16 June 2016 - This year, we have celebrated three historic firsts for combatting sexual violence in conflict. All of these were long overdue and all had one thing in common: the unstoppable force of women’s voice and leadership.
In February, a national court in Guatemala convicted two former military officers of committing sexual violence during the country’s civil war—the first time that a national court anywhere in the world considered charges of sexual slavery during armed conflict. Women’s organizations worked for years with indigenous women to develop their case, which was presented in the court by Guatemala’s female Attorney General before a female presiding judge.
In March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) handed down its first conviction for sexual and gender-based crimes. An all-female panel of three judges presided over the case against former Congolese Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba, who was brought to justice by a female prosecutor, thanks to unprecedented levels of participation of women victims and witnesses from the Central African Republic.
Fact sheet - Updated June 2016
Key facts
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Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a group of viruses that are extremely common worldwide.
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There are more than 100 types of HPV, of which at least 13 are cancer-causing (also known as high risk type).
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HPV is mainly transmitted through sexual contact and most people are infected with HPV shortly after the onset of sexual activity.
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Cervical cancer is caused by sexually acquired infection with certain types of HPV.
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Two HPV types (16 and 18) cause 70% of cervical cancers and precancerous cervical lesions.
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There is also evidence linking HPV with cancers of the anus, vulva, vagina and penis.
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Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women living in less developed regions with an estimated 445 000 new cases in 2012 (84% of the new cases worldwide).
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In 2012, approximately 270 000 women died from cervical cancer; more than 85% of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries.
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Vaccines against HPV 16 and 18 have been approved for use in many countries.
A female doctor at hospital performing an operation at a hospital in India. Photo: World Bank/John Isaac
7 March 2016 – Despite some modest gains in some regions in the world, millions of women are losing ground in their quest for equality in the world of work, according to a new report prepared by the United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO) as part of the its Women at Work Centenary Initiative .
“The report shows the enormous challenges women continue to face in finding and keeping decent jobs,” said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder in a press release.
“Our actions must be immediate, effective and far-reaching. There is no time to waste. The 2030 Agenda is an opportunity to pool our efforts and develop coherent, mutually supporting policies for gender equality,” he added.
The human rights-based approach to social protection requires states to ensure that social protection programmes are designed, implemented and monitored taking into account the differences in the experiences of men and women. The impacts of social protection programmes are not gender neutral. As such, States must ensure that programmes address women’s specific needs throughout the different phases of their lives, from childhood to old age. The programmes should factor in women’s care role as well as the differences in access to services and productive work between men and women.
Numerous international and regional legal instruments oblige States parties to ensure that men and women enjoy all their rights on an equal basis. The most important of these instruments is the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which seeks substantive equality and requires states to transform unequal power relations between women and men and ensure that all human beings can develop and make choices without the limitations set by stereotypes, rigid gender roles and prejudices (Article 5). Under CEDAW, States parties are required by law to take all appropriate measures to modify or abolish domestic policies, regulations, customs and practices that discriminate against women (Article 2). With regards to the right to social security specifically, Recommendation No. 202, para 3d) underlines gender-equality as a corner stone to the establishment and maintenance of national social protection systems.
