Elimination of Violence against Women
Published 25th November 2006, 1:05pm
The 16 days between the 25th November and the 10th December represent an important time in the international human rights calendar. The period begins on the 25th November with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and culminates on the 10th December with International Human Rights Day. It also encompasses World AIDS Day on the 1st December; International Day for the Abolition of Slavery on the 2nd of December; and International Day of Disabled Persons on the 3rd December. The Cayman Islands Human Rights Committee (HRC) plans to recognise the importance of each of these days and the subjects they highlight, particularly as they pertain to the Cayman Islands.
Both internationally and locally, these 16 days are already synonymous with the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence and the HRC would like to join with other like-minded groups in pledging its support for the work of the Business and Professional Women’s Club, who have campaigned on these 16 days each year since 1996 for the elimination of gender violence in the Cayman Islands. Throughout the 16 Days, there will be a series of broadcasts from UNIFEM; the United Nations Development Fund for Women; which will be aired in the Cayman Islands with the support of the Business and Professional Women’s Club, the Women’s Resource Centre and the HRC.
From the HRC’s perspective, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women provides an opportunity to emphasise that violence against women also constitutes a violation of the rights and freedoms of women, which either impairs or nullifies women’s enjoyment of these human rights and fundamental freedoms. Indeed, many of the most basic of human rights, including the rights to life, liberty and security and equality, along with freedom from torture or other inhuman or degrading treatments or punishments, are undermined by the continuing examples of violence against women throughout the world. As the United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women points out, “violence against women is an obstacle to the achievement of equality, development and peace.”
The size of this obstacle is evidenced in UNIFEM’s “Not a Minute More Brochure”, which indicates that “at least one in every three women has been abused in her lifetime.” It is this statistic that has led UNIFEM’s Executive Director to assert that “violence against women and girls is perhaps the most pervasive human rights violation.”
The “Not a Minute More” brochure is available on the HRC’s website: www.humanrights.gov.ky. More information on the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence can also be found on UNIFEM’s website: http://www.unifem.org/campaigns/november25. Information on local events during the 16 Days Campaign can be found on the Women’s Resource Centre website: www.gov.ky/wrc.
Expressing his support for the elimination of violence against women, the Chair of the HRC, the Hon. Alden McLaughlin noted that, “Following on from its recent participation in the Silent Witness March, this is a further example of the HRC’s commitment to ending violence against women and ensuring the full recognition of women’s rights.”
The HRC’s Deputy Chair, Vaughan Carter, further noted that “With a view to improving women’s rights generally, the HRC would also like to affirm its support for the decision to draft local legislation that will expressly prohibit discrimination against women. We hope that once this is brought into law, the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) can be extended to the Cayman Islands.”
If you would like to contact the HRC, please address written correspondence to PO Box 30664, Grand Cayman KY1 1203 or alternatively, emails can be sent to humanrights@gov.ky.
For further information contact: Human Rights Committee