11th Platon School Model United Nations | 11th – 13th March 2022

Forum: Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ)

Issue: Taking action against gender-related killing of women and girls

Student Officer: Modesti Eleni Markou

Position: Co-Chair

PERSONAL INTRODUCTION
Dear delegates,

My name is Modesti Markou and I am an IB1 student at Psychiko College. This year I
will be serving as one of the Deputy Presidents of the 11th PSMUN Conference in the
Commission of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. I have been involved with MUN
for one year and I am glad I was offered a student officer position at the 11 th PSMUN
as it was my first ever conference. Since then, I've gained a more
profound understanding of the world and how it may improve. With MUN, I've found
a source of inspiration for addressing important issues that affect people all around
the world and finding long-term solutions that will benefit future generations.

The agenda of Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) for this
year allows delegates to be informed and debate upon crucial issues that concern us.
Taking action against gender related killing of women and girls is really important as
these types of murders have been troubling humanity for centuries. The following
study guide will help you gain the fundamental knowledge and will facilitate you with
your research, however, all delegates are expected to conduct further research as new
information emerges every day, but also in order for you to comprehend your
country’s policy. Delegates are also expected to propose solutions, collaborate and to
debate upon the topic.

I hope you find this study guide to be both useful and enjoyable to read. Should you
have any questions or need any clarifications upon the topic, do not hesitate to
contact me at modestimarkou@[Link]

I am looking forward to meeting all of you!

Best wishes,

Modesti Markou

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TOPIC INTRODUCTION
The persistence and frequency of violence against women has been defined as a
"pandemic" by UN Women and a "public health problem of epidemic proportions" by
the World Health Organization, affecting between 35 and 70 percent of women and
girls globally, according to studies. According to the World Health Organization,
violence against women pervades all corners of the globe, puts women's health at risk,
limits their participation in society, and causes great human suffering, as more than
one in three women (35.6 percent) have reported having experienced sexual or
physical violence. Murder of girls and women is often the ultimate action of violence
after a cycle of abuse.

There are several characteristics of

women's murders around the world. 1

The first characteristic is that men kill

women in disproportionately large
numbers. In 2017, the UNODC projected
that 87,000 women were killed
deliberately. Female homicide was
projected to be 2.3 per 100,000 of the
world's female population. Males made
up roughly 90% of the suspects. Figure 1: Protesters demand more measures to stop
violence against French women1
Secondly, the majority of women are killed in personal or family relationships. Six out
of ten female fatalities (58 percent) were killed by a male relative or lover. A past or
current partner was responsible for one-third of the deaths. In 82 percent of all
homicides committed by intimate partners, women were the victims.

In addition to that, femicide victims have been subjected to non-lethal gender-based

violence in the past. The great majority of occurrences of femicide happen as a result
of interpersonal or domestic violence. Furthermore, femicides are driven by women's
social vulnerability, legal inequity, and limited educational opportunities, which result
in gender inequality, stereotypes, and social prejudice.

Also, because these cultural and socioeconomic factors fluctuate throughout time, the
rate at which women are murdered tends to be more constant than the rate at which
men are killed. Last but not least, as the general rate of killings falls, the number of
women slain rises. Because femicide is context and gender specific, strategies that

1
“Protesters demand more is done to stop violence against French women | Euronews, 23 November
2021”” [Link]
against-french-women

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reduce male-to-male homicide are ineffective in reducing femicide. When a result, as

the former's rate falls, femicide either stays the same or rises.

The main reasons of gender-related killing of woman and girls are gender inequalities,
sexism, misogyny, power imbalances, institutionalized discrimination and religious
beliefs.

Gender-related killings of women and girls is an issue of great importance, as it has

persisted for centuries. In medieval years, the most occurring gender related killing of
women and girls was witch hunting, and today it still appears in many forms such as
intimate relationship femicide, lesbicide, racial femicide, honor-related killings,
femicide, and dowry-related femicide. It is a major violation of human rights as it is
the leading cause of premature deaths of women. In order to solve this, solidarity is
necessary as the change comes from the people living in a society.

Femicide is a complex phenomenon which can be examined and approached from

several aspects. It is spread throughout the world and many organizations are involved
into solving it, this study guide will delve into said aspects, and examine the ways by
which it can be resolved.

DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS

Femicide (or feminicide)2
“Femicide is generally understood to involve intentional murder of women because
they are women, but broader definitions include any killings of women or girls.”

Gender-related killings3
Gender-related homicides are those that have as their primary motivation or result in
gender-based prejudice. Defining such killings has been done with terms like femicide
and feminicide, among others.

