Don't be silent! Women and violence

From November 23, 2022 to January 9, 2023, the Official Documents Service Department (room 207) will open a thematic exhibition “Don't be silent! Women and violence”, dedicated to the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

The presented documents reflect the multifaceted activities of the UN, other international organizations, women's movements and associations aimed at combating violence against women, introduce various aspects of studying gender issues, and reveal the role of women in modern society.

The exhibition features about 100 documents in Russian, English, French and German: books, periodicals, mimeographed UN materials, booklets, leaflets.

Among the submitted documents: international and national standards legal documents, reports of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, monographs, proceedings of scientific and practical conferences, training aids.

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly on December 17, 1999 (resolution 54/134) and is celebrated annually on November 25.

Violence against women is widespread throughout the world and is inherent in all societies and cultures, affecting women regardless of their race, ethnicity, social status, wealth, origin or any other circumstances. This the phenomenon is complex and multifaceted. It manifests itself in completely obvious facts, and is veiled under the phenomena that have already become familiar to our lives. In order to eliminate this definitively, comprehensive measures are needed, enshrined in law and of a public nature.

Aware of the importance of this issue, on 20 December 1993, the General Assembly adopted Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (A/RES/48/104), and in February 2008, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the launch of the "End Violence against Women Together" campaign. In 2017, the European Union and the United Nations launched a new long-term global initiative, Ray of Light, aimed at eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls.

In the Republic of Belarus, much attention is paid to addressing the problems of violence against women. The strategy of our state's activity is aimed at preventing, suppressing and eradicating this evil. Our country also follows this strategy in the international arena. Belarus has organized a number of international events aimed at building an effective global partnership against slavery and human trafficking in the 21st century and violence against women.

Useful links

Declarations, conventions and agreements:

• Model strategies and practical measures for the Elimination of violence against Women in Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (1997)
• Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (1993)
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979) (see also Optional Protocol)
• Guide for parliamentarians: Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and its Optional Protocol
• Declarations on the Rights of Women
• Conventions on the Rights of Women

Additional resources:

• International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
• Women, peace and security
• International Women's Day (March 8)
• International Rural Women's Day (October 15)
• Human Rights Day (December 10)

The UN system:

• UN-Women structure
• Department of Economic and Social Affairs
• Statistics on women around the world (2020)
• Global 16-day campaign
• 16 days of active actions
• "Together, end violence against women"
• Facts that everyone should know
• COVID-19 and violence against women

The opening hours of the exhibition corresponds to the library’s opening hours.
Entrance to the exhibition is available by the library ticket or ticket of the library's social and cultural center.

For more info: (+375 17) 293 27 26.

The article is provided by the Official Documents Service Department.