FMSMUN 12 UNITED NATIONS ENTITY FOR GENDER EQUALITY …€¦ · FMSMUN 12 UNITED NATIONS ENTITY FOR GENDER EQUALITY AND THE EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN STATE OF THE WORLD’S WOMEN 2020

1

FMSMUN 12 UNITED NATIONS ENTITY FOR GENDER EQUALITY

AND THE EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN

STATE OF THE WORLD’S WOMEN 2020

Author: Sasha Ahles, Heather Ahles, & Brian D. Sutliff

“Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”1

Introduction

The pursuit of gender equality and the empowerment of women continues to be an effort

that requires international attention and progress. The international human rights standards

provide an understanding of gender equality – substantive equality for women – that goes

beyond formal equality to emphasize women’s enjoyment of their rights in practice. Equality

should be understood in relation not only to opportunities but also to outcomes. Unequal

outcomes may result from indirect as well as direct discrimination.2 “The international human

rights system clarifies the obligations of States to respect, protect and fulfil human rights. States,

therefore, have a proactive role as arbiters of social and economic rights.”3

Achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment depends on collective

commitment and action.4 Most recently, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the

Empowerment of Women (UN Women) put together a report pinpointing an area of focus. As

women’s rights have advanced over the past decades, families around the world have become a

place of love and solidarity but also one where fundamental human rights violations and gender

inequalities persist, according to the UN Women’s new flagship report, Progress of the World’s

Women 2019-2020: Families in a Changing World. “Around the world, we are witnessing

concerted efforts to deny women’s agency and their right to make their own decisions in the

name of protecting ‘family values’. Yet, we know through research and evidence that there is no

‘standard’ form of family, nor has there ever been,” said UN Women Executive Director,

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. “This report counters that pushback by showing that families, in all

their diversity, can be critical drivers of gender equality, provided decision-makers deliver

policies rooted in the reality of how people live today, with women’s rights at their core.”

1 United Nations, “Sustainable Development Goals,” 2015.

2 UNWOMEN, Progress of the World's Women 2015-2016 - Summary - Transforming Economies, Realizing Rights,

2015, page 26

3 UNWOMEN, Progress of the World's Women 2015-2016 - Summary - Transforming Economies, Realizing Rights,

2015, page 27

4 UN Women (2019). UN Women Annual Report 2018-2019. Retrieved from http://www2.unwomen.org/-

/media/annual%20report/attachments/sections/library/2019/un-women-annual-report-2018-2019-en.pdf?vs=4621

2

Scale of the Problem

It is the position of UN Women to end violence against women, expand women’s choices

and capabilities, and give women a voice within households, and in public and private decision-

making spheres. Since 2012, much movement has been made towards a more equal playing

field; however, there is more that needs to be done. While women frequently enjoy more rights

and greater economic autonomy today, demographic trends that include declining marriage rates,

a lessening of the link between marriage and parenthood, and longer life spans, particularly for

women, create challenging situations for a world population that becomes increasingly female

and economically vulnerable as it ages. “Globally, the sex ratio is 95 men per 100 women in the

60 to 64 age group, but declines to 70 per 100 in the 80 to 84 age group, and to 45 per 100 in the

90 to 94 age group.”5 Furthermore, the inequalities and inequities that women confront

frequently compound when issues of national origin or citizenship, race, religion, socioeconomic

status, marital status, status of disability, and orientation are considered.

Protections for the rights of women and girls begin and end in the legal system.

According to Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and

Executive Director, over 2.5 billion women and girls around the world suffer the consequences

of discriminatory laws and gaps in legal protections. These overwhelming figures make it clear

that equality needs to be guaranteed through the legal system. This new strategy on equality in

the law seeks to fast-track the repeal of discriminatory laws in 100 countries by 2023. Areas of

importance include, but are not limited to, the following: government support that enforces

equality for women; economic empowerment for women; and eliminating violence against

women.

Access to equal opportunity

Women across the world, even with adequate levels of education, still lack equal access

to opportunity. Despite decades of notable progress, [..] a reality in which opportunities are not

defined by gender has yet to be universally achieved. Even more disconcerting, in too many

places around the globe, women exercising or even seeking their basic rights is interpreted as a

direct and destabilizing challenge to existing power structures. Some regimes are now trying to

roll back the hard-won rights of women and girls. […] Governments, the private sector and civil

society must reinvigorate and reinvest in policies as well as legal frameworks that will achieve

worldwide gender equality and inclusion.6

Ensuring that families are places of equality and are free from discrimination is essential

for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Meeting SDG 5, gender

equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, for example, demands the elimination of

violence and an end to harmful practices; ensuring women have access to economic resources,

including through equal inheritance rights and equality in family laws; and promoting shared

responsibility for the provision of unpaid care and domestic work, which falls disproportionately

on women’s shoulders. To ‘Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all’ (SDG 3),

5 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, “The World’s Women 2015: Trends and Statistics,”

ST/ESA/STAT/SER.K/20, 2015, p. 7. 6 Politico Magazine (2019, March 08). What Are the Biggest Problems Women Face Today?. Politico Magazine.

