From 9 November to 4 December, a subject book exhibition “A woman: equality, dignity, freedom and security”, devoted to the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, works in Documents of International Organizations reading room (room 207g).
This day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly on 17 December, 1999 (resolution 54/134). This event is annually commemorated on 25 November. The historical prerequisite to this Day became the event which happened in the Dominican Republic on 25 November 1960. By order of dominican ruler Rafael Trujillo sisters Mirabal, political activists, were brutally killed.
Violence against women is widespread in the world and peculiar to all societies and cultures, not depending on race, nationality, social status, income, an origin or other circumstances. It roots in historical inequality, in relations between men and women, and also in unceasing discrimination. Violence is a complex phenomenon characterized by different forms and manifestations. It can have physical, sexual, psychological and economic forms. These forms are interrelated, their influence on women’s life begins from their birth and continues to old age. At least, each third woman in the world in their life experienced beatening, compulsion to sex or any other forms of cruel treatment usually from their close person. Each fifth woman in the world during their life becomes a victim of sexual violence or attempted rape. Annually from 500 thousand to 3 million people, mostly women and children, become victims of human traffic and they are forced to be engaged in prostitution, forced labour or get in slavery or servitude.
All over the world women are that force which joins families, communities and nations. Violence against women is a cruel violation of human rights. It can cause huge social and economic costs. It is a serious threat for the achievement of international and coordinated purposes in the field of development.
Complex and regular efforts of governments, international organizations and all interested parties are needed for its elimination. With regard to importance of this problem in February 2008 United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s declared the beginning of carrying out End Violence against Women campaign aimed to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls in all parts of the world. This campaign, carried out during 2008-2015, calls to mobilize public opinion to prevent and punish violence against women and that all these actions will be at the highest political level.
Proposed materials of the exhibition reveals many-sided activity of the United Nations, other international organizations, women’s movements and societies, aimed to make violation against women frequent and make it a question of nationwide scale.
The exposition includes over 60 documents in Russian and English: books, periodicals, UN’s mimeographed materials, brochures, booklets.
The exhibition consists of following sections:
- The International legal documents aimed at elimination of violence against women;
- Possible ways of solving problems of violence against women in the Republic of Belarus;
- Measures on prevention and suppression of violence against women in a family;
- A woman and armed conflicts;
- A woman as goods – a problem of human traffic;
- The Social inequality and gender discrimination.
The exhibition will be interesting to students, teachers, social care teachers, psychologists, specialists in the field of counteraction to human traffic, activists of legal and nongovernmental organizations.
Useful references:
- UN Women’s Strategy*
- International educational and scientific research institute on improvement of women’s status
- The Commission on the Status of Women
- Office of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI)*
- The United Nations Division for the advancement of women*
- UN’s activity on improvement of the status of women
- The UN works on improvement of the status of women
- Women, peace and safety
- The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and its Optional Protocol: Handbook for Parlamentarians, Inter-Parliamentary Union
- Advancement of Women
- Gender equality
- The Session of the Commission on the status of women [Beijing +10] (New York, 28 February – 11 March, 2005)
- The Special Session of General Assembly[Beijing +5] (New York, 5–9 June, 2000)
- The Fourth World Conference on Women(Beijing +10, 4–5 September, 1995)
Documents:
- General Assembly’s Resolutions
- Security Council resolutions
- The Economic and Social Council resolutions
- The Secretary-General’s reports
Declarations, conventions and agreements:
- Crime prevention and criminal justice measures to eliminate violence against women(1997)
- Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (1993)
- The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979) (See also Optional protocol)
Additional documents:
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