the main obstacles to the

advancement of women. Violence against women in the family occurs in developed and developing countries alike. Many Governments now recognize the importance of protecting victims of domestic abuse and taking action to punish perpetrators.

The five experts participating in the study are: Amal Abdel el-Hadi, Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Egypt; Susana Chiarotti, Latin American and Caribbean Committee for the Defense of Women's Rights (CLADEM), Argentina; Anshu Padayachee, Advice Desk for Abuse Women, Durban, South Africa; Marina Pisklakova, Moscow Crisis Centre, Russia; and Sapana Pradhan- Malla, Forum for Women, Law and Development, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Numerous examples of best practices and strategies will be cited in the final studies on eliminating domestic violence. Among them is a pilot study, undertaken by the Advice Desk for Abused Women in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) to train police in the proper handling of cases involving violence against women. This initiative has assisted policemen in dealing with cases of domestic violence. In Lesotho, Selibeng, a non-governmental organization, carries out workshops dealing with the empowerment of victims of domestic violence and sensitizes them about their rights. Legal rights education for women in Malawi has been strengthened by the National Commission for Women in Development, which has compiled a book entitled "Women and the law in Malawi", which will be translated into local languages.

Initiatives to combat domestic violence in Bangladesh include a women's support centre run by the Department of Women's Affairs in the Ministry of Women and Children, as well as a programme to provide legal assistance to abused women through counselling services. In Pakistan, the electronic media is being used to project messages against domestic violence, especially during prime time viewing hours. A new law passed in Mauritius designed to protect women from domestic violence enables them to take legal action against abusive husbands.

The Latin American and Caribbean Feminist Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, headquartered in Santiago, Chile, has brought together women's organizations from several countries in the region. The Network publishes an information bulletin where advances in the fight against violence are discussed and actions are announced and promoted. One of the priorities of CLADEM -- the Latin American and Caribbean Committee for the Defense of Women's Rights -- is to train lawyers in the region in the use of international human rights mechanisms for the defense of women's rights and to tackle gender discrimination. In Brazil, about 200 Women's Police Stations have been successful in providing psychological and legal advice and counselling to women and child victims of violence.

The New Women Research and Study Center, a non-governmental organization in Egypt, conducted a pilot study on "Women's Self-Perception of Violence"

- 3 - Press Release WOM/1074 20 August 1998

jointly with El-Nadeem Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence. The Democratic Association of Moroccan Women has established a shelter and hotline for women victims of violence. Women are then assisted through psychological, legal and social counselling, as well as vocational training. The Tunisian Association of Democratic Women, which provides medical care and psychological support to women victims of violence, seeks to empower women to take charge of their lives and become aware of their rights.

In Russia, the Association No to Violence (ANNA) has developed a nationwide educational campaign aimed at focusing public attention on the problem of domestic violence as a human rights issue; changing public attitudes towards domestic violence; and involving people from local communities -- especially women -- in activities aimed at solving this problem. The Russian Association of Crisis Centres for Women (RACCW) has established centres in six cities, and plans to create more centres in other cities across Russia.

* *** *