Retrieved from https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/03/08/women-biggest-problems-international-

womens-day-225698

3

women need access to reproductive healthcare and family planning; to ‘Ensure inclusive and

equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’ (SDG 4), girls

must be able to delay marriage and complete their schooling; to ‘Promote sustained, inclusive

and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all’

(SDG 8), family-friendly policies and workplace regulations must be in place, including those

that enable women and men to combine care giving with paid work.7

The Role for Public Action

States have a responsibility to support families, as a result of their human rights

obligations. Families have been recognized by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

(UDHR) as a fundamental unit of society, one which requires protection and assistance.

Additionally, the protection of the family is inherently linked to the principle of equality and

non-discrimination, especially with regard to marriage in international law. The Convention on

the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) makes clear that

family relations must be read in light of this principle (article 16). Applying it to the family

context implies that all laws, policies and practices regarding the family should be undertaken

without discriminating against individual members of the family or against any form of family.8

CEDAW also contested the artificial separation of the ‘public’ from the ‘private’ sphere

and made clear that States have as much obligation to ensure human rights are fulfilled in the

‘private’ world of marriage and family, as they do in the ‘public’ world of markets and politics.9

Additional conventions provide a legal framework and detailed policy guidance on a

comprehensive set of social, economic and cultural rights, including the obligation to ensure that

all couples and individuals have the right “to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing

and timing of their children” (ICPD Programme of Action), the obligation to eradicate violence

against women and girls in all its manifestations, including within families (CEDAW General

Recommendation 35), and the obligation to protect the rights of the child (CRC).10

While governments are the principle actors, duty bearers and champions of gender

equality and women’s rights, other key agents of change also have a role to play. Chief among

these are women’s rights and feminist organizations, which have historically been a major engine

of change, often building alliances with labor unions, faith organizations and the private sector to

change and implement laws and policies that advance gender equality within and outside the

family. The Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020 Report suggests a family-friendly

policy agenda which: 1) puts in place family laws based on diversity, equality and non-

discrimination; 2) ensures high-quality, accessible public services to support families and gender

7 UN Women (2019). Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020 – Summary, pg. 2-3. Retrieved from

http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/library/publications/2019/progress-of-the-

worlds-women-2019-2020-executive-summary-en.pdf?la=en&vs=3513 8 UN Women (2019). Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020 – Summary, pg. 7. Retrieved from






worlds-women-2019-2020-executive-summary-en.pdf?la=en&vs=3513

4

equality; 3) guarantees women’s access to adequate, independent income; 4) supports families to

care by providing time, money and services; 5) prevents and respond to violence against women

in families; 6) implements policies and regulations that support migrant families and women’s

rights; 7) invests in gender-sensitive data on families and households; 8) ensures resources are in

place for family-friendly policies.11

The Commission on the Status of Women urged Member States to implement family-

oriented policies aimed at achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women. The

Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020 Report proposes a policy package that would

guarantee access to basic income security and essential healthcare over the life cycle of all

people, in line with the ILO Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (No. 202); and ensure that

pre-school children and older adults can access quality care services. In addition to political will,

such a package of family-oriented policies requires sufficient resources. Analysis commissioned

for this Report shows that this is affordable for most countries.12

Women in Politics

Women around the world are finding gender equality elusive, despite significant gains.

When asked about the biggest challenge facing women internationally today, Amy Klobuchar,

U.S. senator from Minnesota, said: “One of the struggles that underlies all of our policy battles is

11 UN Women (2019). Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020 – Summary. Retrieved from




worlds-women-2019-2020-executive-summary-en.pdf?la=en&vs=3513

5

the continued lack of women in positions of power. From corporate boardrooms, to the courts,

and political leadership around the world, the lack of women in senior positions continues to

stymie progress on issue from pay to humanitarian aid to discrimination in all its forms. The

sooner we understand that the lack of women in leadership roles holds back not only women, but

all people, the sooner we will be able to advance society as a whole.” 13

Women and girls need the support of their respective local and national governments to

ensure equality. Women have continuously expanded their political rights so that, by 2016, 43

countries have reached or exceeded the 30 percent critical mass mark for women in parliament14

and 26 women serving as elected Heads of State or Government as of November 201915. While

elected officials garner the most attention, women are frequently underrepresented amongst

senior civil servants and in other key governmental posts, “including chief statisticians,

13 Politico Magazine (2019, March 08). What Are the Biggest Problems Women Face Today?. Politico Magazine.

Retrieved from https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/03/08/women-biggest-problems-international-

womens-day-225698

14 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, “The World’s Women 2015: Trends and Statistics,”

ST/ESA/STAT/SER.K/20, 2015, p. 121.