Violence4
An act of physical force that results in or is intended to result in harm. Violence can
cause physical, psychological, or both types of harm.

2
“Understanding and addressing violence against women| WHO”
[Link]

3“Gender-related killings of women and girls|OHCHR”

[Link]

4
“violence | behaviour | Britannica” [Link]

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Victim5
Someone or something who has been harmed, destroyed, died, or suffered as a result
of someone else's actions
Abuse6
Abuse refers to the wrong use or handling of anything, usually for the purpose of
unfairly or improperly gaining advantage. Physical or verbal abuse, harm, assault,
violation, rape, unjust acts, crimes, or other forms of hostility are all examples of
abuse.
Gender based violence (GBV)7
Any act of gender-based violence, whether public or private, that causes or is likely to
cause bodily, sexual, or psychological pain or suffering to women, including threats of
such actions, coercion, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty.
Gender Inequality 8
Gender inequality is when one sex or gender is consistently privileged or prioritized
over another due to discrimination based on sex or gender. Gender equality is a
fundamental human right, and discrimination based on gender is a violation of that
right.
Sexism 9
Prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender is known as sexism. Sexism
can harm everybody, but women and girls are the ones who are most affected. It's
been related to stereotypes and gender roles, and it could involve the assumption that
one sex or gender is fundamentally superior to the other.
Patriarchy 10
Patriarchy is a social system in which men dominate responsibilities such as political
leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and property control.

5
“VICTIM | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary”
[Link]

6
“ABUSE | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary”
[Link]

7
“UNHCR - Gender-based Violence” [Link]

8
“Gender Discrimination Causes Inequality Between Girls and Boys Around the World | Save the
Children” [Link]
boys-and-girls

9
“Sexism Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster” [Link]
[Link]/dictionary/sexism

10
“Patriarchy Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster” [Link]
[Link]/dictionary/patriarchy

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Misogyny 11
Experiencing, displaying or being characterized by hostility or bias against women and
girls.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The term femicide was first used in the 1800s in the United Kingdom to describe the
murder of women. Afterwards, it was used in the 1970s by Diana Russell, when it was
developed to raise awareness about the violent murders of women and to refer to the
murdering of females by males just because they are females. Following that,
"femicide" was described as "the misogynous killing of women by men motivated by
hatred, disdain, pleasure, or a sense of ownership over women, founded in historically
uneven power relations between women and men" in the first anthology on
"femicide" released in 1992. "Femicide" was defined as "the gender-based murder of
a woman" in a 2006 report by the United Nations Secretary General.

Note, however, that even though offenders of femicides are men, in some cases
women can also be offenders of femicides; sometime acting as “agents of patriarchy”.

In 2017, a total of 87,000 women were slain on purpose. Moreover, 64% of the women
murdered were killed by intimate partners or family members (50,000 women). In
2017, more than a third of the women killed intentionally were killed by their current
or former intimate partner, someone they would usually trust, implying that 137
women around the globe are brutally murdered everyday by a family member.

11
“Misogyny Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster” [Link]
[Link]/dictionary/misogyny

12
“Data collection on femicide| Europa”
[Link]

13
“Global study on homicide-gender related killing of women and girls| UNODC”
[Link]
related_killing_of_women_and_girls.pdf

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These data reveal that, despite the fact that men are the most common homicide
victims worldwide, women continue to bear the brunt of lethal harassment as a result
of gender biases and inequalities. Because of their status and role as women, many
"femicide" victims are murdered by current and past partners, but they are also killed
by fathers, brothers, mothers, sisters, and other family members. The deaths of
people killed by intimate partners are frequently the climax of previous gender-
related violence, rather than random or spontaneous acts. Among the motivations are
jealousy and the fear of abandonment.

Types of femicides 12
Feminicide is defined by
Diana Russell as intimate
relationship femicide,
lesbicide, racial femicide,
honor killing-related
femicide, dowry, and other
forms of violence against
women.

Intimate femicide
The first one is intimate
partner femicide. This Figure 2: statistics of femicides and men homicides13
category is currently the
most well-documented on a global scale. A woman is killed by her current or former
partner, usually after a previous abusive relationship. According to studies, attempting
to flee an abusive relationship, as well as pursuing divorce or estrangement, are acts
that put a woman at the highest risk of being murdered by an intimate partner. The
perpetrator's motivation stems from a sense of ownership over the victim, which is
founded on uneven and strict gender stereotypes; in some cases, the perpetrator is
also emotionally incapable of imagining life without his partner.

