RSS feedViolence Against Women Is A Violation Of Human Rights
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| WHO Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence against Women |
“Human Rights Watch and the Center for Women’s Global Leadership welcomes the report that classifies abuse against women - whether it happens in the home or elsewhere - as a human rights violation. As such, states are obliged by international human rights standards to hold perpetrators accountable.”
“The 140-page report entitled “In-depth study on all forms of violence against women” which was issued by Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s office, confirms that violence against women by spouses, family members, and employers is a human rights violation, settling any outstanding debate on this issue.”
The release of the UN report coincides with the publication of the most comprehensive and systematic study of international domestic violence by the World Health Organization (WHO). At 13 out of the 15 sites studied, more than 25 percent of women said they had experienced moderate to severe domestic violence in the last year. At six of the 15 sites, over 50 percent of women had experienced a moderate to severe level of domestic violence. The study found that rural Ethiopia had the highest rate of domestic violence, with 71 percent of women experiencing violence in the home. Yokohama, Japan had the lowest rate at 15 percent.
Close to 25,000 women were interviewed in ten countries for the WHO study. Previous domestic violence studies have focused mostly on the US and other developed nations. Studies conducted in the US and European Union have found domestic violence rates of 20 to 25 percent, though the number is likely to be underreported.
“The Secretary-General’s study conveys a very simple message,” said LaShawn R. Jefferson, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch’s Women’s Rights Division:
“The individual who carries out any form of violence against women has committed a crime. A government that does not develop, fund, and implement all necessary laws and programs to prevent and to punish this violence violates international human rights law. Both the individual committing the violence and the government blithely letting it happen must be held responsible.”
In addition, the study addresses violence in conflict situations, pertinent issues related to criminal justice systems, service provision for survivors, the need to work with men to address violence, and needs of women who are facing multiple forms of discrimination.