Observance of International

Women’s Day

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN DESERVES DEADLY SERIOUS CONSIDERATION, SECRETARY-GENERAL

SAYS AT SPECIAL EVENT TO OBSERVE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

 

Violence against women should be considered with the deadly seriousness it deserved, not just on International Women’s Day, but every day, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said this morning at a special Headquarters event in observance of the commemoration.

Gender-based violence should be brought out into the open, through frank discussions within the United Nations, he said.  To realize gender equality worldwide, Member States should replace current gender-issue structures with one dynamic entity within the Organization, and the General Assembly should include an item on violence against women on its yearly agenda.  Similarly, the Security Council should establish a mechanism to combat it on the basis of resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security.

He said the United Nations must take the lead in allocating adequate resources to close the gaps between international standards and national practices, and to strengthen the understanding of violence while building effective local and national strategies.  Member States should draw support from proposals presented by the High-Level Panel on United Nations System-Wide Coherence, which hopefully would lead to the creation of an entity that could inspire country-level changes and spur stronger accountability on the part of individuals, communities and nations.

Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa ( Bahrain), President of the General Assembly, noted that most sexual and physical violence against women and girls happened at home and, as such, changes in attitude must also begin in the home.  A study on violence against women, issued during the Assembly’s sixty-first session, included strong recommendations for action that could end the impunity with which serious crimes were committed.  “The burden is on our shoulders,” she stressed.

Dumisani Shadrack Kumalo, President of the Security Council, said a presidential statement adopted by the Council yesterday was the most comprehensive since the Council’s adoption of resolution 1325 (2000).  It touched on the need to increase women’s participation in preventing and resolving conflicts and stipulated the task of all States to end impunity and prosecute those responsible for all war crimes, including sexual violence against women and girls.

The Secretary-General and other speakers paid tribute to the late Angela King, former Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women, describing her role as a great champion of women’s rights and an inspiration to women and men everywhere.

Moderated by Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General for Communication and Public Information, the two-hour event included a panel discussion involving six speakers – Carla Del Ponte, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia; Dilian Francisca Toro Torres, President of the Senate in the Congress of Colombia; Antero Lopes, Deputy Police Adviser in the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations; Raghida Dergham, Columnist and Senior Diplomatic Correspondent, Al Hayat; Jacques DeGraff of 100 Black Men; and Todd Minerson, Executive Director of the White Ribbon Campaign.

One panellist called for creative thinking in making justice processes “feel safe and comfortable” for women coming forward to tell their stories, while another urged a creative, repeated and systematic telling of the story, adding that the rape of girls should not be hushed up, but rather turned into an outcry.

A third panellist called on all women parliamentarians to unite in sensitizing their political partners and parties to the importance of protecting the well-being of women, girls as well as boys.  “A woman in politics is a woman changed; but many women in politics can change politics,” she concluded.

Statements

BAN KI-MOON, Secretary-General of the United Nations, paid tribute to the late Angela King, former Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women, describing her as a great champion of women’s rights and an inspiration to women and men everywhere.

The Day was an occasion for men and women alike to unite on behalf of female victims of violence, he said, calling for concrete actions to eliminate violence against women and girls on the part of the entire United Nations family, civil society and individuals.  International Women’s Day was a time to celebrate the courageous women who, as agents of change, worked to expose gender-based violence and to ensure that girls and women could enjoy their full human rights.  Violence had left its imprint on women across all continents, exacting a devastating toll on members of society regardless of income, class, race or ethnic background.

Violence against women should be viewed as unacceptable to all humankind, he said, noting that international standards and norms had been agreed, Governments had passed laws and partnerships had been strengthened in order to end the “pandemic”.  World leaders had pledged, at the 2005 World Summit, to redouble their efforts to combat violence, but more remained to be done in ending the impunity relating to violence against women.

While society proscribed that violence, it was nevertheless tolerated under the cover of cultural practices or within the walls of homes, he said.  It was condoned through the tacit silence of law-enforcement agents and, indeed, the State.  It was time to break through those walls of silence.  The world must work to achieve enduring changes in values and attitudes towards women and violence.  Government and international organizations must cooperate with social services, the private sector and the broader public towards that end.

Calling on women and men to transform relations between them at all levels of society, he said there was also a need to close the gaps between international standards and national policies and practices, and to strengthen the understanding of violence while building effective strategies locally and nationally.  The United Nations must be at the forefront in allocating adequate resources for those efforts.

