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On International Women’s Day OSCE officials call for action on violence against women and girls, stress benefits of their participation for society

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VIENNA, 8 March 2019 – Greater efforts are needed to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls occurring both in private and public life, which prevents them from being full and equal participants in society, said OSCE senior officials on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

Miroslav Lajčák, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia; Thomas Greminger, OSCE Secretary General; and Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), stressed that violence against women and girls is one of the greatest threats to peace and security and continues to be one of the most widespread human rights violations in the world. Not only does it threaten the security and safety of its victims, it also affects the communities and societies they live in.

“Violence against women and girls affects whole societies. Therefore, entire societies must be involved in combatting and eradicating it – from justice institutions and government ministries to civil society. Without violence in their lives women will be able to participate and lead across political, economic and social sectors and this benefits everyone in society. In the context of the OSCE, as an international security organization, this is particularly crucial for the participation of women in peace processes,” stressed Lajčák. Pointing out that this year’s International Women’s Day focuses on innovation, he said: “Women all over the world are coming up with innovative solutions to today’s challenges. We need to break down the barriers they face to make their ideas heard. Ongoing, systemic violence against women is one of such barriers."

According to the findings of the OSCE-conducted survey on the prevalence of violence against women in the OSCE region published this month, some 70 per cent of the more than 15,000 women and girls surveyed disclosed that they have experienced some form of violence since the age of 15. More than 20 per cent of those interviewed said they were subjected to physical or sexual violence by a partner. The survey results provide policymakers with the data and tools to improve national laws and policies to better protect victims.

“We all have the responsibility to openly reject acts of violence and stand by the victims. We must do all we can to change the perception that violence towards women is acceptable,” said OSCE Secretary General Greminger. Referring to the OSCE survey, he said that the study marks “an important step towards eliminating violence against women: it provides the necessary data countries need to formulate appropriate policy responses. We can no longer use the excuse of not knowing enough. We must act now and take concrete steps to prevent violence against women and girls.”

ODIHR Director Gísladóttir stressed that violence against women hinders their equal involvement in all spheres of life, including their political participation: “When women step out of the private sphere, demand their rights and contest patriarchy publicly, they are often exposed to violence in politics. There is a need for improved data on violence against women in public life, including during elections. Our Office can use such data to support participating States in designing more effective prevention and mitigation interventions to remove the stigma associated with such violence and hold perpetrators accountable.”

The OSCE participating States have adopted three Ministerial Council decisions on preventing and combating violence against women, including most recently in December 2018 in Milan. This Ministerial Council decision calls on participating States to take concrete action to address the root causes of violence against women and girls.

For PDF attachments or links to sources of further information, please visit: http://www.osce.org/chairmanship/413687

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Katharina Kandt

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