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Summary of Governmental
Statements Made in General Debate
Item 12, UN Commisison on Human Rights,
On the Integration of the Human Rights of Women and the Gender Perspective, UN
Press Release, 5 April 2004
MARIO ERNESTO
CASTRO GRANDE ( El Salvador ), speaking as a concerned country, said the visit
of the Special Rapporteur showed the commitment of El Salvador to the special
mechanisms of the Commission. The protection of women was a priority for the Government
of El Salvador, both at the national and international levels. The report of the
Special Rapporteur, which contained her preliminary conclusions and recommendations,
was appreciated, but El Salvador regretted that conclusions were mixed with general
observations about countries, without specificity. It was hoped that the final
report would make a clear demarcation, including the specific realities of El
Salvador. There was also concern for the Special Rapporteur's affirmation that
the Government was not complying with its international obligations to investigate,
prosecute and punish acts of violence against women, since this was incorrect.
The Government of El Salvador had passed laws on this subject. In 2003,
decrees had been adopted to increase the penalties for offenses against sexual
liberty and regarding sexual exploitation, in particular trafficking of women
and children. El Salvador had been making efforts to implement important projects
for the modernization of organizations entrusted with the oversight of violence
against women; had created a hotline for the victims of violence; and had set
up an institute against violence with a wide-based nature and mandate, including
oversight. The trend of brutal killings in the region was not a systematic trend
in El Salvador, or a wide-scale one. This violence was being committed mainly
by gangs. The Government was greatly concerned about these acts and was working
to combat them. El Salvador appreciated that the Special Rapporteur had noted
that much had been done to combat domestic violence, and it was recognized that
much remained to be done. It was to be hoped that the final recommendations of
the Special Rapporteur would help in this respect.
LARS PIRA PEREZ ( Guatemala
), speaking as a concerned country, said that combating the causes and consequences
of violence against women was a priority for his Government. Although the final
report of the Special Rapporteur on her visit to Guatemala would only be submitted
next year, the preliminary note had broadly explained the issues of importance
for the Government. It was hoped that the problems described could be corrected,
but above all, the aim was to eliminate the sources of the problems faced by women.
There had been progress in that regard since the signing of the peace agreement
in Guatemala, however, obstacles still remained to be overcome. The priority was
to identify reasons why women were targeted. Among the Government's ongoing efforts,
a new unit had been established within the national civil police to investigate
crimes against women. Guatemala also recognized the need for regional and international
cooperation to combat issues of violence against women. Both the preliminary conclusions
and the recommendations of the Special Rapporteur were being given serious attention.
Inter-Active Dialogue
JEAN-DANIEL VIGNY ( Switzerland )
said that he supported the work of the Special Rapporteur, and Switzerland's policy
on this issue was clear: it was against any form of violence against women. The
Special Rapporteur should continue to develop the concept of violence against
women.
ADRIAN NORFOLK ( Canada ) said as all were aware, violence against
women was as multi-faceted as it was pervasive, and it needed to be attacked from
many levels. This had been highlighted in previous reports. The impact of HIV/AIDS
on women and girls was a grave concern, and the commitment of the Special Rapporteur
was welcomed. How would research be undertaken to broaden understanding and how
would a thematic approach help this?
MARIA DEL CARMEN HERRERA CASEIRO
( Cuba ) said in the conclusion of the report, the Special Rapporteur referred
to and raised the need for global governance, indicating that the United Nations
should carry out a constructive role to deal with the deficiencies of this. Did
the Special Rapporteur have a specific idea as to what actions should be undertaken
by the United Nations in this optic, bearing in mind that there were some organizations
that lay outside the scope of the United Nations which dealt with this issue.
MARY WHELAN (I reland ) said the emphasis placed on the cooperation between
actors both between and within as well as outside of the United Nations was welcomed.
How would the Special Rapporteur describe the cooperation between the special
mechanisms and other branches of treaty bodies; what mandates did she see as most
closely linked to her own, and how did she plan to coordinate with them.