15 Theresa May’s prime ministership in the United Kingdom ended in June 2019 when she resigned.

6

governors and board members of central banks, ambassadors and permanent representatives to

the United Nations.”16 Alongside women’s greater political influence, there has been a growing

recognition of women’s rights, not only political and civil, but also economic, social and

cultural.17 “Enabling governance systems are essential for the achievement of gender equality

and women’s empowerment.”18 In practice, an important basis for achieving equality is having

laws in place that establish that women and men have equal rights. These then become a “central

reference point for political and cultural struggles, driving changes in social norms and popular

attitudes, as well as policy shifts.”19

“International human rights treaties—such as the Convention on the Elimination of All

Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the International Covenant on

Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)—are legally binding commitments that require

States to respect, protect and fulfil women’s rights. As such, they encapsulate a substantive

understanding of gender equality that can serve as both a vision and an agenda for action for

those seeking to advance women’s rights in today’s challenging context.”20 With the formalities

in place, it is important to ensure that the results of these laws actually eliminate disadvantages to

women. The achievement of substantive equality requires coordinated public action in three

interrelated areas: redressing women’s socioeconomic disadvantage; addressing stereotyping,

stigma and violence; and strengthening women’s agency, voice and participation.21

Economic Empowerment of Women

Fundamental to realizing women’s rights and well-being, and boosting the productivity of

economies at large, is decent work and social protection. Women’s access to material resources

of their own can enhance their economic security while amplifying their voices in intra-

household decision-making.22 Despite this, women still occupy a disproportionate share of poor-

quality jobs, endure a long-standing gender pay gap, and shoulder an unfair burden of unpaid

domestic and care work.23 Only 50% of women of working age are in the labor force, compared

to 77% of men. The gender gap in labor force participation remains especially large in Northern

16 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, “The World’s Women 2015: Trends and Statistics,” ST/ESA/STAT/SER.K/20, 2015, p. 129.

17 UNWOMEN, 2011-2012 Progress of the World’s Women – In Pursuit of Justice, page 8 18 United Nations, Executive Board of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of

Women, United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) Strategic Plan

2018-2021, 29-30 August 2017, page 14 19 UNWOMEN, Progress of the World's Women 2015-2016 - Summary - Transforming Economies, Realizing

Rights,

2015, page 3 20 UNWOMEN, Progress of the World's Women 2015-2016 - Summary - Transforming Economies, Realizing

Rights, 2015, page 4

21 UNWOMEN, Progress of the World's Women 2015-2016 - Summary - Transforming Economies, Realizing

Rights, 2015, page 4 22 UN Women (2019). Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020, pg. 109. Retrieved from


worlds-women-2019-2020-en.pdf?la=en&vs=3512 23 UN Women (2019). UN Women Annual Report 2018-2019. Retrieved from http://www2.unwomen.org/-

/media/annual%20report/attachments/sections/library/2019/un-women-annual-report-2018-2019-en.pdf?vs=4621

7

Africa, Western Asia, and Southern Asia. Overall, participation is only slightly lower in 2015,

compared to 1995.24

Women are more likely

than men to be unemployed or to

be contributing family workers,

which usually implies that they

have no access to monetary

income. Women are also more

likely than men to be employed

part-time. However, while this can

help to better balance work,

household and childrearing

responsibilities, part-time jobs are

often associated with lower hourly

wages, less job security and less training and promotion opportunities than full-time

employment. Moreover, women are significantly underrepresented in decision-making roles

such as legislators, senior officials, and managers, but are overrepresented as domestic workers,

positions that are characterized by low pay, long hours and lack of social protection. Across all

sectors and occupations, women on average earn less than men; in most countries, women in

full-time jobs earn between 70-90% of what men earn. Many developed countries show a long-

term decline in the gender pay gap, but the trend has become more mixed in recent years.25

A growing number of countries have

adopted legislation providing maternity and

paternity benefits over the past 20 years,

enabling workers to meet their

responsibilities outside work. In fact, over

half of all countries offer at least 14 weeks

of maternity leave and 48% of countries

have provisions for paternity leave. These

measures, however, often exclude workers

in specific sectors of employment, such as

paid domestic workers, own-account and

contributing family workers, casual and

temporary workers, and agricultural

workers.26

Meanwhile, widening economic

inequalities have become an increasingly

stark reality, driven by stagnating wages and

poor-quality employment, among other

factors. Proposed solutions mainly focus on

24 United Nations (2015). Work – Chapter 4, The World’s Women 2015. Retrieved from

https://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/chapter4/chapter4.html 25 United Nations (2015). Work – Chapter 4, The World’s Women 2015. Retrieved from

https://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/chapter4/chapter4.html 26 United Nations (2015). Work – Chapter 4, The World’s Women 2015. Retrieved from

https://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/chapter4/chapter4.html

