New York – Ten UN member states on Tuesday, submitted voluntary reviews of progress towards the conclusions from the fifty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) 2013.
The CSW agreement focuses on ending violence against women.
The States that presented their self-assessment are Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, Estonia, Japan, Romania, Sweden, Tunisia and Turkey.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Brazil, Japan, Romania, Sweden and Tunisia signed on to the UN Women’s initiative, pledging to undertake specific measures to address violence against women and girls.
Also Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Estonia, Japan, Romania, Sweden and Tunisia joined the UN Women’s more recent `Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up initiative’.
They agreed to make national commitment to close the gender equality gap in a range of areas, some of which relate specifically to ending violence against women.
NAN reports that the “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality”, ask governments to make national commitments to address the challenges that are holding women and girls back from reaching their full potential.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development also provides a comprehensive road-map for the future of people and planet.
Empowering women and girls is central to achieving the SDGs.
NAN recalls that by the end of 2013, Nigeria and 62 other UN member states and the EU had joined the initiative and announced specific measures to address violence against women and girls.
These ranged from passing or improving laws, ratifying international conventions, launching public awareness campaigns, providing safe houses or free hotline services and free legal aid to survivors.
Others are supporting education programmes that address gender stereo-types and violence, as well as increasing the number of women in law enforcement, peacekeeping forces and frontline services.
NAN reports that Nigeria is committed to protect the rights and dignity of women through campaigns, policies and programmes.
The Federal Government of Nigeria is committed to strengthening laws and implementing strategic actions aimed at ending domestic violence.
A copy of Nigeria’s commitment was made available to NAN in New York.
It showed that the government has broaden its campaign to sensitise the Nigerian public through family-oriented policies and programmes inter alia, aimed at preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls.
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The Federal Government would also criminalise such acts as a deterrent measure as well.
It would also broaden the implementation of National Gender Policy and the Child Policy and Plan of Action.
NAN recalls that in 2013, the CSW reached a global consensus that discrimination and violence against women and girls have no place in today’s world.
It agreed on a comprehensive blueprint of actions to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.
The “agreed conclusions” adopted by the CSW, covered all forms of violence against women and girls, in all contexts and settings.
Others are emerging forms of violence, such as cyber stalking and cyber bullying, gender-related killings, or femicide, and the need for safety in public spaces, among others. (NAN)