TEHMINA
JANJUA ( Pakistan ) said the ideas in the report were very interesting and created
a thematic perspective on the mandate, which was strongly supported. The assessment
that violence against women was a continuum of violence, and impoverished whole
societies that tolerated it, was a message that needed to be taken seriously.
The future work of the Special Rapporteur would take a thematic analysis of the
full range of women's access to justice, and a question was asked as to how she
intended to elaborate this. Violence against women under occupation required further
elaboration.
YAKIN ERTURK, Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women,
said in reaction to the comments that she appreciated the concerns expressed by
El Salvador and Guatemala in relation to her report after her mission to both
countries. She looked forward to contributing to their efforts in fighting violence
against women. With regard to the question by Switzerland, she said that she was
developing an index to show the efforts of States, and the index would indicate
the level of compliance by each State. She would consolidate her expertise to
develop the index that would be vital in measuring States' efforts in implementing
the provisions of the Convention on women, for example. The collaboration between
treaty bodies and Special Rapporteurs was also essential to advance the cause
of women.
General Debate on the Integration of the Human Rights of
Women and the Gender Perspective
YSSET ROMAN MALDONADO ( Dominican
Republic ) said the integration of women's rights and the gender perspective continued
to be a priority in the Dominican Republic. Work plans and institutions had been
set up, and at the same time, policies had been strengthened for women and their
families. However, certain problems affecting the rights of women continued to
prevail, for example in the increase of intra-familial violence and the trafficking
of Dominican women. Ministers had made it clear that this first problem of intra-familial
violence was one that corroded families, and the principal victims of this violence
were women. Statistical projections showed that if the escalation continued, there
would be a 21 per cent increase compared to last year, and thus specific actions
had been taken to promote policies that reduced this violence.
The Government
was using training, the media and a documentation centre in the fight against
this scourge in order to create greater awareness of the problem. Legal and psychological
clinics had been set up to give treatment to the victims of this violence, and
a pilot project had been set up for women and their surviving children. Policies
had been set up from a multi-sexual viewpoint, and the implementation of organized
social action based on consensus was one of the main goals. Efforts had also been
made to limit smuggling of women. However, the decisive support of the international
community was required to combat these scourges.
TIM CAUGHLEY ( New Zealand
), speaking also on behalf of Australia and Canada , noted that it had been more
than 20 years since the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against
Women had entered into force and nearly ten years since the adoption of the Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action. Underscoring the need for universal adherence
to and implementation of those documents, he also noted that at a time when the
international community should be moving forward with programmes to fulfil its
commitments, some States had begun to question the common standards to which all
had agreed. Furthermore, while the adoption by the General Assembly's Third Committee
of resolutions on domestic violence against women and the preparation of an in-depth
study on violence against women were welcomed, its inability to reach agreement
on the omnibus resolution had been disappointing.
Increasing rates of
trafficking and alarming increases in HIV/AIDS infection in women and children,
fuelled by gender inequalities, stigmatization, violence and discriminatory attitudes,
as well as the widespread use of sexual violence as a weapon of intimidation and
war, amply demonstrated the continued relevance of international commitments to
eliminate violence against women and the urgent need for concerted international
action, he added. However, there had been some progress including, among others,
the appointment of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and the agreement
of a set of conclusions on the role of men and boys in promoting gender equality.
While the greatest achievements of the past decade in the struggle against violence
had been awareness raising and standard setting, those of the second decade must
focus on implementation of effective programmes and strategies to ensure that
the prohibition against violence became a tangible reality.
MARY WHELAN
( Ireland ), speaking on behalf of the European Union , said that to ensure the
full and equal enjoyment of human rights by women, it was essential that women
and girls participated fully and equally in all activities in society and in all
decisions affecting them. Action to promote gender equality required a consistent
and systematic approach, which presupposed the recognition of the differences
between men and women and the willingness to establish a balanced distribution
of responsibilities and obligations between women and men. Many countries had
put in place the necessary policy framework to promote the rights of women and
to ensure that those rights were not only recognized but were respected in practice.