8

employers giving more flexibility, at the expense of workers’ rights, while lowering taxes for

corporations and the wealthy. In 2019, UN Women called global attention to how current

economic models have failed to address the gender dimension of inclusiveness.27

Labour market and macroeconomic policies to generate decent work are needed along

with gender-responsive social protection systems that support diverse families. The essential

components of social protection to meet these goals include: paid maternity and parental leave;

social transfers for families with children, with additional support for lone parents; and adequate

pensions through a combination of gender-responsive contributory and non-contributory

systems.28

National care systems need to be progressively constructed to include maternity and

parental leave for parents with young children; cash benefits that enable informally self-

employed workers to take time off; and cash benefits and leave provisions for those caring for

older family members or those living with a disability. Greater public investment is needed in

basic infrastructure to reduce the drudgery of unpaid care and domestic work; in professional

early childhood education and care; and in long-term care for people with disabilities and older

persons.29

The stark realities that confront not only female entrepreneurs but in reality the entire

human community were succinctly summarized by John Hendra, UNWOMEN Assistant

Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of the High-Level Panel on Women

Entrepreneurship to Reshape the Economy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

through Innovation in October 2012 when he asserted that “globally women own only 1 per cent

of the world's wealth, earn only a 10 percent share of global income, and occupy just 14 per cent

of leadership positions in the private and public sector. And, while women produce half of the

world's food, they own a mere one percent of its land.”30 While it is immediately evident that

current and prospective female entrepreneurs confront a vast panoply of challenges and

obstacles, the full extent of many of these challenges and obstacles is not always easily

measured. Frequently economic data is incomplete, nonexistent, or must be significantly

supplemented by whatever information is available about the informal economy, particularly

relevant data about female employment and entrepreneurship. As an example of the lack of

readily available relevant data, the Global Entrepreneurship and Development Institute’s (GEDI)

2015 Female Entrepreneurship Index ranks 77 countries, more than double the number of

countries from 2014, just over 40% of UN membership. Improving data collection and analysis

about female entrepreneurship is a critical first step towards increasing the number of female

27 UN Women (2019). UN Women Annual Report 2018-2019. Retrieved from http://www2.unwomen.org/-

/media/annual%20report/attachments/sections/library/2019/un-women-annual-report-2018-2019-en.pdf?vs=4621 28 UN Women (2019). Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020 – Summary, pg. 14. Retrieved from




worlds-women-2019-2020-executive-summary-en.pdf?la=en&vs=3513 30 John Hendra, “Opening Remarks at the High-Level Panel on Women Entrepreneurship to Reshape the Economy

in MENA through Innovation” October 17, 2012. Found at:

http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2012/10/women-entrepreneurship-to-reshape-the-economy-in-mena-

through-innovation-high-level-panel-during-eu

9

entrepreneurs overall as well as improving the overall business and investment climate for

women.

“Women’s economic empowerment depends on the quantity and quality of paid

employment; public services; the amount of unpaid work borne by women; access to productive

assets, such as land; eliminating cultural and societal barriers that make it less likely for women

than men to become entrepreneurs; and core social and labor protections.”31 Greater economic

empowerment for women has been achieved through progressive legislation that has prohibited

discriminatory practices, guaranteed equal pay, provided for maternity and paternity leave, and

put in place protection against sexual harassment in the workplace Legislation prohibiting

discrimination based on sex with respect to inheritance and citizenship, laws that guarantee

equality within the family and policies to ensure that women and girls can access services

including health and education have also contributed to significant advances in women’s

standard of living. While examples of countries making immense strides in promoting gender

equality abound, in many more, women continue to be deprived of economic resources and

access to public services.32

“Globally three quarters of working age men (15 years old and over) are in the labor

force compared to half of working age women. Among those who are employed, women

constitute nearly two thirds of ‘contributing family workers’, who work in family businesses

without any direct pay. Everywhere, women continue to be denied equal pay for work of equal

value and are less likely than men to receive a pension, which translates into large income

inequalities throughout their lives. Globally, on average, women’s earnings are 24 per cent less

than men’s, and even in countries such as Germany—where policies are increasingly supportive

of female employment—women on average earn just half as much income as men over their

lifetimes. Yet in all regions, women work more than men: on average they do almost two and a

half times as much unpaid care and domestic work as men, and if paid and unpaid work are

combined, women in almost all countries work longer hours than men each day.”33 In March

2017, Iceland became the first country in the world to introduce legislation that requires

companies to prove equal pay - any company found in violation will be subject to a heavy

penalty. This piece of legislation helped lead and launch the Equal Pay International Coalition in

2017.