Non-intimate femicide
The second one is family related femicide. Family relatives (non-intimate) carry out
this type of femicide and can be subdivides into other categories:

Femicides in the name of honor

“Femicides in the name of honor”: when a family believes the victim's
behavior has violated strict patriarchal rules in a way that harms the
family's honor. Honor killings are frequently done by relatives
(including women). The victim is a young woman who refuses to marry

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the man her family has chosen for her, or who has had or is accused of
having extramarital or premarital affairs. In several cases, the lady
killed had previously been raped or sexually assaulted. In nations like
Afghanistan, India, Palestine, and Tunisia (UNESCO, 2019), as well as
ethnic communities in several European and North American countries,
high numbers of femicide instances in the name of honor have been
documented. This sort of femicide is frequently undetected and
undocumented.

Dowry Deaths
“Dowry death”: In India, official figures from 2019 show that the Indian
Penal Code documented more than 7000 “dowry deaths” and more
than 5 000 “abetments to suicide” against women. The 'dowry' is the
money and valuables that the bride's family provides to the groom's
family in the social system of prearranged weddings. Dowry deaths are
the deaths of married women who are murdered or driven to suicide
by their husbands and in-laws due to persistent harassment and torture
over a dowry disagreement, making the women's houses the most
unsafe place for them to be.

Femicide-suicide
“Femicide-suicide”: intentional killing of a woman followed by the
murderer's suicide has been documented in practically every European
country, as well as Australia, Ghana, Moldavia, Turkey, the United
States of America, and South Africa. According to Romanian research,
up to 67 percent of all femicide-suicide cases are done by male intimate
partners, and up to 97 percent of cases are committed by relatives.
Also, over half of the cases are committed in the victim's home after
she has divorced her would-be offender. When she has children, 30
percent of the time the perpetrator targets them as well. This type of
femicide is underreported, highlighting the importance of focusing on
special prevention measures for offenders with mental health issues
and adult women leaving violent and abusive situations, when the
danger of femicide is at its highest.

Human trafficking femicides

Femicide because of human trafficking: This refers to the murder of a woman during
the recruiting, transit, and reception of humans using threats, violence, and other
aggressive measures, as well as kidnapping, deception, and/or power abuse with the
purpose of exploitation. Individuals are frequently trafficked into prostitution or the
sex trade business, forced labor, slavery/practices, and other illegal acts, notably
women and children.

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Femicide in war/conflict settings

Femicide in war and conflict settings: The methodical assault of women and mass rape
are used to demolish local communities and humiliate opponents during times of war,
genocide, and armed conflict. Rape victims may be marginalized and killed as a result
of their experience. Femicides have been reported in conflict settings such as
Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Darfur, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq,
ISIS groups, and Rwanda, according to the Academic Council on the United Nations
System. "These unreported gender-based killings of women and girls may dramatically
increase the global number of victims," according to the UNODC.

Femicides because of homophobia/transphobia

Femicide of homosexual women: homosexual women are still tortured and murdered.
Sometimes, corrective rapes may take place. Corrective rape is a hate crime that
involves forced sexual interaction with a homosexual woman. Corrective rape aims to
"fix" the victim's sexual orientation and make them heterosexual. In certain situations,
this has resulted in death.

Femicide of transgender women: transphobia is one of the most serious obstacles in

gathering data on femicide against transgender women. When a transgender woman
is the subject of femicide, the case is frequently left unsolved because the
authorities prefer to use their birth name rather than their real and chosen names,
making identification difficult. This frequently leads to an inability to comprehend
trans women's abuse as being motivated by gender and/or gender identity. The lack
of legal gender recognition frequently prevents trans women from receiving gender-
sensitive assault prevention and reparation measures. The perpetrators often believe
that the victim has violated traditional sexual or gender norms.

Witch Hunting
Witch hunting: Over 200 people, largely women, have perished as a result of witch-
hunting in rural Assam (India) over the previous 20 years, according to journalists and
non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Witch hunts are also carried out in Nepal,
the Pacific Islands, and Tanzania, among other places. While men who practice
traditional healing are admired, women who practice it may be pursued, eventually
facing violence and death. In 2018, the Assam government passed a bill prohibiting
witch-hunting, and NGOs currently indicate that the number of deaths is gradually
decreasing. Witch-hunting isn't just about superstition; young and older women are
also targeted when they buy land or property.

Femicide because of racism

Femicide because of racism: This describes the murders motivated by hatred or
disapproval of a woman's ethnic or racial origins, as well as her genetic characteristics.