But one had also to acknowledge that in far too many cases, application was sketchy,
and women were not able to enjoy full and equal human rights. States should incorporate
provisions concerning non-discrimination of women into their national legislations
and provide effective mechanisms to ensure the implementation of those standards.
While the European Union acknowledged that there had been progress in many areas,
many States continued to deny women the full and equal exercise and enjoyment
of the rights to which all persons were entitled.
The provisions of the
International Bill of Human Rights applied in full to women. That was the fundamental
principle underpinning the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women, which focused on the measures needed to make that
principle a reality. The Union welcomed the resolve of the international community,
confirmed at the highest level in the UN millennium Declaration, to strengthen
efforts to implement that instrument. The optional protocol to the Convention
was a further important step in that direction, because it provided a more effective
monitoring mechanism of States' implementation of their commitments. The Union
urged all States to sign, ratify and implement fully the Convention and its optional
protocol. Nevertheless, the Union continued to be concerned at the very significant
number and content of reservations, some of them regarding fundamental provisions
of the Convention.
Harmful traditional or customary practices, including
female genital mutilation and crimes committed in the name of honour, were forms
of violence that prevented the full enjoyment of human rights. Social, cultural
or religious factors could never be invoked as a justification for such violence.
Domestic violence, which encompassed marital rape as well as other forms of physical,
psychological and sexual violence, was one of the most common, least visible forms
of violence against women and girls. States had an obligation to eradicate all
forms of violence against women and the girl child in the family and to ensure
the effective protection of women and girls.
ALGIMANTAS RIMKUNAS ( Lithuania
), speaking on behalf of the Baltic and Nordic States , said that trafficking
in women and children was a major human rights concern and that combating that
phenomenon must figure high on the international agenda. No country or region
was immune to the problem and failure of States to investigate, prosecute and
punish the perpetrators prevented the victims of such trafficking from enjoying
the human rights to which they were entitled. The absence of equal rights, gender-based
discrimination and the denial of economic opportunities to women were factors
that could lead to women's increased vulnerability to trafficking, which constituted
the denial of the rights to liberty, freedom of movement and freedom from violence,
torture and cruel and degrading treatment. Human trafficking had reached such
unprecedented levels that it should truly be called a new form of slavery.
Well-coordinated
national, regional and global action was imperative to prevent and combat trafficking
in human beings, he continued. The global ratification and implementation of the
United Nations Convention on Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol on
trafficking would constitute a significant achievement. Regionally, a new European
Convention aimed to establish a comprehensive legal framework for protecting victims'
human rights and providing assistance to victims and witness protection. Moreover,
a common understanding of the scope and nature of the problem had led to common
efforts by Baltic Governments, law enforcement personnel, educational institutions
and non-governmental organizations. Among other initiatives, the Task Force on
Organized Crime in the Baltic Sea Region and its operative committee constituted
a core group for gathering, analysing and exchanging relevant data. There had
also been efforts to increase public awareness about trafficking in its various
forms, including holding seminars and meetings in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
to provide information on recognizing victims and traffickers and to make available
resources for assistance.
MANORI MALLIKARATCHY ( Sri Lanka ) said that
among the most striking social, political and economic phenomena of the past century
had been the emergence and integration of the discourse on women's rights at all
levels. Women comprised more than half the world's population. Women represented
70 per cent of the world's poor, and two thirds of them had not been taught to
read and write. Efforts to bring a gender perspective into the human rights debate
as well as to address the most urgent issues facing women around the world were
not only relevant to the Commission but also for global economic and social progress.
The Government of Sri Lanka recognized the importance of gender perspective and
the major role that women could play in peace building and post-conflict rehabilitation
and reconstruction. At the second round of peace talks held between the Government
and the LTTE in Oslo, a sub-committee was established to ensure the effective
inclusion of gender issues in the peace process and its first meeting was held
in March 2003. The priority issue identified by the sub-committee included the
gender perspective on resettlement, personal security and safety, infrastructure
and service, livelihood and employment, political representation, decision-making
and reconciliation. As a result of two decades of armed conflict, surveys had
shown the noticeable increase in women-headed households, which had been identified
as an area requiring special attention.
