Address by the Foreign Minister Kristiina Ojuland concerning Violence against Women
United Nations
23 September 2004
Dear colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,
First of all, I would like to express my gratitude for having been given the opportunity to address such a distinguished audience.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Next year, a decade will pass since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. I am glad to note, that increased concern with gender equality at both national and international levels has led to progress in combating violence against women. And yet, gender inequality continues as a phenomenon that cuts across boundaries of wealth, race, and culture. The task of combating violence against women is as relevant and urgent today as it was a decade ago. The forms of injustice against women in different societies are multiple, ranging from such extreme practices as genital mutilation and female infanticide to hindered access to education and employment. Women in many parts of the world still lack, among other things, the right to vote, to participate in politics and government, or to express themselves on equal terms with men. Moreover, with social and economic inequality increasing, certain phenomena, like sexual exploitation and the trafficking of women, have become even more widespread.
During the last few years, the United Nations has been mainstreaming women’s human rights and gender concerns into its policies. Further progress could be made by increasing cooperation between the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and other Treaty Bodies. I am glad to note, that most of the United Nations Member Countries are parties to the aforementioned Convention, and many have acceded to its Optional Protocol. Estonia welcomes the Committee’s efforts to reform its working methods so as to increase its efficiency. We also appreciate the cooperation between the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Human Rights. I would hereby like to invite all countries to effectively cooperate with these human rights mechanisms and to implement the Convention’s provisions at the national level.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The elimination of all forms of violence against women remains a high priority also for the European Union. Equal treatment of both sexes, regarding access to employment and education, is an important aspect of European Union policy. The Lisbon Strategy, for example, aims at 60% female employment by the year 2010.
To highlight the prospects of regional cooperation, the Nordic-Baltic cooperation in combating violence against women has been particularly intensive. The Nordic–Baltic working group responsible for cooperation on gender equality was established in 1998. In 2002, the Nordic-Baltic Task Force against Trafficking in Human Beings was initiated by my dear friend Anna Lindh, the late Swedish foreign minister. Various awareness-raising campaigns; training-courses for civil servants; and conferences and seminars for politicians, researchers, and NGOs have been organised. An agreement between the ministries of justice, and of internal and social affairs of the Nordic and Baltic countries envisages the elaboration of the national action plans for combating trafficking by the year 2005.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Allow me to conclude with a few words on where Estonia stands in this context. Estonia acknowledges the problem at both the global and national level, and in recent years has made considerable progress towards gender equality.
Estonia acceded to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in 1991. The Department of Gender Equality within the Ministry of Social Affairs was established in 1996. It has a close cooperative relationship with various national and international institutions and networks.
In 2002, Estonia ratified the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and signed its three additional protocols, among them, the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children and the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air.
Last spring, the Estonian Parliament (the Riigikogu) passed the Gender Equality Act. The Act explicitly prohibits direct and indirect discrimination, providing measures against discrimination. It obliges authorities and employers to promote equality between men and women, thus strengthening the legislative basis for promoting gender equality in Estonia de jure and de facto. A special commission has been formed on the initiative of the Estonian Government to draft the National Gender Equality Plan for the years 2004-2008. The bases for the plan are international human rights conventions, agreements, and documents. It will address, among other issues, violence against women, trafficking, protection and assistance of victims, and institutional cooperation.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We still have a long way to go on the road towards a completely inclusive world where women and men are truly equal. The problem of gender equality has to be addressed at all levels - international, regional, and national. Gender mainstreaming remains a basis for combating violence against women, but this is only a point of departure. The actual roots of the problem are social and economic, as well as cultural. Thus, combating violence against women and achieving gender equality cannot be regarded as being separate from promoting human rights and social justice in general.
Thank you for your attention!
23 September 2004
Dear colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,
First of all, I would like to express my gratitude for having been given the opportunity to address such a distinguished audience.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Next year, a decade will pass since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. I am glad to note, that increased concern with gender equality at both national and international levels has led to progress in combating violence against women. And yet, gender inequality continues as a phenomenon that cuts across boundaries of wealth, race, and culture. The task of combating violence against women is as relevant and urgent today as it was a decade ago. The forms of injustice against women in different societies are multiple, ranging from such extreme practices as genital mutilation and female infanticide to hindered access to education and employment. Women in many parts of the world still lack, among other things, the right to vote, to participate in politics and government, or to express themselves on equal terms with men. Moreover, with social and economic inequality increasing, certain phenomena, like sexual exploitation and the trafficking of women, have become even more widespread.
During the last few years, the United Nations has been mainstreaming women’s human rights and gender concerns into its policies. Further progress could be made by increasing cooperation between the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and other Treaty Bodies. I am glad to note, that most of the United Nations Member Countries are parties to the aforementioned Convention, and many have acceded to its Optional Protocol. Estonia welcomes the Committee’s efforts to reform its working methods so as to increase its efficiency. We also appreciate the cooperation between the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Human Rights. I would hereby like to invite all countries to effectively cooperate with these human rights mechanisms and to implement the Convention’s provisions at the national level.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The elimination of all forms of violence against women remains a high priority also for the European Union. Equal treatment of both sexes, regarding access to employment and education, is an important aspect of European Union policy. The Lisbon Strategy, for example, aims at 60% female employment by the year 2010.
To highlight the prospects of regional cooperation, the Nordic-Baltic cooperation in combating violence against women has been particularly intensive. The Nordic–Baltic working group responsible for cooperation on gender equality was established in 1998. In 2002, the Nordic-Baltic Task Force against Trafficking in Human Beings was initiated by my dear friend Anna Lindh, the late Swedish foreign minister. Various awareness-raising campaigns; training-courses for civil servants; and conferences and seminars for politicians, researchers, and NGOs have been organised. An agreement between the ministries of justice, and of internal and social affairs of the Nordic and Baltic countries envisages the elaboration of the national action plans for combating trafficking by the year 2005.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Allow me to conclude with a few words on where Estonia stands in this context. Estonia acknowledges the problem at both the global and national level, and in recent years has made considerable progress towards gender equality.
Estonia acceded to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in 1991. The Department of Gender Equality within the Ministry of Social Affairs was established in 1996. It has a close cooperative relationship with various national and international institutions and networks.
In 2002, Estonia ratified the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and signed its three additional protocols, among them, the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children and the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air.
Last spring, the Estonian Parliament (the Riigikogu) passed the Gender Equality Act. The Act explicitly prohibits direct and indirect discrimination, providing measures against discrimination. It obliges authorities and employers to promote equality between men and women, thus strengthening the legislative basis for promoting gender equality in Estonia de jure and de facto. A special commission has been formed on the initiative of the Estonian Government to draft the National Gender Equality Plan for the years 2004-2008. The bases for the plan are international human rights conventions, agreements, and documents. It will address, among other issues, violence against women, trafficking, protection and assistance of victims, and institutional cooperation.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We still have a long way to go on the road towards a completely inclusive world where women and men are truly equal. The problem of gender equality has to be addressed at all levels - international, regional, and national. Gender mainstreaming remains a basis for combating violence against women, but this is only a point of departure. The actual roots of the problem are social and economic, as well as cultural. Thus, combating violence against women and achieving gender equality cannot be regarded as being separate from promoting human rights and social justice in general.
Thank you for your attention!
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