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The delegation of the Czech Republic participated at the 57th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women and hosted a cross-regional side-event on National Action Plans against Violence against Women

(This article expired 12.03.2014.)

The 57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women takes place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 4 to 15 March 2013. The Commission is a principal global policy-making body dedicated to gender equality and advancement of women. The priority theme of this year’s session is “elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls”.

The Czech delegation was headed by the Deputy Minister for Social Inclusion and Gender Equality, Mr. Jan Dobeš. Two Members of the Czech Parliament, Mr. Jan Kubata and Ms. Vlasta Parkanová, participated in the parallel meeting of the Interparliamentary Union, which was dealing with the same issue from the parliamentary perspective.

On 7 March 2013, on the occasion of the 57th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the Czech Republic, Zambia and Peru organized a side event entitled “Experience in Implementation of National Action Plans on Domestic and Gender-Based Violence”. The aim of the side event was to exchange examples of good practices in tackling domestic violence and violence against women. Representatives of the Czech Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs presented the National Action Plan for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, which had been approved by the Czech Government in 2011 and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is its coordinating body.

Fight against crime committed against women is one of the priorities of the Government of the Czech Republic. The National Action Plan for the Prevention of Domestic Violence for the years 2011 – 2014 provides a set of measures for the effective prevention of domestic violence and support to its victims. As stated by the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Ms. Ludmila Müllerová earlier: “It is our duty to strive to ensure that nobody violates human rights in our society, whether they are human rights of women or elderly persons.”

At the side event, Mr. Jan Dobeš, the Deputy Minister for Social Inclusion and Equal Opportunities, represented the Ministry. “Exchange of experience and best practices in the field of tackling and preventing domestic violence and violence against women is a crucial part of the fight against these problems. All of us are faced with various forms of violence against women in all regions, regardless of our economic or technical advancement,” said the Deputy Minister.

The side event also contributed to the development of cooperation between the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and Norwegian NGO Alternative til Vold (Alternative to Violence). The side event was supported by the fund for bilateral cooperation at national level within the EEA and Norway Grants 2009-14. The project, which aims to combating domestic violence, will be launched during this year. It will include a media awareness campaign highlighting the unacceptability of domestic violence, and other activities which should help to reduce the incidence of domestic violence in the Czech Republic.

The side event was organized in cooperation with the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the UN in New York and Permanent Missions of Peru and Zambia, and Alternative to Violence. Experience from different regions was presented by H.E. Ms. Marcela Huaita, Deputy Minister of Women of the Republic of Peru and Ms. Christine Kalamwina from the Ministry of Gender and Child Development of Republic of Zambia. Norwegian NGO Alternative to Violence presented their experience from working with both victims of domestic violence and the perpetrators. A representative from the Ending Violence against Women section of UN Women also participated at the side event. More than 80 delegates from different countries of the world attended the side event.

 

1/ Czech Deputy Minister Mr. Jan DOBES speaking at UN Headquarters in New York

2/ Side event