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Femicide: a Global Issue That Demands Action

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Femicide: a Global Issue That Demands Action Femicide A Global Issue that Demands Action ISBN : 978-3-200-03012-1 Published by the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) Vienna Liaison Office Email: [email protected] www.acuns.org © 2013 Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) Vienna Liaison Office Second Edition Copyright: All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may be freely used and copied for educational and other non-commercial purposes, provided that any of such reproduction is accompanied by an acknowledgement of the authors of the articles. Edited by: Claire Laurent, Michael Platzer and Maria Idomir Design: Claire Laurent This publication was made possible by the generous contribution of the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, the City of Vienna, the Dr. Karen E. Burke Research Foundation, the Vienna Renner Institute, the Small Arms Survey and the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development. This publication was also made possible by concerned activists, who wished to take a stand against femicide, and dedicated their time to this publication: Maria Idomir, Gejsi Plaku, Leah Norris, Bruno Monteiro, Loes van der Graaf, Caroline Sesay, Christina Hitrova, Allison McClelland, Andrada Filip, Simona Domazetoska, Elif Gül, Teresa Maria Deubelli, Jenan Irshaid, Norma Heftye and Aleksandar Rudic. The Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) is a Non-Governmental Organization that stimulates, supports, and disseminates research on the United Nations, other International Organizations and issues of global governance. ACUNS also promotes dialogue and mutual understanding between academics, practitioners, the civil society and students. The ACUNS Vienna Liaison Office has been active since 2009 and focusses primarily on issues related to human rights, equal opportunities for youth, death penalty, regional cooperation and cultural exchange as well as femicide, human trafficking and other human rights violations. The materials in this publication are for general information purposes only, provided on an “as is” basis, without warranties of any kind, including fitness for any particular purpose. The ACUNS, specifically, does not make any warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the information in this publication. The views, findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position of the ACUNS Vienna Liaison Office. To the extent permitted by law, the ACUNS Vienna Liaison Office does not accept any liability for any loss, damage, liability or expense incurred or suffered, which may arise as a result of, or in connection with, the use of information contained in this publication. Femicide A Global Issue That Demands Action "We must keep chronicling the fragility of women's lives all over the world. My gratitude to the writers who have been brave enough to expose female infanticide, burning of widows, rape, and other instances of violence against more than one half of the human race." Erica Jong Author of "Fear of Flying" ___ FOREWORD ___ Femicide is the ultimate form of violence against women and girls and takes multiple forms. Its many causes are rooted in the historically unequal power relations between men and women and in systemic gender-based discrimination. For a case to be considered femicide there must be an implied intention to carry out the murder and a demonstrated connection between the crime and the female gender of the victim.1 So far, data on femicide have been highly unreliable and the estimated numbers of women who have been victims of femicides vary accordingly. Femicides take place in every country of the world. The greatest concern related to femicide is that these murders continue to be accepted, tolerated or justified - with impunity as the norm. To end femicide we need to end impunity, bring perpetrators to justice, and every individual has to change his/her attitude towards women. To date, the United Nations has not adopted a resolution directly addressing gender-related killings. According to the declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, violence against women “means any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women and girls, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life”.2 This definition fails to include explicitly violence that can lead to death and consequently misses an important component of violence against women. On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the Vienna Liaison Office of the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) organized a one-day symposium on femicide in the United Nations (UN) Office in Vienna, with the kind support of the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs; the Permanent Missions to the UN Office at Vienna of Austria, Argentina, Philippines, Thailand, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; Small Arms Survey and the Vienna NGO Committee on the Status of Women. Member State representatives, social scientists, NGO representatives, law enforcement officials, prosecutors and feminist activists had the opportunity to speak about femicide, explain its meaning and causes, and presented examples of best practice in fighting femicide. Participants agreed in the VDF that there are at least 11 forms of femicide and that the UN must do more to conduct research on the extent of these killings and evaluate programmes set up to combat femicides. This publication is the result of this symposium and comprises the speeches and presentations of the various experts of the symposium. They discussed the issue of femicide from different perspectives, addressed the problems related to femicide including impunity and proposed comprehensive ways to fight this crime efficiently. In addition to the speeches this publication contains further information about the major forms of femicide. These short articles give an overview of the various crimes, including a description of the extent of the respective form of femicide and best practice examples to fight this crime. The list of examples is by no means exhaustive but all should be considered murder under the law. In September 2012 an important step was taken in El-Salvador to elaborate a “Protocol for 1 Kumari, Ranjana. 2013. How do we Fight Femicide. Best Practices and Strategies. 2 General Assembly Resolution 48/104 the investigation and documentation of extreme violence against women”, which can be found in this publication. This publication also contains the first UN document to focus on gender-based killings, the 2012 report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Rashida Manjoo, to the Human Rights Council. In response to the presentation of this report sixty four states issued a statement that member states “must exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate, prosecute and punish the perpetrators”.3 The aim of this publication is to inform practitioners, Member State representatives, NGO workers, legislators, prosecutors and any other relevant actors who can contribute to putting an end to femicide. With this information about the diverse campaigns, we hope that efforts can be combined and strengthened to end this hideous crime once and for all. Claire Laurent and Michael Platzer 3 Human Rights Council, 21st Session. Joint Statement on Gender-Based Killings, Item 8. 20 September 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Symposium on Femicide ........................................................................................................................... 3 1.1. Vienna Declaration on Femicide ..................................................................................................... 4 1.2. Ms. Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women ............................................................. 6 1.3. Ms. Gabriele Heinisch-Hosek, Federal Minister for Women and the Civil Service ........................ 7 1.4. H.E. Ambassador Susan le Jeune D’Allegeershecque, Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative to the UN and other International Organisations in Vienna ........................................ 8 1.5. Mr. Sandeep Chawla, Deputy Executive Director UNODC ........................................................... 10 1.6. H.E. Ambassador Dr. Christine Stix-Hackl, Permanent Representative of Austria to the UN in Vienna .................................................................................................................................................. 14 1.7. HRH Ambassador Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, Permanent Representative of Thailand to the UN in Vienna ................................................................................................................................................. 16 1.8. H.E. Ambassador Lourdes O. Yparraguirre, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the UN in Vienna ........................................................................................................................................ 17 1.9. Ms. Diana E.H. Russell, Ph.D. & Prof. of Emerita of Sociology; Pioneer on Femicide and other forms of Violence and Sexual Abuse of Women and Girls .................................................................. 19 1.10. Ms. Rita Banerji, Founder of the "50 Million Missing Campaign" .............................................
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