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Femicide because of sex work

Femicide in the context of sex work or prostitution: the execution of a woman engaged
in sex industry, also known as prostitution. Patriarchy, racism, colonization, and
societal stigmatization are some of the important factors that can be used to analyze
women's vulnerability to femicide.

Femicide perpetuated by women

Femicide committed by women: Diana Russell has created a three-category
categorization for female offenders of femicide. The first type is a woman acting as a
patriarchal agent, which can include dowry-related murders, female infanticide, and
deaths caused by genital mutilation. Females who may be operating as agents of male
perpetrators, such as accessories in gang-related femicide and 'honor' or dowry-
related femicide, fall into the second group. Females acting on their own behalf, such
as those motivated by envy, financial, criminal, or ideological actions, are included in
the last group.

Motives in different societies

Femicide is a global issue as it has persisted for centuries, and it is encountered
worldwide. In eastern societies, many kids, boys and girls, do not have access to
education, thus, the phenomenon is not that easily mitigated. Therefore, change does
not take place, and practices that resemble medieval practices take place, such as
witch-hunting. In eastern societies, motives are related with the traditional roles that
are maintained. Women are often not allowed to receive an education and have
trouble being independent and escaping their traditional roles. Women, even by the
governmental mechanisms, are considered inferior, and are overlooked many times
and do not get the justice they deserve. Also, legal frameworks created do not provide
full support and protection to women as loopholes can be found, and do not cover all
aspects of femicides. As a result, lack of education and inaccessibility to justice lead to
all types of femicide occurring today such as femicides in the name of honor and dowry
deaths. Yet, in western societies, women often give up their traditional roles and the
majority has access to education. Moreover, in recent years, more governments
develop initiatives to eliminate femicides. Thus, practices such as “witch-hunting” do
not take place anymore as many women have escaped from their traditional roles.

Covid-19 and femicides

Covid-19 has increased Gender Based Violence (GBV) and femicides. Before COVID-
19, 35% of women in the world had already experienced physical or sexual violence
from an intimate relationship or sexual violence from a non-partner. GBV and femicide
rates have risen dramatically as a result of the worldwide coronavirus outbreak.
Between January and June 2020, GBV incidence in Liberia climbed by 50 %, with over
600 rape cases reported. Similarly, Turkey has declared a "state of emergency" as a

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result of the pandemic, with 36 women dead and an additional 11 suspected fatalities
in July alone.

One woman is killed by a man every three days in the United Kingdom, a rate of
femicide that has remained steady for over a decade. As a result, there is an obvious
link between the two, with femicide and GBV rates being exceedingly high and rising
since the commencement of the COVID-19 epidemic. The COVID-19 pandemic must
not continue to obscure the GBV shadow pandemic, which must be addressed if
thousands more women and girls are to be saved.

Women and girls living with the risk of GBV have become more isolated as a result of
stay-at-home policies. Women with abusive husbands and relatives were shut off from
friends and family when lockdown measures were implemented, trapping them with
their abusers. Women have become more vulnerable to violence because of rising
economic instability and unemployment rates around the world, as well as rising
stress and substance abuse. Abusers likely felt a loss of power as a result of losing their
employment and being unable to pay for their families, leading them to use more
violence as a means of exerting control and domination. Women who are already
more vulnerable to prejudice, such as LGBTQ+ women, Indigenous women, African
American women, displaced migrants, and refugee women, have suffered extra
hazards as a result of COVID-19, and have faced greater barriers in receiving the aid
and resources that they need. Members in the LGBTQ+ group, for example, have the
additional barrier of fearing discrimination and skepticism as a result of their
participation in the community, while seeking police assistance for domestic abuse.
This makes it much more difficult for residents of this community to get the assistance
and resources they require to deal with domestic abuse. Domestic abuse is not
standard, and this must be taken into account in the fight against gendered violence
during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Diana Russell
Diana Russell was a feminist writer, activist and one of the first people to use the term
femicide. Russell spent two years lobbying other feminists and was eventually
successful in establishing the first International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women in
1976 in Brussels, Belgium. 2,000 women from 40 nations attended the four-day
conference, which featured individual women from many countries testifying to their
personal experiences of various forms of abuse and oppression due to their gender.
Russell's study and writings focused primarily on rape and other types of men's sexual
exploitation and abuse of women. Russell stated in her book "The Politics of
Rape" that rape was a demonstration of socially determined masculinity rather than
abnormal social conduct. " Rape in Marriage, Sexual Exploitation: Rape, Child Sexual
Abuse, and Workplace Harassment" are among her other works in this field. Russell's
book "The Secret Trauma: Incest in the Lives of Girls and Women" was published in

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1986. It was one of the earliest investigations of incestuous sexual abuse to be

published in a scholarly journal. Her contribution in today’s view on feminism was
great as she wrote books that helped women find their path in society.