Member States could draw support from proposals to strengthen the gender architecture as presented by the High-Level Panel on United Nations System-Wide Coherence, he said.  They were also encouraged to replace current structures with one dynamic United Nations entity, in order to realize gender equality worldwide.  Such an entity should be able to inspire country-level changes through an integrated, supportable and replicable approach.  It should spur stronger accountability on the part of individuals, communities and nations to end violence against women.

Finally, he said the scourge of violence should be brought out into the open through frank discussions at the United Nations.  The General Assembly should have on its yearly agenda an item on violence against women.  Similarly, the Security Council should establish a mechanism to combat it on the basis of its own resolution 1325 (2000).  Violence against women should be taken with the deadly seriousness it deserved, not just on International Women’s Day but every day.

Sheikha HAYA RASHED AL KHALIFA ( Bahrain), President of the General Assembly, said the right to live without fear of violence, the right to seek equality, justice and equal dignity without discrimination was a basic human right for all, including women and girls.  Those principles were set out in the United Nations Charter and incorporated in many national constitutions.  However, the criminal impunity of violence against women and girls remained commonplace, despite its inherent contradiction of the principle of international justice.

In order to allow women to enjoy their full human rights and uphold their dignity, strong interventions were needed immediately to prohibit and delegitimize such acts, she said.  Every member of today’s gathering was a guardian of those rights and had a moral and political duty to uphold them.  Criminal impunity must end and every crime must be prosecuted.  Most sexual and physical violence against women and girls happened at home and changes in attitude must also begin in the home.  Domestic violence used to be considered a private, family matter, but that was no longer acceptable.

She said a comprehensive study on violence against women, issued during the Assembly’s sixty-first session, included strong recommendations for action that could end the impunity with which serious crimes were committed.  “The burden is on our shoulders,” she added.  Guaranteeing peace and security for all women required the application of peacebuilding principles so women could heal the scars of the violence they suffered in war and in peace, as well as the wounds left on society at large.

DUMISANI SHADRACK KUMALO ( South Africa), President of the Security Council, said International Women’s Day was an important annual opportunity to recognize women’s contribution to the strengthening of international peace and security, which was critical to the achievement of global peace and security.  Yesterday, the Security Council had adopted a presidential statement on the role of women in the maintenance of international peace and security.  While the Council had previously adopted statements addressing different aspects of women’s issues, yesterday’s statement was the most comprehensive in the seven years since resolution 1325 (2000) and it addressed women’s issues in all their aspects.

The statement recalled that, at the 2005 World Summit, the world had been reminded of the need to increase women’s role in decision-making, he said.  As such, the Council urged Member States to ensure increased representation of women in all decision-making positions, whether at the regional, national or international levels.  The Secretary-General was also urged to appoint more women as special representatives and envoys to pursue good offices on his behalf.  The Security Council also recognized the important contribution of civil society in the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and encouraged Member States to continue their collaboration with civil society and women’s networks.

Paying tribute to the late Ms. King, he said her spirit lived on though the world had lost her.  South Africa would remember her as Chief of the United Nations Observer Mission in South Africa from 1992 to 1994.  She had witnessed the demise of apartheid, which she had opposed throughout her life.  She had been instrumental in supporting the birth of the empowerment of South African women, which had resulted in their highest representation in Government, education and business.

Summary of Panellists’ Statements

CARLA DEL PONTE, Prosecutor, International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, said that, when that body closed its doors, part of its legacy would be the condemnation of sexual violence against women during the region’s wars.  Set against the historical silence surrounding wartime sexual violence, the progress achieved over the past decade had been significant:  men who had raped and sexually enslaved women had been convicted and imprisoned; the role of political and military authorities in tolerating and encouraging sexual violence against women had been acknowledged in the Tribunal’s indictments and judgments; and the Tribunal’s work had facilitated the continued prosecution of wartime sexual violence in domestic courts in the former Yugoslavia.

She said that, as the Tribunal moved towards the completion of its work, there was a need to ensure that the lessons learned were memorialized and passed on to those charged with carrying on its responsibility, including the International Criminal Court.  The limitations of achievements so far should be critically assessed, as should the need for future actions to consolidate and extend that progress.  Among the key lessons learned was that the commitment to fully address violence against women must be enshrined in the governing documents of courts and tribunals charged with achieving justice for women.  There was also a need for creative thinking about making the justice process “feel safe and comfortable” for women who come forward to tell their stories.

Another key lesson was the importance of training and gender focal points, she said.  It was also important not to compartmentalize women’s wartime experiences.  A final lesson was the challenge of re-interpreting existing legal concepts to more accurately reflect those experiences.  From the turmoil accompanying armed conflict and the transition to peace came a great opportunity to craft new justice systems to more effectively address women’s experiences.  Increasingly, the world had evidence of a genuine commitment to redressing the violence inflicted upon women during armed conflict.  The challenge now was to consolidate the progress made and extend the resolve towards ending impunity.

