Femicide Volume Vi
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FEMICIDE VOLUME VI VIOLENCE AGAINST GIRLS IN FLIGHT 亞太家庭組織 OFAP ISBN:978-3-200-03012-1 Published by the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) Vienna Liaison Office Email: [email protected] Web: www.acuns.org /www.acunsvienna.org © November 2016 Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) Vienna Liaison Office Sixth 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 a such reproduction is accompanied by an acknowledgement of the authors ofthe articles. Edited by: Veronika Bezinsky, Andrada Filip, Luma Kamel, Claire Laurent, Saide Mobayed, Kathryn Platzer, Michael Platzer Copy editor: Heather Wokusch Layout and design: Ingrid Teply-Baubinder Cover painting: „Sinking Dreams“ by Vivien Kabar, donated by the UNESCO Club Austria This publication was made possible by the generous financial contribution of the Austrian Federal Ministry for European Integration and Foreign Affairs, the Organization of the Families of Asia and the Pacific (OFAP), the International Juvenile Justice Observatory, and the Renner Institute. The Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) is a non-governmental organisation that stimulates, supports and disseminates research on the United Nations, other international organisations and issues of global governance. ACUNS also promotes dialogue, regional cooperation and cultural exchange between academics, practitioners, civil society and students. The ACUNS Vienna Liaison Office has been active since 2009 and focuses primarily related to human rights, equal opportunities for youth, death penalty, juvenile justice, femicide and other issues of concern to the Vienna based UN agencies. The ACUNS Vienna Team would like to express its gratititude to all the sponsors of the femicide resolution, but in particular to the Permanent Missions of Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, France, Guatemala, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Philippines, Qatar, Serbia, Slovakia, Thailand and the USA and for the excellent collaboration with UNODC, UN Women, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Dr. Dubravka Simonovic. We wish to thank the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), Women Against Violence in Europe (WAVE) for the co-organization of the Symposium held on 25th November 2016. This publication was made possible by activists and non-governmental organisations around the world, who have taken a stand against femicide. Among the ACUNS collaborators, who dedicated their time to the cause are Billy Batware, Hannah Dayag, Milica Dimitrijevic, Simona Domazetoska, Julia Kienast, Richmond Ojobor, Roza Orban, Maksin Orepic, Alberta Sinani, Natalie Tavadze, Sibel Uranus, Khushita Vasant, and Mona Zaher. 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 position of ACUNS, or 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 VIOLENCE AGAINST GIRLS IN FLIGHT VOLUME VI Preface For the past five years, the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) Vienna Liaison Office has committed itself to raising awareness about the many forms of femicide and the impunity sometimes accepted by law enforcement for the most extreme forms of violence against women. We have made a significant contribution in terms of placing these heinous crimes high on the international agenda. We will continue to devote our energies to combating all forms of gender- based violence (GBV) against women and girls. In 2016, ACUNS organized two side events at the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) that took place at the UN Headquarters in Vienna. The topic of the first side event was violence against girls fleeing armed conflict, natural disasters, and other humanitarian emergencies. The second side event dealt with the responses of criminal justice and law enforcement institutions in relation to violence against girls. In addition, on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, ACUNS is organizing its sixth annual symposium together with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Fundamental Rights Agency, and Women Against Violence in Europe. The symposium will cover the proposal of the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, Dubravka Simonovic, to establish a national Femicide Watch in every country, which would aim at collecting information on gender- related killings of women. FEMICIDE Volume 6: Violence Against Girls contains the speeches delivered at these side events, at which high-ranking officials and experts on GBV presented comprehensive ways of reducing the risk of such violence, increasing the quality of protection for girl victims, and ending the impunity for perpetrators. It also includes the most recent and most effective prevention and mitigation strategies on gender-based violence against underage girls. In this volume of FEMICIDE we pay particular attention to girl refugees, displaced girls and migrant children, and the specific forms of violence and abuse occurring in the context of their flight. The refugee and migration flows in 2015 and 2016 have often been accompanied by abuses of the rights of children, and girls in particular. In such extreme situations as armed conflict, natural disasters, and other emergencies, girls are especially vulnerable to forced marriage, sexual exploitation, trafficking, psychological and physical intimidation, during all stages of their displacement. As girls are the most vulnerable of the vulnerable and are less likely to seek protection and a remedy, this publication focuses specifically on transnational aspects of violence against children, which are often neglected. We hope that FEMICIDE Volume 6: Violence Against Girls will serve as a major resource handbook for practitioners, academics, state representatives, activists, legislators and prosecutors, and will contribute to providing directions for prevention and effective responses to violence against girls. Veronika Bezinsky and Michael Platzer Statement of António Guterres Conflict and displacement are terrible experiences for anyone. But they pose the most serious risks to those who are the least able to protect themselves: children. They already make up half of the world’s refugees, the highest proportion in over a decade. The impact of forced displacement on children is enormous - sometimes with only a few hours’ notice, they have to abandon everything they know: their homes and communities, their schools, their friends, their aspirations. Far too often, becoming a refugee also means leaving behind their childhood. Many of the refugee children I have met experienced the violence and brutality of war, lost loved ones or were wounded themselves. They may have found shelter from the fighting across the border, but their life in exile is full of uncertainty and daily struggles. Many are separated from their families, have difficulties accessing basic services, and live in increasing poverty. Only one in two Syrian refugee children in the neighbouring countries is receiving education, and many receive only informal education short of required standards. We know that refugee children are at increased risk of child labour and recruitment, and more vulnerable to violence in their homes, communities or schools, including sexual and gender based violence. This is one of the reasons, along with financial difficulties, why more and more refugee Óparents agree to marry off their daughters as children. Maha in Jordan is one of them, having had to abandon her dreams of becoming a doctor when at age 13 she was married to a man ten years her senior. Now, still a child, she will soon be a mother. And as refugees grow increasingly desperate, thousands of children attempt to move further afield, putting themselves at risk of abuse by smugglers and traffickers. Half of the over 20,000 children who have arrived by boat in southern Europe this year were unaccompanied. Hundreds of others drowned trying to cross the Mediterranean. The consequences of violence against children are serious, long-term and costly - for both the children affected and their societies. Protecting refugee children is a core priority for UNHCR, and doing this right requires the close cooperation of all stakeholders. We must do better to keep refugee children safe - through giving them access to quality education, psycho- social care and targeted support for those with specific needs, and by ensuring they are registered at birth. But equally important is support to their families and communities so they can protect them better. In everything we do, we must acknowledge the resilience, the strength and determination of refugee children.