[Vnbiz] Women's Day: Ending Impunity for Violence Against Women

[Tran Dinh Hoanh]

Dear CACC,

Happy Women's Day.

The UN has identified violence against women and girls "the most pervasive"
human rights violation today and has dedicated this year's International
Women's Day to Ending Impunity for Violence Against Women.  The ADB holds
seminars on violence against women on this Women's Day.

This problem is of global proportion.  I am glad that chi Hao has raised
this issue.  Below is an article on the webpage of Asian Development Bank
entitled "Uniting to End Impunity for Violence Against Women."  Let's work
together to insure the safety and happiness of our others and sisters.

Have a great day!

Hoanh

_____________________

http://www.adb.org/Media/Articles/2007/11584-asian-women-violence/default.asp

Uniting to End Violence Against Women
*By Graham Dwyer  *

THE UN has identified violence against women and girls "the most pervasive"
human rights violation that we know today. Statistics from the world over,
including the Asia and Pacific region, paint a clear picture of the social
and health consequences of violence against women.

In recognition of the seriousness of the issue, the UN has dedicated this
year's International Women's Day to Ending Impunity for Violence Against
Women, an event that ADB is marking on 8 March.

According to the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM),
violence against women is a major cause of death and disability for women
aged 16 to 44 years – as serious a threat as cancer and a greater cause of
ill heath than traffic accidents and malaria combined.

This violence can take many forms, including rape, assault, trafficking,
harassment, and female genital mutilation. In most cases, the abuser will be
a member of the woman's family or someone close to her.

The economic costs are considerable. Such violence impoverishes not only
individuals, but families, communities, and governments, and stalls economic
development of each nation, the UN says.

"Violence against women goes beyond being a tragedy on a personal scale but
is an issue of fundamental justice that interferes with women's capacity to
participate fully in their country's development," says Robert Dobias,
Director of ADB's Gender, Social Development and Civil Society Division.

"Therefore, the relationship between violence against women and maternal
mortality, health care, child survival, AIDS prevention, legal rights,
economic costs, and sustainable development are receiving increasing
attention."

In 48 population-based surveys from around the world, reported by the World
Health Organization in 2003, 10-69% of women reported being physically
assaulted by an intimate male partner at some time.

Such domestic violence is now also seen as not only entailing private costs
to the individual but constraining human development and economic growth,
undermining the viability of the family or household as a key unit of
production.

Costs to the country's health care and legal systems, loss in production,
and emotional stress and other social costs all have a direct impact on
economic growth.

"If the level of violence against women could be sharply reduced, the social
and economic advantages to the country would be significant,"
according to ADB's
Policy on Gender and
Development<http://www.adb.org/Documents/Policies/Gender/default.asp?p=genpol>.


ADB has been supporting the drafting and sensitization of gender-responsive
legislation (such as the Gender Equality Law in Viet Nam, and the Law on
Prevention of Domestic Violence and Protection of the Victims in Cambodia).
ADB's projects incorporate specific aspects of violence against
women<http://www.adb.org/Gender/violence.asp>,
human trafficking and illegal migration, and the critical interface between
HIV/AIDS and violence. These demonstrate ADB's tangible concern for legally
protecting and empowering women in Asia and the Pacific, and complement
initiatives by governments, civil society and other development partners.

On Women's Day, ADB will host a half-day seminar on Ending Impunity for
Violence Against
Women<http://www.adb.org/Documents/Events/2007/International-Womens-Day/IWD-program.pdf>,
featuring representatives from ADB management and staff, and prominent legal
advisors from some of its member countries.

They will address such topics as Legal Protection of Women's Health and
Reproductive Rights and Female Migrant Workers and Trafficked Women.

ADB will also launch a Gender, Law, and Policy
Toolkit<http://www.adb.org/Documents/Manuals/Gender-Toolkit/Gender-Law-Policy-Toolkit.asp>for
ADB staff and consultants working in the field. The toolkit aims to
raise awareness of gender implications of their work on law and policy
reforms and suggest practical approaches for addressing these in loans,
technical assistance and country strategies.

Visit ADB's Gender and Development
website<http://www.adb.org/Gender/default.asp>.


*Graham Dwyer is a Media Relations Specialist with the Asian Development
Bank.*

About ADB <http://www.adb.org/Media/Articles/2002/445_About_ADB/>




  (c) 2007 Asian Development Bank




-- 
Tran Dinh Hoanh, LLB, JD
Attorney of Law
Washington DC
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