23 May 1986

19th plenary meeting

Violence in the family

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 40/36 of 29 November 1985 on domestic violence and Economic and Social Council resolutions 1982/22 of 4 May 1982 on abuses against women and children and 1984/14 of 24 May 1984 on violence in the family,

Recalling also resolution 6, on the fair treatment of women by the criminal justice system, adopted by the Seventh United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders,

Bearing in mind the recommendations made on the subject of women as victims of crime by the Seventh Congress,

Bearing in mind also the deliberations on the subject of domestic violence at the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, held at Nairobi from 15 to 26 July 1985,

Mindful of the need to implement the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women nationally and internationally, especially paragraph 258, in which it is stated that women victims of violence should be given particular attention and comprehensive assistance; that legal measures should be formulated to prevent violence and to assist women victims; that national machinery should be established to deal with the question of violence against women within the family and society; and that preventive policies should be elaborated, and institutionalized forms of assistance to women victims provided,

Recognizing that violence in the family is a serious persistent world-wide problem, which includes physical, psychological and sexual assault and abuse,

Convinced that failure to take the appropriate measures to control violence in the family represents denial and condonation of the practice and contributes to its persistence,

Recalling that, in pursuance of Council resolution 1984/14, the Secretary-General is to convene a meeting of experts on family violence,

Emphasizing that the results of that meeting will provide a solid basis for the Commission on the Status of Women in its efforts to implement the relevant provisions of the Forward-looking Strategies,

1. Deplores the abuse of women in the family that both reflects and reinforces the inferior status of women and jeopardizes their opportunities for full and equal participation in economic, social, cultural and political development;

2. Condemns the practice of violence in the family as a grave violation of the rights of women and a threat to their physical and mental well-being;

3. Commends the non-governmental organizations for drawing attention to this problem, the demonstration of national and international political will, particularly during the second half of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, and the efforts of the competent United Nations organs, organizations and bodies that have begun to address this issue;

4. Encourages Member States and competent organizations of the United Nations system to develop or improve data collection on family violence;

5. Recommends that the agenda for the meeting of experts be prepared taking into consideration the comments made and the concerns expressed during the thirty-first session of the Commission on the Status of Women.