DILIAN FRANCISCA TORO TORRES, President of the Senate, Congress of Colombia, said, although life in her country was marked by conflict, its people still harboured hopes of restoring the social fabric.  Colombia’s women had suffered first hand from conflict, as mothers, wives, sisters and daughters of the country’s fighting men, but war was not the only threat they faced.  Inter-family and property-related violence also threatened them.  Violence against women was akin to a public health problem, perpetuating itself in hard-to-break cycles.  Few women victims of violence tended to press charges -- out of 60,000 forensic investigations, many were sex crimes or cases of violence between couples.

Those in power had a responsibility to act and speak out to reverse that situation, she said, noting that she had herself convened a group of women Members of Congress for the sake of gender equity, the promotion of mental and sexual reproductive health and other women-related issues.  Indeed, all women parliamentarians should unite to sensitize political partners and parties to the need to protect the well-being of women, girls as well as boys.  “A woman in politics is a woman changed; but many women in politics can change politics,” she concluded.

ANTERO LOPES, Deputy Police Adviser, Department of Peacekeeping Operations, said that, by fostering gender balance and mainstreaming, it would be easier to address gender-based violence.  Guidelines had been introduced to promote that goal under the guidance of the gender adviser for peacekeeping operations, and in partnership with Member States and civil society.  There had been some progress in terms of gender violence, but the desired level was still far from being achieved.

Out of nearly 100,000 United Nations peacekeepers, the 4.1 per cent of women officers spread across 18 peacekeeping operations had grown to 7.85 per cent, and hopefully would reach at least 10 per cent by the end of the year, he said.  However, it was not just the numbers that were important, but also the quality of service, which had attracted commendable reviews.  However, United Nations police were no substitute for local police in conflict-torn societies where the Organization’s peacekeepers performed their mandates; they played an advisory role, built capacity and rebuilt local law enforcement, among other tasks, in close dialogue with women’s constituencies.

Underlining the importance of adequate legislation when helping local police tackle violence against women and girls, he said an action plan had been developed that provided policy guidance, including on accountability instruments and training modules.  Still, gender-based violence in the field was very difficult to act upon, especially without the support of Government institutions.  By working together, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, police agents in the field, local governments, civil society and local law enforcement partners could tackle violence and become more preventive than reactive.

RAGHIDA DERGHAM, Columnist and Senior Diplomatic Correspondent, Al Hayat, urged participants in the observance to tell the story “creatively, repeatedly, systematically.  Tell it over and over again”.  The rape of girls should not be hushed up, but be turned into an outcry.  Memory Phiri, a 19-year-old orphan raped at 10 years of age and later discovered to be HIV-positive at an orphanage, had been shunned and isolated by acts of fear.  She had then written a book about her pain, and now advised girls in orphanages and elsewhere on how to protect themselves by espousing the motto, “Break the news and speak out”.  In telling the story, however, people should be mindful that the public often did not wish to hear a sad story.

She said violence against women and girls was a political and legal story, as well as one of discrimination and violation of basic human rights.  Honour killings, for example, must be punished, which, in turn, would overturn traditions and cultural explanations and justifications.  Also, when a country forbade its adult women to travel without the consent of a male adult, it had no business claiming reform and democracy -- it needed to reverse such laws.  Indeed, women were targeted by States, politicians, soldiers, criminals, terrorists and gangs.  Intimidation and assassination campaigns were used systematically to scare women and their stories must be told “loud and clear”.

JACQUES ANDRE DEGRAFF, 100 Black Men, urged participants to use the latest chapter in the struggle for freedom, to announce the birth of a movement of historic dimension.  The time had come for men of goodwill to stand up and speak out against the obscenity of discrimination and violence against women.  A movement had been born that would see men from Montreal to Johannesburg, from the Bronx to Brazil, India to Italy “link arms and rally against demonic discrimination and its more evil twin, violence, that women, too often alone, must face today”.

Americans of African descent knew through their own struggle the pain of terrorism, which had often been sanctioned by elements in Government and society’s highest institutions, he said, explaining that One Hundred Black Men had been started over an incident in New York City involving police misconduct with a black woman.  “We must be men enough to listen to women as equals.”  Violence existed largely in local communities and men must go there and challenge old attitudes and behaviours.