The 2017 Commission on the Status of Women’s multi-year program for 2017-2019

considered the empowerment of indigenous women as the focus area at its sixty-first session and

will consider challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of

rural women and girls as the priority theme at its sixty-second session. According to the

Commission, “the economic empowerment, inclusion and development of indigenous women,

including through the establishment of indigenous-owned businesses, can enable them to

improve their social, cultural, civil and political engagement, achieve greater economic

31 United Nations, Executive Board of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of


2018-2021, 29-30 August 2017, page 15

32 UNWOMEN, 2011-2012 Progress of the World’s Women – In Pursuit of Justice, page 8 33 UNWOMEN, Progress of the World's Women 2015-2016 - Summary - Transforming Economies, Realizing

Rights, 2015, page 12-13

10

independence and build more sustainable and resilient communities, and notes the contribution

of indigenous peoples to the broader economy.”34

Violence against Women and Girls

Every woman and girl has the right to a life free from violence, yet all over the world,

gender-based violence remains the most common violation of women’s human rights. Violence

against women and girls (VAWG) is “one of the most prevalent and systemic human rights

violations in the world, often described as a pandemic.”35 Underlying social norms and attitudes

that normalize, justify and excuse violence in the family remain pervasive and deeply

entrenched, along with cultures that continue to reinforce male dominance and to blame and

shame women. Violence is often used by men in the family as a means of discipline and

subordination when their patriarchal authority and power are being threatened. Women’s

experiences of violence and abuse in their relationships are shaped by their power and position in

the family and can be related to, among other things, their lack of access to resources such as

own income, land and housing, all of which impact the strength of their fallback position.36

Regardless of their income, age, or education, women across the world are subjected to physical,

sexual, psychological and economic violence. The many different manifestations of VAWG

include but are not limited to: intimate partner violence (IPV), domestic violence, marital rape,

child sexual abuse, dowry-related violence, so-called ‘honour’ crimes and killings, bride price,

abuse of older persons and widow abuse, female genital mutilation, child, early and forced

marriage, trafficking and female infanticide. Forms of VAWG may overlap or intersect with

34 UNWOMEN, Women's Economic Empowerment in the Changing World of Work - 2017 Commission on the

Status of Women - Agreed Conclusions, page 7-8 35 UN Women (2019). Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020, pg. 176. Retrieved from Retrieved from


worlds-women-2019-2020-en.pdf?la=en&vs=3512 36 UN Women (2019). Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020, pg. 176. Retrieved from Retrieved from


worlds-women-2019-2020-en.pdf?la=en&vs=3512

11

each other, for example, child, early and forced marriage can be a risk factor for IPV.37 Such

violence can lead to long-term physical, mental, and emotional health problems. Intimate partner

violence is the most common form of violence, peaking during women’s reproductive years in

both developed and developing countries.38 Around 30% of women worldwide who have ever

been in a relationship have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner

in their lifetime39 or sexual violence by a non-partner at some point in their lives.40 Moreover,

close to 18% of ever-partnered girls and women age 15-49 have been subjected to IPV in the

previous 12 months.41 Prevalence declines with age but still persists with older women. In

extreme cases, violence against women can lead to death with around two thirds of victims of

intimate partner violence or family related homicides being women.42

In most countries, less than 40% of women who experience violence seek help. Of those

who did, most look to family and friends instead of the police and health services. In almost all

countries with available data, the percentage of women who sought police help, out of all women

who sought assistance, was less than 10%. The reluctance of the world’s women to seek help

may be linked to the widespread acceptance of violence against women. In many countries, both

women and men believe that wife-beating is justified in certain circumstances. These attitudes,

however, are beginning to change. In almost all countries with available information for more

than one year, the level of acceptance of violence has diminished.43

Lifetime experience of psychological violence, including emotional abuse and controlling

behavior, is highest in Latin America and the Caribbean, in Oceania, and in developed countries

where prevalence is higher than 40% in more than half of countries.44

Female genital mutilation (FGM), a harmful practice that is perpetrated by families

against girls, continues to persist at alarming levels, although there has been a decline in recent

decades. Around 2017, one in three girls aged 15-19 had been subjected to female genital

mutilation in the 30 countries where the practice is concentrated, compared to nearly one in two

around 2000.45 More than 125 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to

female genital mutilation across countries in Africa and the Middle East, where this specific

37 UN Women (2019). Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020, pg. 177. Retrieved from Retrieved from


worlds-women-2019-2020-en.pdf?la=en&vs=3512 38 United Nations (2015). Violence against women – Chapter 6, The World’s Women 2015. Retrieved from

https://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/chapter6/chapter6.html 39 UN Women (2019). Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020 – Summary, pg. 176. Retrieved from


worlds-women-2019-2020-executive-summary-en.pdf?la=en&vs=3513 40 United Nations (2015). Violence against women – Chapter 6, The World’s Women 2015. Retrieved from

https://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/chapter6/chapter6.html 41 UN Women (2019). Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020, pg. 177. Retrieved from


worlds-women-2019-2020-en.pdf?la=en&vs=3512 42 United Nations (2015). Violence against women – Chapter 6, The World’s Women 2015. Retrieved from

https://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/chapter6/chapter6.html 43 United Nations (2015). Violence against women – Chapter 6, The World’s Women 2015. Retrieved from

https://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/chapter6/chapter6.html 44 United Nations (2015). Violence against women – Key findings, The World’s Women 2015. Retrieved from

https://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/downloads/Ch6_VaW_info.pdf 45 UN Women (2019). Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020, pg. 177. Retrieved from



