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Violence against women,
in its various forms and degrees, is a reality as universal as it
is ancient. There is no corner of the world which is exempt. In
every country, in every culture, violence against women is part
of both traditional cultures and everyday reality. It is one of
the clearest manifestations of women's oppression and inequality,
of the way in which women are considered as human beings not enjoying
full rights, half-human, second-category human beings.
The health and physical
and mental integrity of every person depend on the right to a life
of dignity and free from violence, on the right to security and
social peace and on the promotion of equal opportunities. Measures
against discrimination should be considered fundamental legal rights
to be safeguarded under various laws.
Although some efforts
have been made to fight violence against women, these have proved
to be insufficient, since this scourge is still being dismissed
as a private matter and not a serious crime which bears witness
to the discrimination and exclusion on grounds of gender and age
to which women are subject.
Officially recorded
data and statistics still fail to reflect the magnitude of this
problem, even though the facts show that violence against women
affects at least one woman in three, and that for every crime reported
there are at least another six which are not made public.
Actions of women's organisations
both at national and international level have played a fundamental
role in raising and debating these issues and placing them on the
agenda of governments.
It is recognised today
that violence against women constitutes a violation of human rights
and is one of the factors which make the family, the home, which
is supposed to be the safest of places, a breeding ground for crime.
Violence against women
in its various forms, including femicide, which is the most aggressive
and grievous form of violence against women, is an expression of
a society in which discrimination against women and unequal power
relations derived from a patriarchal system are still a reality.
Violence against women
has a negative impact on and impedes the construction of social
peace. Action is required from governments and the international
community to eradicate it.
Therefore Socialist
International Women:
Calls on all
governments to comply with all the commitments deriving from Conventions,
Treaties and Conferences on the Human Rights of women and children,
and to ensure that their actions are reflected in equality plans,
public policy, legislation and measures in favour of equality and
parity between the sexes;
Calls on governments
at local, national and regional level to promote comprehensive legislative
reforms in order to eliminate all forms of discrimination and to
attend to, prevent, punish and eradicate violence against women
and girls;
Stresses that
states must provide for easy access to legal justice and for specialised
services in government agencies and courts of law which are suited
to the needs and the cultural diversity of Mexico and other countries,
as well as information on international legal jurisdictions;
Urges the government
of Mexico to develop the policies and actions established in the
Programme for Action on Violence Against Women, in order to prevent
illegal and criminal behaviour in society and to promote the establishment
of adequate support bodies at state, municipal and community level
and
Encourages journalists
and the media in general to work in every possible way to promote
the transmission of messages free of gender stereotyping and to
develop harmonious and egalitarian relationships between women and
men, with respect for human rights.
Furthermore Socialist
International Women, deeply concerned and shocked by the femicides
in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua and elsewhere in Mexico, as well as
other such murders committed in other parts of this continent, strongly
requests expeditious justice, reparation for harm and the severe
punishment of perpetrators and those who have passively colluded
with them and urges the Mexican government to give an account of
the work of the Special Prosecutor for the investigation of the
femicides and of the Special Commission for Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua.
Finally Socialist International
Women wishes to state that its stance in relation to the government
of Mexico and of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean
participating in this meeting, will be one of ongoing condemnation
and struggle against actions of discrimination and social exclusion
at whatever level of government, in different authorities and different
areas of society.
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