The 8th and 9th plenary meetings of the Commission on the Status of Women, 70th session, which were chaired by Romania, focused on violence against women and girls. Member state representatives shared key issues, progress made, measures taken and goals for the future in this high level meeting. Additionally, academic experts, representatives of women’s rights organisations and victims shared their experiences and suggestions with the delegates.
As the chair noted, the high level meeting was the first one ever held on violence against women and girls, thus making it an essential part of the revitalisation of the CSW. The opening statement by Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, highlighted the investments made by the UN in over 100 countries, organisations and local groups to curb violence against women.
Several panelists and interveners placed special emphasis on violence against women in digital spaces, most notably, AI deepfakes and digital stalking, as mentioned by delegates from Guyana, Tunisia, China, Cyprus and Nepal. Her excellencies Naima Ben Yahia of Morocco and Yerlin Zúñiga Céspedes of Costa Rica, among others, presented digital solutions to these digital problems, such as AI assisted 24/7 digital help platforms that their countries have adopted.
Member state representatives from Ukraine, Georgia and Cuba expressed the difficulties women are facing in their countries under external occupation, conflict and blockade, especially due to scant financial resources, dearth of infrastructure and difficulty in identifying victims. Many representatives also stated how imperative the involvement of civil society and local bodies is to curb gender based violence.
Some speakers whose interventions were of note included Sanni Grahn-Laasonen of Finland, who highlighted the importance of supporting local and autonomous feminist movements, Marie-Therese Abena Ondoa of Cameroon, who spoke about female genital mutilation, marital rape and psychological support to victims, and Afioga Tilafono David Hunter of Samoa, who brought forward the case of rural women, grassroots politics and involvement of faith-based groups.
Representatives of organisations such as White Ribbon and the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights urged member states to construct specialised response mechanisms to gender based violence, through governmental architecture, operational coordination and budgetary allocation, in addition to involving men in conversations surrounding violence against women and reforming education systems to meet specific requirements.
The session addressed the complex topic of violence against women and girls in a holistic way by including representatives of various member states with differing visions as well as civil society and academic representatives who shared their professional and ground level experiences.
Author: Daksha Shrestha Singh, Youth Intern, India
