EUROPE MUST TAKE THE LEAD TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

[Jacaylbaro]

9 August 2007 - The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is calling on the European Council to meet the commitments it made in May to push through a major increase in efforts to end violence against women across the world.

 

With United Nations investigator, Yakin Erturk, this month describing the levels of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo as the worst she has ever seen, the need to step up efforts to halt the violence is clearer than ever.

 

Thousands of women are beaten or raped every day, especially in countries either at war or recovering from conflict. Violence against women not only has a devastating impact on the survivors themselves, but also on their children and families, severely undermining a whole community's ability to achieve peaceful development.

 

"As one of the world's largest aid donors, the European Union has a central role to play in making women's lives safer," said Sarah Hughes, Director of the IRC's London office. "Unless the violence is stemmed no amount of aid money will bring peace, justice or development to countries recovering from conflict."

 

The IRC plays a leading role in tackling violence against women in war-torn areas. Its programmes around the world, in places like Liberia, DR Congo and Thailand, provide support to survivors of violence, train justice officials and community leaders to prosecute perpetrators and monitor courts to make sure cases are treated fairly.

 

The IRC is petitioning the new EU presidency, headed by Portugal's José Sócrates, to lead the way through targeted aid programmes and by speaking out wherever abuses occur. Supporters are urged to add their voice to the campaign at www.ircuk.org.

 

Contact For more information, please contact:

 

Lydia Gomersall, Media & Communications Advisor, London +44 (0)20 7692 2741; lydia.gomersall@ircuk.org

 

Hervé de Baillenx, Director, IRC Belgium +32 2 511 4300; hdebaillenx@theirc.org

[Shumey]

In comparison to others before her, Prof. & Special Rapporteur Ertuk is doing a good job on VAW. Her recent research on 'the role and influence of culture' in VAW is worthy of an award.

 

Indeed, as ICR says the EU has a fundamental role to play in "making women's lives better". But EU migrant policy also has caused ( and is still causing) much violence and misery to migrant, 'illegal' and refugee women. So the question arises which women? which lives? and what violence? Police are kicking doors of innocent families (including pregnant women and children) at midnight and secretly deporting them to camps throughout Europe...esp The NLs. Sometimes the children need medical attention 24/7. But who will pay for this once they become deportees?

 

The EU has a very discriminatroy policy.

 

 

ICRH (created by Prof. Dr. Marleen Temmerman, thanks to her) has evidence on this; http://www.icrh.org/news/new-publications-on-sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-rights