09/04/2003
United Nations Press Release HR/CN/1026

COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS BEGINS DISCUSSION OF WOMEN'S ISSUES

GENEVA, 9 April (UN Information Service) -- The Commission on Human
Rights opened debate this afternoon under its agenda item on
"integration of the human rights of women and a gender perspective",
hearing a series of countries describe national efforts to eradicate
violence against women and improve the situation of women overall.
Radhika Coomaraswamy, Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its
causes and consequences, said actions taken around the world to
eradicate such violence included the development national plans of
action, law reforms, new legislation, sensitization of criminal justice
systems, provision of support services for victims and data collection
on what was once an invisible crime.

Kyrung-Wha Kang, Chairperson of the Commission on the Status of Women
(CSW), said the CSW systematically worked to enhance its role as a
catalyst for the use of the gender mainstreaming strategy. All
stakeholders had an ongoing responsibility to clarify and incorporate a
gender perspective into their respective areas of work, and to develop
and implement practical measures to eliminate the disadvantages and
discrimination encountered by women.

Azse Feride Acar, Chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women, said that throughout its work, the
Committee had requested that the issue of violence against women be
assigned high priority and that such violence, including domestic
violence, be recognized as a violation of the human rights of women.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sergio Vieira de Mello, spoke
briefly, thanking three independent experts of the Commission who were
relinquishing their functions in implementation of the
mandate-limitation provisions introduced by the Commission

Earlier in the afternoon's extended meeting, which began at 2 p.m., the
Commission concluded debate on civil and political rights, hearing from
the end of a long list of non-governmental organizations contending,
among other things, that the current war in Iraq was a violation of such
rights, and that more had to be done to prevent religious discrimination
and to end violence based on religion.

Addressing the meeting were Representatives of Pakistan, Bahrain,
Paraguay (on behalf of the MERCOSUR countries), Argentina, Greece (on
behalf of the European Union), Syria, Canada, Cuba, China, Mexico,
Ireland, Viet Nam, Lithuania (on behalf of the Nordic and Baltic
countries), India, Sri Lanka, Algeria, Russian Federation and Chile.
The following NGOs delivered statements: Agir ensemble pour les droits
de l'homme; International Association Against Torture; Human Rights
Watch; International League for the Rights and Liberation of peoples;
Pax Romana; Young Doctors Without Frontiers Tunisia; International
Fellowship of Reconciliation; Interfaith International; Union of Arab
Jurists; Women's International Democratic Federation; Comité
international pour le respect et l'application de la charte africaine
des droits de l'homme et des peuples; European Union of Public
Relations; Asian Centre for Organization Research and Development;
International Federation for the Protection of the Rights of Ethnic,
Religious, Linguistic & Other Minorities; and Indigenous World
Association.

Angola, Turkey, Egypt, Madagascar, Cameroon and Cyprus spoke in exercise
of the right of reply.

The Committee will reconvene at 9 a.m. Thursday, 10 April, for an
extended meeting at which it will continue its discussion of the human
rights of women.