During the past two decades, mainly
as a result of economic liberalization, the influence of Sri Lankan women in social
and economic spheres had grown significantly. Approximately half of the labour
force in professional, semi-professional and middle-income level employment was
composed of women. They also dominated the migrant labour force, and employment
in the free trade zone and the tea plantation sector, which accounted for Sri
Lanka's foreign exchange earnings.
HYUCK CHOI ( Republic of Korea ) said
the human rights of women and girls were an inalienable, integral and indivisible
part of universal human rights. In this regard, the promotion and protection of
the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by women was rightly
a key concern of the Commission, and efforts to advance human rights as a universal
goal should integrate the human rights of women and the gender perspective. Furthermore,
equality between men and women, boys and girls was fundamental to a society where
democracy and human rights were upheld for all. Domestically, the current focus
was on fighting the sex trade and trafficking in persons, the predominant victims
of which were women and girls. The issue of violence against women should be high
on the global human rights agenda. As poverty and HIV/AIDS became increasingly
feminised, their interplay with gender-based violence had plunged the most vulnerable
of women and girls around the world into a state of marginal existence where their
very survival and dignity as human beings were effectively denied. Under these
circumstances, there was a pressing need to revisit and reframe the goal of ending
violence against women, making it not just a goal in itself but also a vital part
of strategies in fighting poverty and HIV/AIDS.
J. NDLOVU ( South Africa
) said President Mbeki had reiterated the importance of promoting human rights
in general and in particular the rights of women, children and the disabled, if
it were truly desired to sustain democratic values worldwide. This would also
add impetus to ongoing efforts to enhance the integration of gender equality and
women's rights into the United Nations system. In the first decade of its democracy,
South Africa had created an enabling legislative framework and awareness programmes
to ensure transformation, and this was done due to acute awareness of how race,
class and gender conspired to locate women, especially rural African women, at
the very bottom of the rights hierarchy. Mindful of the important role that peace
and security played in the promotion and protection of human rights, South Africa
was involved in several initiatives aimed at a peaceful continent and a peaceful
world, and in this context its engagement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Burundi and other places was in line with the values espoused in the Millennium
Declaration. South Africa looked forward to a fruitful sharing of ideas in order
to find sustainable solutions to problems impeding successful promotion and implementation
of gender equality and women's rights.
MARIA DEL CARMEN HERRERA ( Cuba
) said that poverty had many faces and most of them were female. Women accounted
for 70 per cent of the nearly two billion poor worldwide; two-thirds of the world's
illiterate were women; and more than half of the 40 million HIV/AIDS patients
worldwide were women, 95 per cent of whom lived in the Third World. Poor countries
could not be blamed for this tragedy – they were not the ones who had conquered
and plundered entire continents for centuries, neither had they established colonialism,
slavery or imperialism. The national efforts of Third World States must be supplemented
with a new climate of international cooperation to overcome the underdevelopment
imposed upon them. Cuba proffered the example of a country where, within a framework
of justice and the fight for equality, the situation of women could be radically
transformed and their rights fully realized. In Cuba, women accounted for 44.9
per cent of labour in the state-run civilian sector. They represented 66.4 per
cent of all mid- and high-level technicians and professionals, 72 per cent of
the educational sector, 67 per cent of the health sector and 44.6 per cent of
the scientific sector. Cuba today figured among the top ten countries worldwide
with regard to the representation of women in Parliament, with 35.4 per cent.
Such results were the outcome of the Cuban people's firmness and the Government's
political will to carry out its social projects for the benefit of the whole population.
LIU ZHONGXIN ( China ) said women were movers of history, creators of
wealth and participators in progress. However, their equal rights with men remained
to be guaranteed. First, this was due to the out-dated gender stereotypes that
should be discarded, as they prevented women from being aware of their own rights,
and with them it was impossible to reshape their lives. These stereotypes were
frequently sources of violence and sexual aggression against women, and all Governments
should take steps to gradually overcome them. Second, women's participation at
the national level in policy formulation would improve the situation, forming
proof of better democracy and the protection of women's rights. Training should
be provided so as to help women acquire the skills and confidence vital for their
full participation in political life.
