World YWCA at the 17th Human Rights Council
Currently, during its 17th session, the Human Rights Council is adopting resolution 14/12 on accelerating efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women: ensuring due diligence in prevention (A/HRC/RES/14/12). On June 3, 2011, an informal consultation on the second draft of the resolution took place, chaired by Canada that has been leading a series of resolutions on violence against women in the Council. The consultation was well attended by States, but also some civil society organisations, such as the World YWCA, were represented. Marianne Schoerling-Ajayi, World YWCA representative, attended the meeting. The World YWCA membership in 125 countries works daily across the breathe of Violence Against Women (VAW) work and advocates that women and young women in their diversity access rights-based programmes and services that comprehensively address violence against women. One of the outcomes of the forthcoming International Women’s Summit will be to promote a global model of safe, inclusive and empowering spaces for women, young women and girls.
Before the session, States, civil societies and other relevant stakeholders have been asked to submit written contributions to the resolution. The World YWCA especially advocated for the inclusion for the young women in the text. At the session, the chairs highlighted the “great overlap” between the written contributions submitted by the States and led the assembly through each article of the resolution. In the following discussion, a number of States [1] and the World YWCA took the opportunity to express concrete suggestions or remarks in regard to the resolution. Some articles will be discussed in a separate consultation.
Within the current draft of the resolution, the Human Rights Council reaffirms relevant declarations, treaties and resolutions addressing violence against women. The Council recognises VAW to be a human rights violation and underscores the duty of States to exercise due diligence in order to protect women and girls from violence.
The resolution addresses the root causes of violence against women and highlights the importance of including preventive measures in legislation. It explicitly emphasises the needs and rights of women who are at risk of and those who have been subjected to violence. The Council calls States, for example, to empower women by enhancing their awareness of their rights so that they can protect themselves better when they are at risk of violence. Taking the needs of women into account who have faced violence, the Council addresses the establishment or support of integrated centres and safe spaces. It also urges States to take steps to promote increased representation of women among lawyers, judges, prosecutors and in law enforcement.
The World YWCA is supporting the call for strategic partnerships between States and women’s groups, NGOs, relevant civil society actors, international organisations, etc. It is welcoming the call to States for considering ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women. It is acknowledging the focus on the protection of women in all its forms. Additionally, the World YWCA urges the Assembly a) to emphasise explicitly the rights of young women and girls. b) to prevent re-victimisation of women subjected to violence by identifying them as survivors instead of victims, and c) to clearly address the different spaces where violence against women occurs.
The World YWCA advocacy during the 17th HRC include intern Jenta Tau from the Solomon Islands, who presented on access to SRHR at the side event hosted by the Asia Pacific Women Law and Development Network and participating in the ‘Practicing intersectionality to realise women’s human rights’.
[1] Including Austria, Bolivia, Japan, Morocco, Netherlands/EU, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and United States;
