<p>Committee: ECOSOC Topics: Gender Equality Specifically in Work and School and Avoiding Violence against Women. Head Chair: Michaela Borthwick Vice Chair: Christian Fan Legal: Kevin Cardenas</p><p>Welcome to the 31st annual MVHS MUN Conference! My name is Michaela Borthwick and I will be your Head Chair. A little about myself – I am a senior at MVHS, I am involved in Cross Country and Track & Field, I have been a part of MUN for 4 years, and I am also involved in AP/IB classes. I look forward to having you all in my committee and I wish the best of luck to you delegates!</p><p>Avoiding Violence against Women</p><p>Background: Violence against women and girls is one of the biggest human rights violations. Unequal gendered social structures are the main cause of this problem, and it is a huge obstacle to ending gender discrimination. Violence against women occurs in forms of domestic and intimate partner violence, sexual violence (rape), sexual harassment, emotional/psychological violence, “honour killings”1, trafficking, an/or female genital mutilation. It is because of patriarchal culture, dating back many centuries ago, that gives men the mindset that their masculinity and aggression in using violence against women is encouraged. A statistic found in 2004 states that one in six American women has been the victim of an attempted or complete rape. In 2005, nearly three in four family violence victims are female. In Northeastern Africa, the average percentage of female genital mutilations is 90%. Sadly, men are not always the ones using these types of violence against women. It may occur within lesbian, roommate, or daughter-mother relationships. Many historians believe that the history of violence against women is tied to the inequality in gender roles. </p><p>1 In certain cultures, the killing of a relative, esp. a girl or woman, who is perceived to have brought dishonor on the family. </p><p>Past UN Action: In the early 1990s, the UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against women states that “violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women, which have led to domination over and discrimination against women by men and to the prevention of the full advancement of women…” The UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women is a leading global grant-making mechanism dedicated only to addressing the violence against women and girls. It supports useful initiatives demonstrating that violence against women or girls can be reduced and possibly eliminated. Established by the UN General Assembly, resolution 50/166 in 1996, the UN Trust Fund works with NGOs and UN country teams to stop violence against women, implement laws, and provide care for victims of violence. </p><p>Questions to consider:  What are possible concerns your country holds regarding solutions to elimination of violence against women?  Does your country support or oppose violence against women in any of the mentioned forms?  What solutions has your country already proposed in order to eliminate violence? Have they followed through, or can they be improved?</p><p>Bibliography: http://www.create4theun.eu/background/ http://www.pbs.org/kued/nosafeplace/studyg/origins.html http://www.vday.org/take-action/violence-against-women/fgm#.UmSoIr7n-t8 http://www.unwomen.org/en/trust-funds/un-trust-fund-to-end-violence-against- women/</p>