UNFPA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO ADDRESS GLOBAL VIDEOCONFERENCE ON 'WORLD FREE OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN'
Press Release
OBV/87
WOM/1111
UNFPA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO ADDRESS GLOBAL VIDEOCONFERENCE ON 'WORLD FREE OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN'
19990305 In Message on Occasion of International Women's Day, Dr. Nafis Sadik Calls for Zero Tolerance of Violence against WomenNEW YORK, 5 March (UNFPA) -- Perpetrators of violence against women worldwide must be held accountable for their actions. All too often, they receive light sentences or are excused with a reference to family honour. "Such attitudes must be eradicated", the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr. Nafis Sadik, stated in a message on the occasion of International Women's Day, to be observed on Monday, 8 March. She encouraged all governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society, including the private sector, to work to end all violence against women.
"The very same biological function that ensures that societies survive, thrive and reproduce is the very same one that makes women the targets of violence", Dr. Sadik said. "It is time that everyone of us, individually and collectively, takes a stand to eradicate violence against women in all its manifestations. We must break the culture of silence on violence against women. We must promote zero tolerance of violence against women everywhere."
Along with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Dr. Sadik will be a lead panellist at the global videoconference entitled "A World Free of Violence against Women", arranged by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). The 90-minute conference will be held in the United Nations General Assembly Hall on International Women's Day from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. It will link Strasbourg, France; Mexico City; Nairobi; New Delhi; and New York.
Detailed information on how to receive the conference can be found at: http://www.unifem.undp.org/campaign/violence/linkup.htm
In her message, Dr. Sadik urged a strong stand against the "most endemic form of violence against women", domestic violence. The family, often thought to be a safe haven for girls and women, is now increasingly a locus of violence.
- 2 - Press Release OBV/87 POP/708 WOM/1111 5 March 1999
"Women and girls are actually at greater risk of violence from members of their households, than from strangers", Dr. Sadik said. She added, "many forms of communally sanctioned violence against women, such as female genital mutilation (FGM) or honour' killings, are associated with the community's or the family's demand for sexual chastity and virginity".
"Women's and girls' reproductive and sexual health", she said, "should not depend on the perceptions and feelings of those wielding authority over them, be they the State, the church, the community or the family, but must be guaranteed as a basic human right."
"Violence against women", Dr. Sadik continued, "knows no class, race, or age. It exists across all socio-economic groups, and it is a daily phenomenon in the lives of women throughout the world and throughout their life cycle. Even before they are born, girls suffer from the consequences of a widely prevalent socio-cultural disposition that favours boys over girls."
"In some countries, a strong preference for boys leads to the killing of girl children and selective abortion of female foetuses", Dr. Sadik said. "Where resources are scarce, boys are often more likely to receive enough food, education or adequate medical care, which logically leads to poorer health in girls, and even to higher mortality rates on their part."
The UNFPA is fighting violence against women in several ways: by helping to establish women's health centres, supporting violence counselling, and campaigning against female genital mutilation where it persists. Also, it has named Goodwill Ambassadors to call attention to the plight of women everywhere. All over the world, the UNFPA supports advocacy to improve the status of women and point out the harmful effects of violence on families, women and girls, as well as on society as a whole.
The statement of UNFPA Executive Director, Dr. Nafis Sadik, is available on the UNFPA Web site at: http://www.unfpa.org/about/statements/1999/iwd99.htm
For further information, contact Abubakar Dungus, tel. (212) 297-5031, or William A. Ryan, tel. (212) 297-5279; fax (212) 557-6416.
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