12

form of violence against women is concentrated. Prevalence tends to be lower among younger

women, indicating a decline in this harmful practice. However, it remains commonplace in a

number of these countries, with overall prevalence rates of over 80%.46

Gender-based violence (GBV) continues to plague all human societies. National and local

governments, international organizations, including the UN System and regional organizations,

law enforcement personnel, health providers, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and civil

society stakeholders all must be concerned about this endemic violence and committed to ending

it. Even in situations that would primarily seem to be concerns about health outcomes, gender-

based violence and its pernicious effects lead to significantly worse situations and millions of

preventable deaths of women and girls. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

(UNODC) estimates that in 2017, more than half (58%) of all female victims of intentional

homicide were killed by a member of their own family, amounting to 50,000 deaths in the year,

or 137 women each day. More than a third (30,000) of the women intentionally killed in 2017

were killed by their current or former intimate partner.47 “Injuries are the cause of death with the

widest disparities between women and men…. the high levels of female deaths due to injuries,

especially in countries in Southern and Eastern Asia, are most likely linked to violence against

women and their disadvantaged position in society.”48 In Turkey, 414 women were murdered in

2015, an increase of 41% over the previous year, and changes in Turkish law may only

exacerbate this alarming increase.49

“The best way to stop violence against women and girls is to prevent it from happening in the

first place.”50 “Globally, one in three women reports having experienced physical and/or sexual

violence at some point in their lives, usually perpetrated by an intimate partner.”51 Accurate data

can be hard to compare on the subject as not all (are able to) come forward. But it is known that

it continues to be a widespread issue. “Over many decades, women’s rights activists and

researchers have documented how gender inequality and men’s power over women create a

conducive context for the perpetration of violence against women. As girls and women have

entered schools, workplaces, public transport and marketplaces in greater numbers, they are

frequently subject to unwelcome scrutiny, harassment and even assault. Violence is also used to

punish nonconformity with dominant gender stereotypes, for example in relation to sexual

orientation.”52 Additionally, violence against women also tends to increase during periods of

46 United Nations (2015). Violence against women – Chapter 6, The World’s Women 2015. Retrieved from

https://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/chapter6/chapter6.html 47 UN Women (2019). Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020, pg. 181. Retrieved from


worlds-women-2019-2020-en.pdf?la=en&vs=3512 48 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, “The World’s Women 2015: Trends and Statistics,”

ST/ESA/STAT/SER.K/20, 2015, p. 33. 49 Sophia Jones & Nicole Tung, “Women Are Dying in Turkey,” Foreign Affairs, April 27, 2017. 50 United Nations, Executive Board of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of


2018-2021, 29-30 August 2017, page 16 51 UNWOMEN, Progress of the World's Women 2015-2016 - Summary - Transforming Economies, Realizing

Rights, 2015, page 52 52 UNWOMEN, Progress of the World's Women 2015-2016 - Summary - Transforming Economies, Realizing

Rights, 2015, page 52

13

upheaval and displacement associated with armed conflict and natural disasters, as well as in

times of crisis and instability.53

At least 119 countries have passed laws on domestic violence, 125 have laws on sexual

harassment, and 52 have laws on marital rape.54 However, even when domestic violence laws

exist, they are not always implemented in ways that help women. “They often remain poorly

implemented due to a lack of resources and political commitment, which perpetuates a culture of

impunity and in some cases amounts to state sanctioning of VAWG.”55 Specific measures need

to be considered for the fact that women, often economically dependent on their intimate

partners, are at risk of being deprived of their only source of economic support when their

partner is convicted and imprisoned.56

States have clear obligations to implement laws, policies and programmes to eliminate all

forms of violence against women and girls. Laws that define the different forms of violence

against women and girls in the family as crimes are important for holding perpetrators

accountable for their actions, providing victims/survivors avenues to seek justice, and signaling

the unacceptability of violence in the broader community. Family laws should be reformed to

uphold women’s rights in marriage, divorce and custody so that women are better able to leave

abusive or violent situations. For the same reason, reform of migration regulations to ensure that

migrant women have residency status that is independent of their partners is also critical. In

addition to ensuring women’s access to independent income, and the enactment of appropriate

laws and regulations, improving women’s access to justice requires a range of complementary

interventions. This includes the establishment and strengthening of coordinated and multi-

sectoral support services for survivors, and substantial, long-term investments in prevention

programmes to address the drivers of violence. Such services must be protected in times of

austerity.57

Countries have not always addressed violence against women when it happened.

