27 July 1993

43rd plenary meeting

Violence Against Women In All Its Forms The Economic And Social

council,

Recalling the report of the Secretary-General on domestic violence,

Recalling also General Assembly resolutions 45/114 of 14 December 1990 on domestic violence and 47/96 of 16 December 1992 on migrant women workers,

Recalling further Commission on Human Rights resolution 1993/46 of 8 March 1993, in which the Commission, inter alia, condemned acts of violence and violations of human rights directed specifically against women,

Referring to the recommendations of the Expert Group Meeting on Violence against Women, held at Vienna from 11 to 15 November 1991,

Reaffirming its resolution 1992/18 of 30 July 1992,

Fully supporting the draft declaration on the elimination of violence against women, elaborated by the Expert Group Meeting on Violence against Women and by the Working Group on Violence against Women of the Commission on the Status of Women, held at Vienna from 31 August to 4 September 1992,

Expressing deep concern about the continuing and endemic violence against women,

Convinced of the necessity of substantially improving the situation of victims of violence,

Calling attention to the fact that it is important for perpetrators of domestic violence to receive appropriate punishment,

Noting that, unlike rape within the family or in the community, systematic rape used as a political strategy is not mentioned in the documents referred to above,

Strongly condemning systematic rape during armed conflict,

Recognizing the increased public attention that is being given to the issue of violence against women, and how women can be victimized by virtue of their gender,

Recognizing also the work being done by non-governmental organizations in eliminating violence against women, in drawing attention to the nature, severity and magnitude of violence against women and in assisting women who are victims of violence,

Appreciating international cooperation in efforts to combat violence against women,

1. Urges Governments, the specialized agencies of the United Nations and the non-governmental organizations concerned:

(a) To take all possible steps to prevent violence against women;

(b) To intensify their efforts to use criminal law to prohibit violent acts against women;

(c) To promote police and penal systems that combine the protection of society with the prosecution and appropriate punishment of perpetrators;

(d) To offer full assistance, including provision of safe shelter, access to the legal system and, where necessary, counselling, medical, financial and other support, to women who are victims of violence;

(e) To improve police training to ensure that all incidents of violence against women are thoroughly investigated and that adequate help and support are given to victims in countries where it is necessary;

(f) To respond quickly to every case that calls for assistance to be provided to the victim;

(g) To take measures to combat violence against women occurring within the community, such as rape, sexual abuse, traditional practices harmful to women, trafficking in women and forced prostitution;

(h) To guarantee appropriate punishment and treatment of offenders, including sentencing strategies that deter perpetrators from repeating offences;

(i) To include the issue of violence against women in all its forms in the preparations for and observance of the International Year of the Family, in 1994, under the question of crime prevention and criminal justice;

(j) To include the issue of violence against women in all its forms under the appropriate item of the provisional agenda for the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, to be held in 1995;

2. Requests the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice to include the issue of violence against women in all its forms in the provisional agenda for its third session;

3. Urges Governments to give their full support to the adoption by the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session of the draft declaration on the elimination of violence against women, recommended by the Commission on the Status of Women at its thirty-seventh session;

4. Welcomes the extrabudgetary funds provided by the Helsinki Institute for Crime Prevention and Control, affiliated with the United Nations, for the publication, in English, of the document entitled "Strategies for confronting domestic violence: a resource manual", prepared in collaboration with the Government of Canada, the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch of the United Nations Secretariat and the Helsinki Institute and reviewed at an expert group meeting hosted by the International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy, and requests the Secretary-General to publish it as soon as possible in the other official languages of the United Nations, subject to the availability of regular budgetary or extrabudgetary funds.