The Government of China continued
to formulate and implement policies that enhanced the situation of women at many
levels, systematically promoting their rights. The year 2005 marked the tenth
anniversary of the Beijing Conference, and this would be celebrated by reports
on the implementation of its Plan of Action and other events. China was concerned
about the situation of human rights of women in the United States, where they
did not enjoy equal rights either in political life, income or daily life. Domestic
violence and sexual harassment were serious problems and rampant in that country.
China called upon the Government of the United States to take a hard look at the
situation of women in the country, and called on the Special Rapporteur to visit
that country.
MUKTA TOMAR ( India ) said the progress of any society was
dependent on its ability to protect and promote the rights of its women. The guaranteeing
of equal rights and privileges for women by the Constitution had marked the first
step towards the transformation of the status of women in India. As a result of
concerted efforts and a comprehensive policy framework over the last five decades,
there had been significant advances in the socio-economic indicators for women.
Empowerment for women was critical for the socio-economic progress of any country.
The Government of India was convinced that education was the key for the advancement
of women. The spread of liberal education and values had unleashed forces for
social reform and created awareness about the need for increased participation
of women in the educational, social, economic and political life of India. In
addition to the role of the State and the Constitutional provisions that existed,
the judiciary had also played a key role in the advancement of gender justice
in India. The Supreme Court of India had delivered landmark pronouncements on
matters such as the need for equal property rights for women, and grass roots
groups organizing women had become agents of social change, enabling access to
financial and material resources.
LORENA PATINO ( Paraguay ) said that
her country had ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women and would this year be submitting its fifth periodic report to the
related Committee. It was also a State party to Inter-American Conventions guaranteeing
women's rights. Among national efforts to integrate the issue of women's human
rights, a national secretariat had been established to oversee the implementation
of women's rights and the legal progress made in the international field had been
accompanied by developments in national legislation. Among other assurances, the
equality of women in all fields had been guaranteed in the Constitution. Moreover,
legal instruments and actions undertaken by both governmental and non-governmental
organizations had placed the serious problem of domestic violence front stage
and there were efforts to make people increasingly aware that violations of women's
rights were violations of human rights. Among the successes witnessed in this
field, it could be seen that women were gradually acceding to key positions of
political power. For example, among others, six women currently held Cabinet positions,
a woman judge sat on the Supreme Court and the deputy Attorney General was a woman.
Finally, she stressed that integrating women's human rights and preventing violence
against women should be the focus of the entire international community.
TEHMINA
JANJUA ( Pakistan ) said the United Nations system, since its inception, had been
discussing the political and economic empowerment of women, and was still considering
mainstreaming of women in its activities. Pakistan had gone beyond the debate
on these issues and had taken concerted and positive actions for the economic
and political empowerment of women. Pakistan was convinced that sustainable development
was not possible without the full involvement of women in the nation-building
process. Over the last four years, deliberate efforts had been made to ensure
that the rights of Pakistani women enshrined in the Constitution and the international
human rights instruments to which Pakistan was party were upheld and promoted.
Economic empowerment of women was fundamental to their political empowerment,
and initiatives had taken place in this respect. Women's issues were not only
being discussed at the highest level, but were given priority attention. There
were issues that needed to be tackled on a priority level, and this included violence
against women. Honour killings had been condemned. It was hoped that focused efforts
at the political level, the economic empowerment of women, and the addressing
of issues of violence against women would help in advancing the agenda on women's
rights.
FATIMA AL-DHAEN ( Bahrain ) said her country's Constitution guaranteed
economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights to women. Bahrain had established
mechanisms for the implementation of equal opportunities between women and men.
Further measures had also been taken to promote and protect the rights of women.
The reforms that had been undertaken in the country had emphasized the full enjoyment
by women of their rights and their empowerment in the society. Political participation
was one of the rights that the Government was giving a priority. Women's participation
in decision-making processes was also significant. Women's representation in political
activities had been raised from 10 to 50 per cent since the reform. Women were
now present in all governmental functions and activities. The State of Bahrain
had acceded to various international human rights conventions, including the Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Under its international
obligation, the Government had prepared its initial report on the situation of
women in the country.