Women’s movements from the 1970s onward has prompted various countries to adopt legislation

that criminalizes violence against women. That, alone, is not enough. In many cases, the

implementation of these legal provisions is rarely supported by adequate investments in services,

in capacity building of service providers, and in the public campaigns needed to effectively

prevent violence against women. To properly address these deficits, a significant investment in

making homes and public spaces safe for women and girls, and ensuring justice is required in

addition to the commitment from policy makers to prevent violence from happening by working

towards changing the community attitude that accepts it.58

53 UNWOMEN, Progress of the World's Women 2015-2016 - Summary - Transforming Economies, Realizing

Rights, 2015, page 52 54 United Nations (2015). Violence against women – Key findings, The World’s Women 2015. Retrieved from

https://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/downloads/Ch6_VaW_info.pdf 55 UN Women (2019). Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020, pg. 176. Retrieved from


worlds-women-2019-2020-executive-summary-en.pdf?la=en&vs=3513 56 United Nations (2015). Violence against women – Key findings, The World’s Women 2015. Retrieved from

https://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/downloads/Ch6_VaW_info.pdf 57 UN Women (2019). Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020 – Summary, pg. 18. Retrieved from


worlds-women-2019-2020-executive-summary-en.pdf?la=en&vs=3513 58 UNWOMEN, Progress of the World's Women 2015-2016 - Summary - Transforming Economies, Realizing

Rights, 2015, page 51-52

14

In recent times, global and national solidarity movements such as #MeToo, #TimesUp,

#BalanceTonPorc, #NiUnaMenos and HollaBack!, among others, have resulted in an

unprecedented number of women speaking out about sexual harassment and other forms of

sexual violence. These movements have led to an increasing focus on public action and the

accountability of perpetrators, and they have also drawn attention to the common systemic and

structural causes that underpin all forms of VAWG, including in the family.59

60

Rights within Marriage

One of life’s most important decisions is choosing whether, when and who to marry or

partner. Overall, parental power over spousal selection—a cornerstone of patriarchy—has to

some extent receded in the past decades, allowing women relatively more freedom in choosing

their life partner and type of union. The rise in age of first union for women, and the concomitant

decline in rates of child, early and forced marriage in most regions, are indicative of this trend.

Evidence of greater autonomy in spousal selection practices also exists in contexts where

marriage continues to be the dominant form of partnership for women.61

Marriage or union formation at a young age can have several adverse impacts, including

on women’s sexual and reproductive health, their access to education, relative bargaining

59 UN Women (2019). Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020, pg. 177. Retrieved from


worlds-women-2019-2020-en.pdf?la=en&vs=3512 60 Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security (GIWPS), “Women, Peace, and Security Index”, 2019.

Found at: https://giwps.georgetown.edu/the-index/ 61 UN Women (2019). Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020, pg. 50. Retrieved from



https://giwps.georgetown.edu/the-index/

15

position within the family and a life free from violence.62 Girls have been subjected to rape, and

violence for years; and in many cases were not provided the necessary protector from their

attackers. Many have been, and continue to be, forced to marry their rapists to avoid humiliation

and public scrutiny and/or to protect their assailant. The “Marry-Your- Victim” law was

abolished summer of 2017. “In succession, Tunisia, Jordan and Lebanon scrap controversial laws

that allow rapists to escape punishment if they marry their victims.”63 The law encouraged sexual

predators to easily evade the law and continue to victimize young girls. “Tunisia’s move to

eliminate impunity for perpetrators is part of its first national law passed in July to

comprehensively tackle violence against women. The long-awaited law recognizes physical,

economic, sexual, political and psychological forms of violence against women and girls. It also

seeks to provide protection mechanisms to enable survivors to access necessary services,

including legal and psychological assistance.”64 In August of 2017 had huge strides for young

girls and their rights regarding Marriage. Many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean

ended child and underage marriage. These countries put into place legislation that protects the

child from sexual abuse, revokes many types of legal exceptions, and removes provisions that

permit children ages 15-18 to be married with parental consent. India also officially rules that sex

with an underage wife is considered rape.

UN System Actions

UN Women’s Strategic Plan 2018-2021 outlines “the strategic direction, objectives and

approaches to support efforts to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls by

2030.” The Strategic Plan takes into consideration lessons learned in previous years, as well as

recommendations from the 20-year review and appraisal of the Beijing Declaration and Platform

for Action.65 By January 31, 2018, 189 of 193 UN Member States had ratified the Convention on

the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)66, which entered into

force in 1981, signaling their commitment to fulfilling the human rights of women and girls and

breaking down the barriers to achieving gender equality and justice.67

The Evidence and Data for Gender Equality (EDGE) project is a joint initiative of the

United Nations Statistics Division and UN Women. Its purpose is to better integrate gender

issues into the regular production of official statistics for improved, evidence-based policies.