“For our daughters and our sisters, our mothers and our wives, we must stand and be counted now,” he stressed, adding that men of goodwill could no longer remain silent.  There was one overriding imperative:  the children were watching and it was time to bequeath to them a new legacy based on mutual respect and opportunity under the law; a law based on hopes and dreams that were both universal and eternal.

TODD MINERSON, Executive Director, White Ribbon Campaign, recalling the murder of 14 women at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique in Canada in 1989, said the killer had screamed, “I hate feminists” throughout the ordeal, leaving a list of some 20 other well-known Canadian women he had planned to kill had he only had the time.  With the approach of the second anniversary of the Montreal Massacre in 1991, three men in Toronto had decided to wear the White Ribbon, symbolizing their pledge never to commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women.

In the Campaign’s first year, nearly 100,000 men in Canada had worn the White Ribbon and by 2006 more than 800,000 ribbons had been distributed, he said.  The Campaign focused on educating young people and raising public awareness, while working in partnership with women’s organizations.  Most importantly, it worked to challenge all men to examine their own attitudes towards gender-based violence, while acknowledging the strong possibility of backlash.  In the meantime, a global network, MenEngage, was examining ways to consolidate worldwide efforts to foster capacity-building, best practices and resource sharing.

Questions and Answers

In the ensuing interactive discussion, a participant asked whether international tribunals could also be set up to judge States that caused violence against innocent civilians as a result of their attacks against sovereign nations.

A series of questions concerned the situation of peacekeepers accused of sexual exploitation and abuse, and whether countries tested peacekeepers for HIV/AIDS before deploying them.

Another speaker commented on the need for awareness and education campaigns as essential tools for changing behaviour, and suggested the establishment of an international court to combat corruption.

Peace would go a long way towards solving the problem of violence against women, another participant said.

Responding to questions and comments in closing remarks, Ms. DEL PONTE said there was a great distinction between individual and State responsibility.  The International Court of Justice had confirmed the genocide in the former Yugoslavia but had not convicted Serbia for it.  The Yugoslavia Tribunal was only concerned about individual personal responsibility, but there was much contemplation of crimes derived from violence against women victims.

She said the main problem in her trials was putting the victims on the stand as witnesses.  The cross-examination was a sort of torture for the victims; when the defence counsel tried to establish the victim’s credibility, it often caused “double suffering”.  It was important to establish once and for all that the protection of victims’ rights and compensation was the right path.  However, the results were far from satisfactory thus far, and things were moving in the right direction and it was important to stay on track.

Mr. LOPES drew attention to the United Nations “zero tolerance” policy to sexual exploitation and abuse, saying the Organization was dedicated to looking at conduct and discipline.  National contingents had their own overarching oversight mechanisms.  Some police officers had faced charges locally and had been repatriated to their home countries where they had served their sentences.  In some cases, they had been charged with disciplinary or criminal offences.  States had been asked to report back to the United Nations on the actions they had taken.

Noting that peacekeepers were subjected to very strict codes of behaviour, he said that, in addition to national rules, there were international rules and oversight.  There had been several reports that Member States had terminated the service of officers found guilty of misconduct in their national institutions and, in some cases, they had faced criminal charges.  In the vulnerable societies where peacekeepers operated, the last thing local populations needed was for the people sent to help them to be offenders rather than role models.  All it took was one case of misconduct to put a stain on the reputation of 99.9 per cent of all other committed officers.

Mr. DEGRAFF said 100 Black Men comprised businessmen, professionals, elected officials, clergy and civic leaders who were committed in a special way to women’s advancement.  Rather than trying to speak for women, they wished to join the fight alongside them, not for the short sprint, but for the marathon.

Ms. TORO TORRES said parliaments must assume responsibility for violence against women as Colombia’s National Congress was doing.  It was not just about enacting legislation, however, but also exercising political control in order to launch education and awareness campaigns.  It was important that parliaments exert pressure to ensure that budget allocations were commensurate with the need to integrate the gender perspective into all policies and programmes.

Ms. DERGHAM said she wished to put on the table the violent crimes committed against the media, who were often accused of not doing the right thing.  Still, they paid a very dear price.  Investigations should not only be reserved for the assassination of political leaders, but also for journalists.

Mr. MINERSON said that among the lessons learned in the White Ribbon Campaign was that partnerships should be premised on a meaningful dialogue, a willingness to listen, which men were reluctant to do when it came to the issues under discussion today.  While violence against women was disproportionately committed by men, most men did not commit violence against women.  In order to bridge the divide, men must demonstrate their commitment alongside the countless women who had been waging that fight for decades.

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For information media • not an official record