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Some interesting paragraphs in the new draft


Today the government delegations went through the new version of the draft agreed conclusions (see 2 posts back). The draft continues to be a strong one, thanks to the good 0 draft that we started out with. Below follows a selection of some of the key paragraphs. I have tried to add some new issues that I did not write about previously.

(This is just a selection, as there is so much to discuss. Another update will follow tomorrow morning)



Intimate partner violence
Currently there are six references in the text to “domestic and intimate partner violence”. How it is crucial that intimate partner violence remains in the text. Why? One of the reasons I already explained in a previous post. The other is that “domestic” only refers to partners living together in the same house. Whereas partner violence also takes place in relationships between people who do nót live together, for example between couples who are dating. 

5 bis. [The Commission recognizes the important role of the family in combating violence against women and girls, including domestic violence and intimate partner violence, and the need to support its capacity to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls. It recognizes that domestic violence remains widespread and affects women of all social strata across the world and the need to eliminate such violence.]

For example the Holy See, Russia, Singapore(!)  and the African Group want to have the reference to intimate partner violence out. The EU, Switzerland, Norway, Brazil and Turkey are strongly in favour, with Turkey adding to modify family to “families”, because there are different types of families including single parent and child headed household. This is agreed language from Beijing para 29.


Femicide/feminicide
This can be defined as “the murder of women because they are women”. This has been included in the text thanks to the strong voices of women from Latin America, particularly Mexico. The term is included in the text 4 times. In paragraph New 7 sext supra it is recognized; b ter) calls to adopt laws to punish it; j bis) calls for standardization to investigate it; hh bis) calls for police records and the judiciary to collect statistic and disaggregated data. Some countries (Pakistan, Russia) have said today they want to make this region specific because it does not take place everywhere. Whereas the EU is happy it is included in the text, and the Latin American countries have stressed that while “feminicide” may be a term coming from their region, the killing of women because they are women happens everywhere.


Women, peace and security
There’s a whole bunch of language in the text for those of you working on UNSCR1325/1820 issues. This para is a strong one and located on the first page of the text:

2 ter Facilitator’s proposal (combined with 8 bis): The Commission recalls the inclusion of gender-related crimes and crimes of sexual violence in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, as well as the recognition by the ad hoc international criminal tribunals that rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute a war crime, a crime against humanity or a constitutive act with respect to genocide or torture. It also recalls the contribution of the ad hoc international criminal tribunals to ending impunity, by ensuring accountability and punishing perpetrators of violence against women.

See also paragraphs d) referring to security council resolutions; d quat), d quin) to end impunity.


Right to mobility and own property
A strong and of additional value paragraph has been proposed by Turkey and Jordan, hurray! They will work on it the coming day(s):

m quin) [Refrain/desist from using [wrongful] social justifications for denying women their basic rights including the right to travel, the right to own property and the right to be protected by criminal law on an equal basis with men / freedom of movement/right to mobility/ right to own property and the right to the equal protection of the law]; (Turkey to work with Jordan)



= Joni van de Sand = 
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