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MEETING CONSIDERS FOLLOW-UP MECHANISM ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Government-appointed experts are meeting at the Organization of American States (OAS) to begin the first round of multilateral evaluation under the Follow-up Mechanism to the Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women, also known as the Convention of Belém do Pará. During the two-day meeting, which began Monday, the group of experts is considering 25 preliminary reports presented by states parties, which will be used to assess the regional outlook on progress, setbacks and challenges in the effort to end violence against women.

In opening the Second Meeting of the Committee of Experts, the Chair of the OAS Permanent Council, Ambassador Henry Illes of Suriname, said the member states are aware that despite considerable progress, gender-related violence continues and in some cases is on the increase. “The tragedy,” he said, “is that violence against women affects not only the victims, but also their families and ultimately, all of society. The consequences of gender-based violence are social, emotional and financial. It can result in the loss of lives, lost productivity, increased costs of medical care, and lost opportunities for women and their families.”

Illes stressed that eradicating violence against women “is the responsibility of all—men and women, governments and civil society. I feel that all of us should become active participants, agents of change and progress in this effort..”

María José Argaña, Vice President of the Inter-American Commission of Women (known by its Spanish acronym, CIM) and Deputy Minister of Women in Paraguay, welcomed the experts to the meeting. She thanked the CIM Secretariat for consolidating efforts to implement the Belém do Pará Convention follow-up mechanism.

In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Santiago Canton, noted that inadequate access to justice is one of the main obstacles for women who are victims of violence. “From the human rights perspective, a number of barriers have been identified that women still face in seeking to effectively access justice in the Americas, including cultural, institutional, budgetary, geographical, linguistic and economic barriers,” Canton said.

Based on information received from the countries of the hemisphere, the Inter-American Commission’s Rapporteurship on the Rights of Women has confirmed that the next step is to build on the formal recognition of women’s rights to ensure that these rights can be fully and effectively enjoyed. Achieving this goal, he said. “requires the cooperation and commitment of civil society organizations and networks, international and regional agencies, governments and decision-makers, the academic sector and the communications media.”

The Belém do Pará Convention is the most widely ratified treaty in the inter-American human rights system, with 32 member state ratifications.

Reference: E-156/06