Articles 5(g) and 5(h) of the The Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (1993)
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2018/08/20
Article 5
The organs and specialized agencies of the United Nations system should, within their respective fields of competence, contribute to the recognition and realization of the rights and the principles set forth in the present Declaration and, to this end, should, inter alia:
( g ) Consider the issue of the elimination of violence against women, as appropriate, in fulfilling their mandates with respect to the implementation of human rights instruments;
( h ) Cooperate with non-governmental organizations in addressing the issue of violence against women.
The Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (1993)
The Declaration or the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women in the final portions of Article 5 – Article 5(g) and Article 5(h) – speaks to the need to implement the statements of women’s rights in the documents that talk about the elimination of Violence Against Women or VAW.
Then there is the work with various NGOs or non-governmental organizations in order to deal with the international problem of VAW. Looking at these two stipulations, we can note the emphasis on the elimination of VAW right in the start of it.
Not only as a lone statement but connected or linked to the basic idea of the human rights instruments necessary to implement international rights documents intended to reduce the VAW in the world; the documents work, the statements state what is and is not a right, but the basic need for pragmatic solutions is important.
With the elimination of VAW through the implementation with the use of the human rights instruments, whether in a Member State, a region, or globally, Article 5(g) speaks to some of the important bases upon which this important issue can be tackled to some degree.
Article 5(h) follows in its stead with the cooperation needed with the NGOs to deal with VAW. Numerous organizations detached from government exist in order to deal with the violence inflicted on women. Some will have a broad scope and then one subsection of the mission or goals of the NGO will be the elimination of violation against women.
Others will focus on violence in particular against women – as we see in, for example, the organizations devoted to the elimination of not necessarily psychological or physical violence but sexual violence. The focus on sexual violence is not a small topic because women undergo so much violence to their bodies through objectification and degradation.
Even in the contexts of the least progress for women, the cooperation with NGOs can provide, at a minimum, some bulwark against the encroachment of the excuses and bold ignorance around the real experiences of women throughout our societies.
In terms of tackling the issues, the main concern is the non-bounded nature of VAW. Violence experienced by women does not discriminate; however, some women are discriminated against more than others.
We can see this in the statistics on the experiences of the women in the Middle East North Africa region or the Indigenous populations of North America living within the margins or simply in the settler-colonial societies of America and Canada.
The Missing and Murdered Indigenous women problem in Canada (and America) remain prominent issues within communities but does not garner sufficient attention in the mainstream presses. In general, the problems faced by vulnerable subpopulations of women go ignored and left bereft of any justice or fairness in consideration within the media.
The problem of VAW, whether the need to implement the stipulations of the documents such as the Declaration or to persist in the consistent efforts of cooperation & coordination with NGOs, is international, regional, national, and even down to where you live – potentially someone you love and know experienced it; the issue needs to be called out and discussed in public fora as the only means by which we can develop a lasting progressive step towards less VAW is open public dialogue – sometimes canned and at times in real-time and filmed – about the problems of VAW, the facts and figures, and ways to move forward as an international community for sake of the social order; one which we will be leaving for future generations to harbour.
The question then: how hard do we want to move towards the possible frontier future of more peaceful families, communities, where women and girls are nurtured and cared and unafraid of living their lives no matter the country?
–One can find similar statements in other documents, conventions, declarations and so on, with the subsequent statements of equality or women’s rights:
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the Preamble, Article 16, and Article 25(2).
- Convention Against Discrimination in Education (1960) in Article 1.
- The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) in Article 3, Article 7, and Article 13.
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966).
- Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979).
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984).
- The Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (1993).
- Beijing Declaration(1995).
- United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000).
- Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (2000).
- The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa or the “Maputo Protocol” (2003).
- Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence or the Istanbul Convention (2011) Article 38 and Article 39.
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