MAJOR COUNTRIES AND ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED

Turkey
Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention jeopardizes women’s and girls’
basic human rights. Women and girls are deprived of a legal framework that protected
them from all forms of violence and stressed the need of prosecution of perpetrators.
Turkey notified the Secretary-General of its intention to withdraw on March 22, 2021,
and the Secretary-General declared that the denunciation would happen on July 1,
2021. The withdrawal has been condemned both domestically and internationally,
notably by the country's opposition parties, foreign governments, the Council of
Europe, non-governmental organizations, and social media users. The Turkish
Presidency blamed the LGBTQ+ community for the withdrawal from the convention
in an official statement, claiming that the Istanbul Convention was hijacked by a group
of persons who wanted to legitimize homosexuality, which is incompatible with
Turkey's social and family values. As a result, the decision to withdraw was made.

India
In India, there are several different types of femicide. Female infanticide, the hunger
and violence-related deaths of girls under the age of six, the murdering of women due
to forced abortions, honor killings, dowry murders, and witch hangings are among
them. In India, many femicides are committed against women. Strong patriarchal
norms are retained in many sections of the region, despite progressive legal reforms,
and help to reinforce women's subjugation. The high value placed on women's
virginity and their subordination in society, according to the Human Rights Council's
Special Rapporteur on violence against women, are important causes driving gender-
motivated homicides of women throughout Asia. While the Indian Penal Code now
expressly forbids dowry, the number of women reported to have died as a result of
dowry has nearly doubled from 4,836 to 8,383 in twenty years (1990–2009). The code
has also been condemned for having a limited impact on the prosecution of
perpetrators, as evidenced by the ten percent conviction rate. Suicide is the primary
cause of mortality among Indian women in reproductive age, with factors including
marital abuse, forced marriage, widow expulsion, and a lack of property rights. In this
setting, young girls and women are rarely accepted and respected, and family support
is typically lacking.

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Greece
The Greek government is facing mounting pressure to make femicide a criminal
offense in the country's penal code, following widespread indignation over the rising
and unprecedented number of women cruelly murdered by their spouses. According
to state-run media, two women were killed by their spouses from 6-10 December
2021, bringing the total number of women killed by their husbands to 17 since January
2021. Both men are accused of telling police that they killed their wives because they
were afraid, they would leave them. The severity of the deaths has sparked calls for
heavier punishments in Greece to deal with these hate crimes.

Brazil
Brazil has made significant progress in recent years in combating gender-based
violence (GBV) by introducing breakthrough legislation on domestic violence,
femicide, and other types of violence against women at the federal level. However,
Brazil remains one of the most hazardous countries for women, and much more needs
to be done, especially at the subnational level. This infographic looks at state-level
measures in the states with the highest rates of femicide to see how different state
actors are combating gender-based violence over such a broad and diverse region.
The 2006 Maria da Penha Law, which adopted a wide range of measures to prevent
and prosecute domestic violence and is likely the country's most sweeping legislative
endeavor in the GBV sector, was passed by Brazil's federal government over the
previous several years. Since 2006, the government has enacted new legislation, such
as the Law of Femicide (2015) and Law 14.188 (2021), which make femicide and
psychological gender-based violence illegal.

United States of America (USA)

When it comes to preventing and reacting to gender-based violence around the world,
the Department of State uses a multi-pronged strategy. The Quadrennial Diplomacy
and Development Review (QDDR) and the Secretary's Policy Guidance on Promoting
Gender Equality to Achieve our National Security and Foreign Policy Objectives from
March 2012 lead these efforts. The Department of State's efforts to combat gender-
based violence in conflict-affected contexts, as stated in the US National Action Plan
on Women, Peace, and Security, are likewise aligned with, and strive to enhance, this
strategy and implementation plan. The accessibility to guns in the United States has
also had a significant impact on femicide, accounting for 67.9% of all deaths.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

Education is one of the most effective weapons against violence, particularly in rural
communities where women and girls are less likely to disclose acts of abuse against
them. UNICEF is a strong supporter of violence prevention education and proactive
early intervention to disrupt gender-based violence loops. In humanitarian
emergencies, UNICEF strives to prevent gender-based violence and to protect and