GORDAN MARKOTIC ( Croatia ) said there had been
significant recent developments of institutional mechanisms for the improvement
of women's rights at the national level. The Croatian Parliament had adopted two
new laws: the Law on Gender Equality and the Law on Protection against Domestic
Violence, the first of which provided for the inclusion of gender mainstreaming
at the national level. It was important to mainstream the gender perspective in
the United Nations system. The action to promote gender equality required a consistent
and systematic approach which presupposed the recognition of differences between
men and women and the willingness to establish a balanced distribution of responsibilities
and obligations between women and men. It was also essential to recognize the
capacity and active role of men and boys in contributing to the promotion of gender
equality and the full enjoyment of all human rights by women. Impunity for gender-based
violence needed to be addressed as a matter of priority and the perpetrators brought
to justice, and this would require proactive policies and effective measures by
all States, and enhanced cooperation among them. Trafficking in women was a global
problem, and it was consequently necessary to bear in mind several important elements,
notably that all States should develop national mechanisms for combating this,
and that the international organizations that played major roles in combating
this phenomenon should assume the role of coordinators of international activities.
TAMALA L. LONGABERGER ( United States ) said that among the areas in which
her country had sought to advance the status of women and girls were preventing
trafficking in persons, addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis, and strengthening women's
political and economic empowerment, particularly in post-conflict societies. Women
and men, girls and boys were deprived of their human rights and suffered unspeakable
physical and emotional harm through the horrors of human trafficking. Women of
post-conflict societies were particularly vulnerable to that form of modern-day
slavery. Faced with a lack of opportunities at home, people were lured by false
promises of well-paying jobs abroad. Many were then coerced into lives of prostitution,
domestic servitude, or other types of forced labour. The President of the United
States had committed an additional $ 50 million to accelerate efforts worldwide
to rescue and rehabilitate trafficked women and children. The world was coming
together to fight human trafficking. Not only was it an assault on human rights,
it was a growing public health risk and fuelled the growing of organized crime.
Women now accounted for more than half of new HIV/AIDS infections, which
meant higher rates of mother-to-child transmission and more children who would
find themselves motherless. Through a five-year, $ 15 billion comprehensive programme
-- the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief -- the United States was committed
to a multifaceted approach to combating the disease; continuing bilateral programmes;
and supporting multilateral approaches like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis,
and Malaria. The Plan included an additional $ 1 billion to the Global Fund, bringing
the total US pledged to nearly $ 2 billion from the inception of the Fund through
2008. The United States was committed to enabling women throughout the world to
fully enjoy their human rights and fundamental freedoms.
ILHAM SHANTER
( Sudan ) said Sudanese women had, in recent decades, made remarkable progress
in their capacities and had improved to a noticeable degree their position in
society. Sudanese women, qualitatively and quantitatively, were willing, and,
to a degree, able to contribute. They were more aware of their rights, especially
in enlightened female circles. Women's political gains had accelerated, and had
made other gains through their contributions in formulating political decisions,
women's organizations and associations, political parties and the legislative
bodies. Society's future was linked with the scope of women's participation in
the public domain, and the extent of society's acceptance of that participation.
Sudanese society, with its social legacy and religious culture, may need a long
time to be fully persuaded of the necessity of increasing women's participation
in politics, however, the State could accelerate this process. Greater gains for
women were being pursued in order to prove to Sudanese society that women were
just as qualified as men. All forms of violence against women constituted a flagrant
violation of their dignity and their human rights. The efforts undertaken to combat
these phenomena in all their forms should address the root cause of violence.
There was a need to look for more efficient means and tools to combat the violence
against women, including local and international legislation.
