Mail News Service
Imphal, April 20 : Rashida Manjoo, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences (UNSRVAW), who will be on an official mission to India from 22nd April to 1st May, 2013 has scheduled a consultation meeting with civil society organizations, women human rights defenders, victims and other advocates working on violence against women on Sunday, 28th April at Imphal, Manipur. Ms Rashida Manjoo accepted an invitation sent on 13th March from the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights in Manipur and the UN (CSCHR) to visit Manipur and the North East region during her mission. Civil society organisations and groups including individuals, women human rights defenders and other advocates working on the issue of violence against women and girls in the North East region are preparing for a regional consultation meeting that has been scheduled for 28th April 2013 at Imphal.
The first ever formal visit of a distinguished official of the UN with a human rights mandate to Manipur is an historic occasion. The mandate of the UNSRVAW was established on 4th March 1994 by the UN Commission for Human Rights. This year marks the arrival of the 20th year of the mandate. Ms Rashida Manjoo has a broad three year mandate renewed by the UN Human Rights Council in March 2011 by Resolution 16/7.
The UNSRVAW will address violence against women broadly, focusing on both its causes and consequences according to the mandate. The Special Rapporteur will study the different manifestations of violence against women: 1) in the family (both domestic violence and culturally justified practices that are violent to or subordinate women); 2) in the community (including rape/sexual assault, sexual harassment); 3) violence perpetrated or condoned by the State (institutional violence), and 4) violence in the transnational sphere (violence against immigrant women, asylum seekers and refugees).
Furthermore, in order to have a clearer picture of the issues in India, the Special Rapporteur will be compiling and studying information on recent analyses or surveys on the situation and forms of violence against women in India; analyses on the criminal or civil provisions that may be applied to cases of violence against women, and whether these are appropriate or sufficient; priority issues/concerns to raise, suggestions for recommendations related to VAW in the public and private spheres, and any recent and concrete cases of violence against women and girls.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/un-special-rapporteur-arriving-on-28/