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advise victims of abuse. Many women and girls are left alone, not only as victims of
domestic violence, but also as victims of a court system and a community that fails
them due to incapacity or ignorance.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Gender-based violence prevention and response programming, as well as risk
mitigation across all sectors, are life-saving and institutional priorities for UNHCR. They
collaborate with partners, governments, and communities to address GBV and deliver
high-quality prevention, mitigation, and response activities. Their main goal is to
protect the rights and well-being of refugees and other persons who have been forced
to escape their homes. Femicides can sometimes be avoided this way. They encourage
states to respect their obligations to guarantee that vulnerable persons are
safeguarded from GBV. They prioritize two mutually reinforcing aims to address GBV
across all of their operations: GBV risk reduction for all persons of concern and to
ensure that all GBV survivors have timely and appropriate access to excellent services
that fit their requirements.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime gathers statistics from Member States
on intimate partner/family-related homicide as a reference for gender-related deaths
of women and the broader concept of "femicide." This indication includes females
who have been murdered by current or past intimate partners or other family
members. In addition, the UNODC is implementing a number of initiatives in the field
of crime prevention and criminal justice around the globe, including trainings for
police officers, evaluating proposals, promoting vital services for survivors, and
mentoring judges to enhance criminal justice systems.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS
Date of
Description of event
Event
The term “femicide” was first used in England to describe the “killing
1801
of a woman”
1848 The term “femicide” was published in Wharton’s Law Lexicon
In 1976, while "testifying in the first International Tribunal on Crimes
1976 Against Women in Belgium," Diana Russell published the term at the
Crimes Against Women Tribunal.
1993 UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women in 1993

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Femicide" was defined as "the gender-based murder of a woman" and

2006 "the murder of women because they are women “in a 2006 report by
the United Nations Secretary General.
On November 26, 2012, a conference was conducted at the United
November
Nations Office in Vienna to commemorate the International Day for
26th 2012
the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
2015 Law of femicide passed in Brazil, making femicides illegal.
The United Nations Human Rights Council appointed Ms. Dubravka
August 1st,
Šimonovic as Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its
2015
causes, and consequences in June 2015 for a three-year term
2018 Dubravka Šimonovic mandate was extended for another three years
March GBV and femicide rates have risen dramatically as a result of the
2020 worldwide coronavirus outbreak.
March Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared his country's
22nd, 2021 withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention
July 1st, The Secretary-General denounced Turkish President Recep Tayyip
2021 Erdogan action
January Pakistan passed the Protection against Harassment of Women at the
14th, 2022 Workplace (Amendment) Bill,2022

PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS TO SOLVE THE ISSUE

Special UN Rapporteur
The United Nations Human Rights Council appointed Ms. Dubravka Šimonovic as
Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes, and consequences in June
2015 for a three-year term (maximum tenure of six years). She began her term on
August 1st, 2015, and her mandate was extended for another three years in 2018. The
Special Rapporteur approaches the elimination of violence from a "comprehensive
and universal" perspective, which includes identifying causes of violence in the civil,
cultural, economic, political, and social sectors. Governments, treaty bodies,
specialized agencies, other special rapporteurs, and intergovernmental and
nongovernmental organizations provide information on violence against women, and
the Special Rapporteur makes recommendations to minimize all forms of violence
against women at all levels of government. The Special Rapporteur's work is guided
by the United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women. In
2015, Ms. Šimonovic called on all states to combat femicide, or the murdering of
women because of their gender. She submitted a report to the United Nations General
Assembly on 'Modalities for the establishment of femicides/gender-related
homicides' on September 23rd 2016, and urged that 'Femicide Watches' be established

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around the world. Intimate partner and family member femicides, as well as other
forms of femicide, would be separated from general homicide data, according to the
report. A prototype of such a 'watch' was presented at the United Nations Commission
on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice's 26th session in Vienna, Austria, in May
2017. Georgia started its first European Femicide Watch in November 2017.

Vienna Declaration on Femicide (E/CN.15/2013/NGO/1)

On November 26th, 2012, a conference was conducted at the United Nations Office in
Vienna to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against
Women. The declaration recognizes that femicide is the killing of women and girls
because of their gender, which can include, among other things, the murder of women
as a result of intimate partner violence, the torture and misogynist slaying of
women, targeted killing of women and girls in the context of armed conflict; dowry-
related killings of women, the killing of women and girls because of their sexual
orientation and gender identity, the murdering of women and girls in the name of
"honor". It also stresses that traditions and culture cannot be used to justify violations
of women's human rights, including the right to life and the right to be free of violence.

Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (DEVAW)

The United Nations General Assembly endorsed the UN Declaration on the Elimination
of Violence Against Women in 1993. Physical, sexual, and psychological violence, as
well as violence in the household and in society, are all covered. The Declaration
distinguishes three types of violence against women: state-sanctioned violence, such
as assault against women in detention, and warfare-related violence, violence by the
general population such as rape, sexual harassment, women's trafficking, and
workplace intimidation and violence in the family and private level such as incest and
selective abortions. Violence against women is based in historically unequal power
relations between men and women, according to the Declaration. It goes on to say
that violence against women is one of the major social mechanisms by which women
are driven into a subordinate position in comparison to men. As a result, UN member
states are asked to pass legislation against violence, try to prevent it, and alleviate the
position of women who have been victimized.

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

UNFPA works in nations all around the world to combat a variety of harmful practices
that can lead to gender-based violence. Such approaches necessitate a high level of
sensitivity to local cultural, religious, and traditional beliefs and behaviors while never
losing sight of the need to adhere to rights-based approaches. Multi-stakeholders in
more than 156 countries get technical help and cooperation in this area to aid in the
implementation of legislation and programs aimed at achieving long-term gender
equality. Some of the countries that benefit from UNFPA are Haiti, Uganda, Sierra
Leone, Nepal, India, Central African Republic and Turkey.

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The Istanbul Convention13

The Istanbul Convention, also known as the Council of Europe Convention on
Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, is a
human rights treaty established by the Council of Europe to combat violence towards
women and domestic abuse. It was opened for signature on May 11 th, 2011, in
Istanbul, Turkey. The convention strives to prevent violence, protect victims, and put
an end to perpetrator impunity. As of March 2019, 45 countries including the
European Union has signed it. Turkey was the first country to ratify the treaty on
March 12th, 2012, followed by 34 additional countries between 2013 and 2021.

European Union (EU) with United Nations (UN)

The European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN) have launched The Spotlight
Project, a new multi-year worldwide initiative aimed at ending all kinds of violence
against women and girls (VAWG). The Initiative is named by the fact that it focuses
attention on this issue, bringing it to the forefront and putting it at the heart of efforts
to achieve gender equality and women's empowerment, as outlined in the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development. An initial investment of almost EUR 500 million
was made, with the EU contributing the majority of the funds. To widen the Initiative's
reach and scope, other donors and partners were invited to participate. The delivery
method is a UN multi-stakeholder trust fund, which is administered by the Multi-
Partner Trust Fund Office with support from core UN agencies UNDP, UNFPA, and UN
Women, and overseen by the UN Secretary-Executive General's Office.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Statistics
To prevent femicide, researchers need comparable statistics to examine and compare
what works and what doesn't in different nations. Researchers will be able to
recognize patterns and the gravity of the situation when they have better statistics,
and they will be able to make accurate policy decisions. Statistical offices such as
Eurostat and other organs can help combat femicides and have more and accurate
statistics. Furthermore, it is important to raise awareness and advocate for better
data collecting in areas where femicide data is scarce. Better training of officials is also
needed in order to meliorate documentation od femicides.

Education
An increasing body of research supports the usefulness of school-based peer
initiatives in changing attitudes around gender-based violence and ending violence

13
[Link]

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against women and girls. These interventions in schools with boys and girls aim to
disrupt socialization procedures in which children witness violence at home, as well as
gender stereotypes that normalize violence. They also create areas where girls at
danger of femicide or practices that perpetuate it can speak out or be identified and
help and protection can be provided.

Sanctions on nations
Sanctions can be one of the most effective ways to decrease femicides from taking
place. Sanctions on nations who have not been bringing enough attention to the
phenomenon could help mitigate femicides. This would pressure governments to
make initiatives and prevent women murders. These could involve economic
sanctions, diplomatic sanctions etc.

Judicial and Policy reforms

In order to decrease the number of victims, it is necessary to make judicial and policy
reforms. It is crucial to improve gender equality in education, governance, labor force
participation, and incomes through implementing policies and programs and also to
advocate for a zero-tolerance stance on violence against women and girls on a global
scale. Moreover, it is necessary to implement measures that increase support and
reparation for women and girls who have been victims of abuse and to fight for laws
that will allow for the investigation and prosecution of femicide. Femicides could be a
separate crime from homicides as they have specific characteristics. The UN could also
establish a body which ensures that these reforms take place and that all countries
and their institutions adhere by the law.