DIANA EMILLA
SARI SUTIKNO ( Indonesia ) said there was full agreement with the universally
accepted principle that the promotion and protection of the rights of women and
gender equality were among the most fundamental tenets of the various international
instruments on human rights. The Government of Indonesia was convinced that human
rights standards were compatible with all cultures, especially in the realms of
the promotion and protection of women's rights. The principles of non-discrimination,
equality and justice were fundamental pillars of this promotion and protection,
and the Government was firmly of the view that discrimination and violence against
women should be eradicated, as they could not be justified under any pretext.
Violence against women could happen in both the domestic and public spheres: hence
Governments should formulate laws which prohibited and criminalized any practice
leading to violence and discrimination against women. It was a collective responsibility
to make the world a safer and kinder place for all, including women, and much
remained to be done in this area. There was a need for concerted and collective
international efforts to promote the rights of women, including by combating violence
and discrimination, both in the home and in all walks of life. It was high time
that the concept of human rights was understood and interpreted as inclusive of
women's rights.
BIODUN OWOSENI ( Nigeria ) said that the promotion and protection
of women's rights was at the top of the human rights policies of his Government.
That stemmed from a deep-rooted belief that there could be no meaningful progress
in achieving sustainable development without the emancipation and empowerment
of Nigerian women. Some of the most important human rights developments in the
country in recent years had been registered in the field of women's rights. A
number of laws had been put in place with the aim of improving the status of women.
The human rights of all Nigerian women were promoted and protected in a number
of Federal, State and local governments' programmes and policies. That was why
more women had been appointed to senior positions through affirmative action under
the present administration than under any Government in the history of Nigeria.
There was no discrimination whatsoever in enabling women to take part in political,
social or economic activities of their choice. The Government had thus been actively
implementing the Beijing Programme of Action.
Trafficking in women and
girls for the purpose of commercial and sexual exploitation was one of the most
extensive forms of violence worldwide. The Government of Nigeria was deeply concerned
about the practice and was resolutely committed to its eradication through various
educational and awareness-increasing programmes that had been put in place in
the country. Trafficking, exploitation and sale of human persons, including women
and girls, were a callous negation of the human dignity, and the Commission should
be steadfast in the war to eradicate this scourge. Harmful traditional or customary
practices, including female genital mutilation, constituted serious violations
of the human rights of women. Nigeria had taken far-reaching steps in the promotion
and protection of women's rights by abrogating harmful traditional practices.
It had outlawed the practice of female genital mutilation throughout the country.
PEMA CHODEN ( Bhutan ) said that her country had taken consistent steps
to comply with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women, including undertaking the 2001 Gender Baseline Pilot study and
holding consultations and workshops with stakeholders from civil society and the
media as part of the preparations for its sixth periodic report to the related
Committee, and disseminating the Convention and the report in local languages.
Three studies had also been completed with regard to health, education and water
and sanitation, under the auspices of the national committee to monitor the Convention's
implementation.
Among the legal provisions for gender equality, the General
Law of 1957 guaranteed women equality before the law and the Inheritance Act of
1980 guaranteed equal rights in inheritance of land and property. The 1980 Marriage
Act guaranteed equality in marriage and family life, and its 1996 amendment raised
the legal marriage age from 16 to 18 for both sexes. The 1996 Rape Act sought
to protect women against sexual abuse and assault by imposing severe financial
penalties and prison sentences on offenders. The laws and development policies
of Bhutan had always sought to ensure equal rights, as well as the security and
well-being of women in society. Women enjoyed freedom and equality in most spheres
of life and overt discrimination against women did not exist. The challenge now
was to eradicate the more subtle and indirect forms of gender bias within society.
The country had committed resources and redirected plans and programmes to mainstream
gender needs and interests, and remained aware of the need for continued social,
economic and legal remedial measures.