“EDGE aims to accelerate existing efforts to generate internationally comparable gender

indicators on health, education, employment, entrepreneurship and asset ownership in three key

ways: developing an online interactive platform to disseminate gender-relevant data and

62 UN Women (2019). Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020, pg. 52. Retrieved from


worlds-women-2019-2020-en.pdf?la=en&vs=3512 63 UN Women, Timeline: Gender Equality, 2017 Year in Review,

http://interactive.unwomen.org/multimedia/timeline/yearinreview/2017/en/index.html 64 UN Women, Timeline: Gender Equality, 2017 Year in Review,

http://interactive.unwomen.org/multimedia/timeline/yearinreview/2017/en/index.html 65 United Nations, Executive Board of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of


2018-2021, 29-30 August 2017, page 14 66 The 6 UN Member States that have not signed and/or ratified CEDAW are: Iran; Nauru; Palau; Somalia; Sudan;

Tonga;

and the United States. As of November 4, 2019, the Observer State of the Holy See has not acceded to CEDAW. 67 UNWOMEN, 2011-2012 Progress of the World’s Women – In Pursuit of Justice, p. 8.

http://interactive.unwomen.org/multimedia/timeline/yearinreview/2017/en/index.html

http://interactive.unwomen.org/multimedia/timeline/yearinreview/2017/en/index.html

16

metadata on education, employment, and health in line with the Minimum Set of Gender

Indicators; developing methodological guidelines on measuring asset ownership and

entrepreneurship from a gender perspective that will be presented to the UN Statistical

Commission in 2017; and providing technical support to countries to implement the EDGE

methodological guidelines.”68

Guiding Questions:

1. What is the status of women and girls in your country in comparison to men and boys? If

there are significant differences and/or gaps, what causes these differences and/or gaps

and why do they persist?

2. Do women and girls enjoy equal political rights and representation in your country? What

is the current gender composition of the different branches and/or entities of government

in your country?

3. What are your country’s policies regarding parental/family leave after childbirth? Is your

country considering any potential changes to these parental/family leave policies, and if

so, what kinds of changes are being considered and why?

4. What are the respective percentages of female and male entrepreneurs in your country?

Have the percentages changed in recent years? If so, have the percentages become more

equitable or has a more pronounced gender gap developed?

5. What are the respective percentages of female and male employees and managers in your

country? Have these percentages changed in recent years? If so, in which direction and

why?

6. How do women’s and girls’ health outcomes compare to men’s and boys’ in your

country? Do women and girls enjoy equal access to quality health care providers and

facilities in your country? Do your country’s health insurance systems and/or providers

address the health concerns of women and girls in a timely and equitable fashion?

68 Evidence and Data for Gender Equality (EDGE), https://unstats.un.org/edge

17

7. How can UNWOMEN and the international community most effectively promote

universal ratification and adherence to relevant treaties, including the Convention on the

Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)?

United Nations Resolutions and Associated Documents:

UN Women, “Strategic Plan 2018-2021,” 20 August 2017

The Economic and Social Council, “2020 Working Text – Beijing 2020,” updated 15 March

2018.

UN Women, “Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020 – Families in a Changing World,”

2019.

UN General Assembly resolution 73/153, “Child, early and forced marriage”, (A/RES/73/153),

December 17, 2018.

UN General Assembly resolution 73/149, “Intensifying global efforts for the total elimination of

female genital mutilation”, (A/RES/73/149), December 17, 2018.

UN General Assembly resolution 73/148, “Intensification of efforts to prevent and eliminate all

forms of violence against women and girls: sexual harassment”, (A/RES/73/148), December 17,

2018.

UN General Assembly resolution 72/234, “Women in Development,” (A/RES/72/234),

December 20, 2017.

UN General Assembly resolution 72/162, “Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of

Persons with Disabilities and the Optional Protocol thereto: situation of women and girls with

disabilities,” (A/RES/72/162), December 20, 2017.

UN General Assembly resolution 72/154, “The girl child,” (A/RES/72/154), December 19, 2017.

UN General Assembly resolution 72/149, “Violence Against Women Migrant Workers,”

(A/RES/72/149), December 19, 2017.

UN General Assembly resolution 72/148, “Improvement of the Situation of Women and Girls in

Rural Areas,” (A/RES/72/148), December 19, 2017.

UN General Assembly “Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and full

implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome of the

twenty-third special session of the General Assembly” A/RES/72/147 December 19, 2017.

UN General Assembly resolution 70/131, “Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of

Discrimination Against Women,” (A/RES/70/131), December 17, 2015.

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, “The World’s Women 2015: Trends

and Statistics,” ST/ESA/STAT/SER.K/20, 2015.

UN General Assembly resolution 69/236, “World Survey on the Role of Women in

Development,” (A/RES/69/236), December 19, 2014.

UN General Assembly, “Entrepreneurship for Development” A/RES/69/210 December 19, 2014.

18

Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC),

“Women’s Economic Empowerment” E/CN.6.2010/L.5/ECOSOC/CSW March 12, 2010.