Overall, the law has failed women. Although governments and the international community have invested heavily in legal systems, in many settings, women still suffer appalling violence and discrimination. In some countries, rape is endemic; in others, girls are bought and sold in settlement of family debt; forced and underage marriage, domestic violence and femicide remain all too common. Women's oppression and suffering is compounded by civil conflict. Under the guide of religion or ideology, the desire to control women's bodies or garb persists. For these reasons, IDLO has made gender cross-cutting theme in all its work, as well as the focus of distinct research and programming.
(Photo: ILO/Sarah-Jane Saltmarsh)
STATEMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LAW ORGANIZATION
33rd Session of the Human Rights Council: The Causes and Consequences of Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls, Including Those with Disabilities
September 20, 2016
Geneva
Don Ramón’s* niece took him to the hospital one day with the pretext of a check-up and never came back for him. In his seventies and recovering from a road accident, he had become a burden on the family.
For 12 years, Alicia slept by the side of a man who beat and abused her, and once left her for dead after attacking her with a pipe. She felt she had no alternative.
According to some estimates, one in three Mongolian women is a victim of domestic violence and approximately one-half of all administrative detainees and one-quarter of criminal detainees have been held for domestic violence-related offenses.
Promoting increased accountability for sexual and gender-based violence in Liberia.
While Tunisia has long served as a regional model of women’s rights, actual implementation of the Constitution’s provisions on women’s rights and the eradication of all forms of gender-based violence (GBV) remains a challenge.
Rates of sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) remain high in Uganda due to cultural practices, continued internal displacement, and low capacity of the justice system. IDLO is working to advance accountability for SGBV crimes committed in times of or after armed conflict in Uganda.
After the brutal rape of a young woman in New Delhi in 2012, the issue of violence against women in India was thrust into the spotlight. The intensity of the national outcry in the aftermath led to the establishment of the Verna Committee, a governmental branch dedicated to addressing the issue of violence against women.
IDLO gathered with representatives from the World Bank, development actors and think tanks in the field of security & justice reform to participate in a round table discussion at the World Bank’s Fragility Forum 2016 in Washington, DC.
More than a decade after the civil war in Liberia ended, sexual violence remains rife.
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