Around the world, millions are effectively punished before they are tried. Legally entitled to be considered innocent and released pending trial, many accused are instead held in pretrial detention, where they are subjected to torture, exposed to life threatening disease, victimized by violence, and pressured for bribes. It is literally worse than being convicted: pretrial detainees routinely experience worse conditions than sentenced prisoners. The suicide rate among pretrial detainees is three times higher than among convicted prisoners, and ten times that of the outside community. Pretrial detention harms individuals, families, and communities; wastes state resources and human potential; and undermines the rule of law.
The arbitrary and excessive use of pretrial detention is a massive and widely ignored pattern of human rights abuse that affects—by a conservative estimate—15 million people a year. The right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty is universal, but at this moment some 3.3 million people are behind bars, waiting for a trial that may be months or even years away. No right is so broadly accepted in theory, but so commonly violated in practice. It is fair to say that the global overuse of pretrial detention is the most overlooked human rights crisis of our time.
Photo: UN/DPI
More than half-way through an international campaign to end violence against women, a top United Nations expert on the issue is calling for a binding international legal standard that holds Member States accountable in fighting this widespread human rights violation.
According to UN estimates, one in three women worldwide is a victim of violence.
“With global estimates reaching epidemic proportions, it is deplorable that combatting violence against women has not yet attracted the same level of focus, commitment and resources as non-gendered crimes,” Ms. Rashida Manjoo, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women said today in a statement.
“The time has come to move beyond awareness-raising campaigns and the highlighting of statistics,” she urged.
The absence of a legally binding agreement at the international level is one of gravest obstacles to the promotion and protection of women’s rights and gender equality.
Geneva - The absence of a legally binding agreement at the international level represents one of the obstacles to the promotion and protection of women’s rights and gender equality, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Rashida Manjoo, reiterated today.
More than half-way through the international campaign against violence against women and in anticipation of Human Rights Day on 10 December, Ms. Manjoo reminded the international community that violence against women continues to be a widespread and pervasive human rights violation, and called for the adoption of different norms and measures to fight it around the world.
“Last week, we commemorated the international day for the elimination of violence against women, which is also the start of the 16 days of activism campaign on violence against women. The time has come to move beyond awareness-raising campaigns and the highlighting of statistics.
Dr. Denis Mukwege of Congo during his acceptance speech
26 November 2014 -"Women's bodies have become a true battlefield and rape is being used as a weapon of war," said Congolese gynaecologist Denis Mukwege as he accepted the 2014 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in Strasbourg on Wednesday 26 November 2014. Dr Mukwege was honoured by the European Parliament for dedicating his life to helping thousands of victims of gang rape and brutal sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
EP President Martin Schulz expressed his admiration and deepest respect for Dr Mukwege's work as a medical doctor and his campaign for women’s dignity and justice and peace in his country. "The impunity for rape in armed conflicts is something that must be brought to an end," said Schulz. "It needs to be punished just like every other war crime."
Schulz also welcomed representatives from the 2014 Sakharov Prize finalists present in the public: Ielyzaveta Shchepetylnykova, fromthe Euromaidan movement in Ukraine, and Dinara Yunus, the daughter of Leyla Yunus, founder of the Institute for Peace and Democracy in Azerbaijan who is still incarcerated.
By Charlotte Bunch and Roxanna Carrillo
Today we celebrate another milestone in the recognition of Violence Against Women as a major global concern. The Empire State Building, the United Nations Headquarters and Times Square in New York are lit up in orange for International Day Against Violence Against Women - the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism Campaign. This “orange your neighborhood” #OrangeUrHood initiative from UN Women and the Secretary General’s UNite Campaign is used to “symbolize a brighter future without violence.”
For us, the “orange” comes from the fire ignited by the many women’s groups dedicated to combatting violence against women around the world.
This UN initiative must be kept closely linked to civil society, where work against violence against women has its origins, and on whose efforts it still depends. The 16 Days began in 1991 in many parts of the world simultaneously, as an NGO led campaign to highlight violence against women as a human rights issue. Since then, it has grown steadily and is owned by many – women’s groups, NGOs, governments, and international organizations like the UN. This is a good thing and the more allies the better. But such work relies on the day-to-day commitment of women’s organizations everywhere. Research has shown that the presence of a strong women’s movement is the most important factor in changing policies around violence against women.
