HOME -> DEMOCRACY -> GENDER PARTNERSHIP -> STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN-> IPU CAMPAIGN

  IPU campaign to end
  violence against women

Violence against women and girls may take many forms and is not limited to any culture, region or country, or to any specific group of women. Rife both in public and private life, this form of violence jeopardizes the rights, liberty, health, quality of life and, in some cases, the life of women, irrespective of their nationality, age or social status. How can one put an end to the most widespread violation of human rights in the world? How can one combat this scourge, whose consequences and cost hamper the development of society? At its 114th Assembly held in Nairobi in 2006, the Member Parliaments of the Inter-Parliamentary Union adopted a resolution on How parliaments can and must promote effective ways of combating violence against women in all fields.

Recognizing that the efforts to eliminate this kind of violence require systematic and sustained action, the IPU launched in 2008 a campaign and a programme of work to support parliaments in their efforts to end violence against women. The commitment also serves to promote and shed light on a parliamentary contribution to the current unprecedented international efforts to end violence against women. Parliaments have a key role to play in this global momentum as 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.

The IPU strategy:

• Focuses on all forms of violence against women at the international, regional and national levels;
• Includes men and women parliamentarians;
• Builds on parliaments’ and parliamentarian’s political leadership to drive change;
• Aims to respond to the particular concerns and needs of parliaments and parliamentarians.

The IPU undertakes a series of activities in three target areas:

• Building a strong and effective legal framework;
• Securing effective implementation of legislation;
• Reinforcing awareness, sensitization and visibility of violence against women.

These activities include:

• Organization of regional and national seminars;
• Programme of technical assistance for parliaments on violence against women;
• Production of website and campaign material;
• Mobilization to participate in public activities and campaigns, including by marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November.

IN THE WORDS OF SPEAKERS AND DEPUTY-SPEAKERS OF PARLIAMENT

To see the video streaming files you need Adobe Flash Player V9.0 or later and have Java Script activated

IPU and UNIFEM's Say NO to Violence against Women Campaign UNIFEM's Say NO to Violence against Women campaign is designed to support the UN Secretary-General’s UNITE to End Violence against Women campaign through a massive global mobilization. Based on sensitization and collecting the largest possible number of signatures of persons determined to put an end to violence against women, this initiative aims to demonstrate that there is a global movement of people who demand that ending violence against women be a top priority for governments everywhere. At the 119th IPU Assembly held in Geneva in October 2008, over 200 parliamentarians from about 70 countries signed up to the campaign and pledged to make combating violence against women a national and international priority. UNIFEM’s campaign has received the full support of the IPU. All the members of the Coordinating Committee of Women Parliamentarians have lent their support and have agreed to be IPU spokespersons for the issue in their respective parliaments and among the public at large.

IPU ACTIVITIES ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

• Regional seminar for East and Southern African Parliaments on violence against women, Dar es Salaam (United Republic of Tanzania), 5-7 December 2012
• Regional Seminar for Asian Parliaments "Preventing and responding to violence against women and girls: From legislation to effective enforcement", New Delhi (India), 15-17 September 2011
• Regional seminar for parliaments of West and Central Africa on combating violence against women, Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), 30 March - 1 April 2011
• Regional Workshop for Arab Parliaments on "Implementing CEDAW and ending violence against women", Beirut (Lebanon), 27-29 July 2010
• Regional Seminar for Latin American parliaments on violence against women, Cuenca (Ecuador), 21-23 April 2010
• Regional conference for the Twelve Plus parliaments on Violence Against Women and Migration, Paris (France), 10-11 December 2009
• Fifth Meeting of Women Speakers of Parliament, Vienna (Austria), 13-14 July 2009
• Conference A Parliamentary Response to Violence against Women, Geneva (Switzerland), 2-4 December 2008
• Over 200 parliamentarians signed up to UNIFEM's Say NO to Violence against Women campaign, October 2008

For further information, contact: Ms. Brigitte Filion, Programme Officer E-mail: bf@mail.ipu.org Telephone: +41 22 919 41 20