AMIRA ESQUIVEL ( Chile ) said that
violence against women constituted a serious violation of human rights. The international
community's increased awareness of this fact constituted one of the most significant
advances of recent decades, and recent positive developments in regard of women's
human rights including, among others, the codification of a series of sexual and
gender crimes within the Rome Statute, were welcomed. For their part, the democratic
Governments of Chile since 1990 had recognized that violence against women and
interfamilial violence affected society as a whole, as well as the individual
victims. There was a worrisome tendency for girls and boys to replicate such action
in response to new problems. Among the other negative effects of such violence,
women's productivity at work was lowered and increased rates of absenteeism were
seen. Nationally, Chile's courts received an average of 75,000 complaints of domestic
violence annually, however, the national domestic violence act had endowed judicial
mechanisms with a mandate to intervene and to provide protection, resulting in
a decline in reports of violence of approximately 25 per cent. Additionally, the
country was studying amendments that could be made to the act. There had also
been measures to make compatible paid work and child care, and women as heads
of household had been recognized as subjects of public policy. Still much remained
to be done in regard of setting up the gender approach in public policy, in which
regard international cooperation was needed. Finally, she wished to note the draft
text on the integration of women's human rights throughout the United Nations
and warned that progress must continue. However, progress thus far had been asymmetrical,
because not all bodies included gender issues and rights of women to equal extents.
CHRISTA NICKELS (Germany ) said indifference to violations of women's
human rights should be overcome throughout the world. No exceptions to women's
rights could be permitted on cultural grounds. It remained a matter of urgency
that the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women should be implemented in all States without restriction. Happily,
only a few States had not yet ratified it, however, many States had entered reservations
during the ratification process, more than to any other international convention.
That showed how difficult it was to deal with issues of this kind. The global
fight against female genital mutilation, honour killings, forced marriages and
other forms of gender-specific persecution was therefore still far from being
won. A particularly ugly area of violations of women's human rights was human
trafficking, which was a modern form of slavery: the victims were predominantly
women. It was important to emphasize, however, that women were not only victims,
but also actors, shapers, and decision-makers. The international community should
therefore bear in mind that policy-making for women and involving women was a
question of justice, and thus a part of securing the future for both men and women,
and of course, for the children.
Right of Reply
SHIGERU ENDO ( Japan
), speaking in a right of reply, said that with regard to the issue known as "wartime
comfort women" during the Second World War, as mentioned by the delegate
of the Republic of Korea, regarding the issues of property and claims arising
out of the Second World War, including those related to wartime comfort women,
the Government of Japan had fulfilled its obligations in accordance with the relevant
international agreement, and the issues had been legally settled between Japan
and the Republic of Korea completely and finally. Fulfilment of the legal responsibility,
however, did not exonerate Japan from its moral responsibility for the damage
caused to the honour and dignity of those who suffered as wartime comfort women.
The Japanese Government's position on this remained unchanged and would continue
to be so.
LUIS ZUNIGA ( United States ) speaking in a right of reply,
said time and time again, irrespective of the item under consideration, the delegation
of Cuba spoke of the economic sanctions of the United States on the totalitarian
Castro regime. The trade embargo was a political issue which was not appropriate
to debate. However, it was important to emphasize the following facts: the United
States was today the major supplier of agricultural products to Cuba; in 2001
the United States approved donations to Cuba to the figure of millions of dollars,
and had done so also in 2002. Cuba should not blame the United States for the
economic disasters of the Cuban regime, since these were typical of all totalitarian
political models, and the Cuban delegation should not distract attention and should
instead find solutions to the problems in that country.
HYUCK CHOI ( Republic
of Korea ), speaking in a right of reply, said that with regard to the use of
sexual slavery by the Japanese military during the Second World War, the present
and previous Special Rapporteurs on violence against women had emphasized the
need for compensation for the victims. Japan should implement the recommendations
of the Special Rapporteurs and comply with relevant treaties on the issue. CORRIGENDUM
In press release HR/CN/04/34 of 2 April, 2004, the second right of reply by
Turkey on page 13 should read as follows:
MUSTAFA LAKADAMYALI ( Turkey
), in a second right of reply, said that Turkey was not surprised by the statement
of the Greek Cypriot Representative which was a repetition of a scenario of accusations
witnessed in previous years. It was an attempt to portray the difficulties in
Cyprus as a problem of invasion and occupation. These statements were disappointing
and discouraging, since they reflected a frame of mind which was far from the
realities and thus not conducive to a solution of the problems on the island.
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