UN OFFICIALS IN AFGHANISTAN URGE RATIFICATION OF LAW TO ELIMINATE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

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From: UNNews <UNNews@un.org>
Date: 20 May 2013 14:00:01 -0400
Subject: UN OFFICIALS IN AFGHANISTAN URGE RATIFICATION OF LAW TO
ELIMINATE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
To: news11@ny-mail-p-lb-028.ptc.un.org

UN OFFICIALS IN AFGHANISTAN URGE RATIFICATION OF LAW TO ELIMINATE
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMENNew York, May 20 2013 2:00PMSenior United
Nations officials in Afghanistan are today urging the Government to
fully implement legislation to protect women from child marriage and
other forms of violence, in line with international commitments, after
the Afghan Parliament failed to ratify the law over the weekend.

President Hamid Karzai passed the Elimination of Violence against
Women (EVAW) law with a presidential decree in 2009, but law has yet
to be ratified by the Parliament. The debate was halted on 18 May
after law makers

"The international community – as well as the Security Council –
expects that Afghan authorities will respect and promote Afghanistan's
domestic and international obligations and legal norms in the field of
human rights, notably the rights of woman children," according to a
news release jointly sent today by the UN Assistance Mission in
Afghanistan (UNAMA) and UN Women in Afghanistan.

Jan Kubiš, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for
Afghanistan and UNAMA head,
<"http://unama.unmissions.org/Default.aspx?tabid=12254&ctl=Details&mid=15756&ItemID=36838&language=en-US">said
the law is "critical" for all of Afghan society, "Progress in
implementing the EVAW law contributes to deterring harmful practices
and protecting women from violence in their daily lives."

The UN Women representative in Afghanistan, Ingibjorg Gisladottir,
urged the Afghan Government and Parliament to fully respect and defend
the fundamental rights of women and girls by ensuring that the EVAW
law is implemented.

"It is imperative for the development of Afghanistan that women are
able to exercise their rights and be free from violence in their homes
and workplaces," Ms. Gisladottir said.

The EVAW law criminalized numerous forms of violence, including child
marriage, forced marriage, the selling and buying of women for the
purpose or under the pretext of marriage, the traditional practice of
ba'ad which requires the giving away of a woman or a girl to settle a
dispute, forced self-immolation and 17 other acts of violence
including rape and physical abuse, while also specifying punishment
for the perpetrators.

According to a UNAMA study released in December, there was "still a
long way to go" in implementing the law due to "dramatic"
under-reporting of violence and gaps in investigations as a result of
cultural restraints, social norms, and taboos, as well as insecurity
and weak rule of law.

In today's statement, the UN Mission and UN Women also call on
international donors to support the Government in meeting its latest
commitments on gender equality, women's empowerment and the
implementation of the EVAW law by developing a joint monitoring
framework with specific indicators to measure progress in these areas,
with development assistance based on progress made.

The commitments were agreed to by Afghan authorities and the
international community at the Tokyo conference in July 2012.May 20
2013 2:00PM
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