PARLIAMENTS TO MARK THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

One out of every two women in the world is a victim of violence inflicted by her partner and one out of five is subjected to or threatened with sexual assault. As part of its campaign Parliaments Take Action on Violence against Women, the Inter-Parliamentary Union urges parliaments to mark the 10th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women by organizing events on or around 25 November 2009. "The challenge that all parliaments and all governments face is that we have not done enough, despite the existence of well-documented international instruments to end violence against women. We must adopt laws that specifically tackle violence against women and must have the courage to enforce them", said IPU President, Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, who is also Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia.

The statistics on violence against women are alarming: based on country data available, up to 70 per cent of women experience physical or sexual violence by men in their lifetime. It happens everywhere – at home and at work, on the streets and in schools, during peacetime and in conflict - according to the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

Parliaments have a key role to play in ending violence against women. Enacting national laws to address and punish all forms of violence against women and girls, in line with international standards, is central to their legislative work. Legislation provides the political space and sometimes the resources to address violence against women. It can also be effective in changing public perceptions of violence against women. For its campaign, the IPU has designed a brochure that focuses on six priority actions for parliaments and includes examples of parliamentary mechanisms and initiatives that have been taken to address violence against women.

Furthermore, the IPU calls on parliaments to take steps to mark the International Day, such as: holding a special debate in parliament on this theme, adopting a parliamentary resolution or declaration, conducting a national review of progress made and existing challenges, distributing petitions for action on violence against women, holding consultations and public hearings on violence against women, or organizing a conference or seminar to address all forms of violence against women or a prevalent form of this type of violence at the national level.

The parliaments of the following countries have already informed the IPU that they will be organizing an event on or around 25 November: Afghanistan, Andorra, Austria, Chile, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Lebanon, Maldives, Philippines, Rwanda, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

A first inventory of the events has been posted on the our dedicated web page. Many more activities are expected to be announced and the website will be updated on a regular basis. These events will also be listed as parliamentary contributions within the framework of the United Nations Secretary-General's Campaign UNite to End Violence against Women.