Change of social stereotypes

Feminicide will only be eradicated once the detrimental underlying norms and
mindsets that underpin it are changed. In recent years, local activities and behavior
change have received more attention. This indicates a shift in GBV programming,
which has previously centered on either responding to the needs of survivors or
leading initiatives aimed at lowering the frequency. Social norm-changing programs
can take many different forms, from community debate to the provision of safe spaces
for girls and women to freely voice their problems and discuss what empowerment
means to them. The objective is for a facilitator to gradually educate groups on the
negative effects that certain behaviors have on girls' well-being. Community radio and
theater are increasingly frequently used to teach new gender-equal perspectives of
girls and women. Also, it is important to promote the economic independence of
women as it is an important step towards equality.

Increase access to justice

Processes and mechanisms are strongly important in Access to Justice programs.
Following VAWG, initiatives focus on enhancing and expanding opportunities for

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people to report and seek legal justice (for example, female-only police stations,
additional local courthouses, and police and judicial training). However, delegates
should also consider the cultural, economic, and political hurdles that prevent people
(mostly women and girls) from reporting and seeking justice. Many of the country’s
mechanism are male dominated and do not pay enough attention to GBV. Thus, NGO’s
can play an important role in these societies.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
“Facts and figures: Ending violence against women | What we do | UN Women”
[Link]
and-figures

“DOJCD Anti-Femicide Website l Forms of Femicide”

[Link]

“Global study on homocide: gender-related killing of women and girls | UNODC”

[Link]
related_killing_of_women_and_girls.pdf

“Submission to the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, April 30,2021 |

OHCHR” [Link]
submissions/CSOs/[Link]

“As Violence against Women Grows in Shadow of Pandemic, Third Committee Experts
Cite Need for Data Collection, Strong Policy Responses | Meetings Coverage and Press
Releases, 5 October 2021”

[Link]

“Statement submitted by the Academic Council on the United Nations System, a non-
governmental organization in consultative status with the Economic and Social
Council**, 1 February 2013 | Economic and Social Council”

[Link]
_E-CN15-2013-NGO1/E-CN15-2013-NGO1_E.pdf “Understanding and addressing
violence against women | World Health Organization”

[Link]

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“The Impact Of Covid-19 On The “Shadow Pandemic” Of Femicide And Gender-Based

Violence, February 16, 2021 — Human Rights Pulse”
[Link]
the-shadow-pandemic-of-femicide-and-gender-based-violence

“UN Joint Statement in response to Turkey’s withdrawal from Istanbul Convention |

United Nations in Turkey” [Link]
response-turkeys-withdrawal-istanbul-convention

“Why Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention is a global problem, 2 June
2021 | openDemocracy” [Link]
it/why-turkeys-withdrawal-from-the-istanbul-convention-is-a-global-problem/

“The Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls | United
Nations” [Link]

“Calls for femicide to become separate crime in Greece mount as two more women
killed, 21 December 2021 | Greece | The Guardian”
[Link]
crime-two-more-women-killed

“Establishing a national femicide watch in the United States, 8 May 2021 | TheHill”
[Link]
watch-in-the-united-states

“WOMEN COUNT USA – Home” [Link]

“Confronting Femicide in America, September 27, 2021 | The Crime Report”

[Link]

“Fighting Gender-Based Violence in Brazil, December 2, 2021 | Wilson Center”

[Link]

“United Nations Treaty Collection” [Link]

“Violence against women, its causes and consequencs, 12 July 2021 | Gneral
Assembly” [Link]
[Link]/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N21/187/50/PDF/[Link]?OpenElement

[Link]
Library/Publications/2015/gender-related_killing.pdf

“Recommendations for action against gender related killing of women and girls |
UNODC” [Link]
quinones-femicide-in-latin-america

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“Inter-American Model Law to Prevent, Punish and Eradicate the Violent Death of
Women (Femicide – Feminicide)” [Link]
[Link]

“Women This Week: Victory for Women’s Rights Activists in Pakistan | Council on
Foreign Relations, 28 January 2022” [Link]
womens-rights-activists-pakistan

“What is femicide? - Womens Aid” [Link]

do/campaigning-and-influencing/what-is-femicide/

“Women protest for their lives: Fighting femicide in Latin America - Atlantic Council,
24 February 2020” [Link]
inclusion/women-protest-for-their-lives-fighting-femicide-in-latin-america/

“Femicide: Women are most likely to be killed by their partner or ex - BBC News, 20
February 2020” [Link]

“European Union | Violence | 2021 | Gender Equality Index | European Institute for
Gender Equality”[Link]
index/2021/domain/violence

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