EU Statement - HRC59 - Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls
UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
59th session
Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls
25 June 2025
EU statement
The European Union welcomes the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls, its Causes and Consequences, and takes note of the latest report.
The EU emphasizes that the 1993 UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action were landmark moments in integrating a gender perspective into international human rights frameworks. Since then, numerous legal instruments, CEDAW General Recommendation No. 35, and various Human Rights Council resolutions, have explicitly identified gender-based violence as a violation of human rights.
The EU stresses the urgent need to uphold these international legal standards. To eradicate sexual and gender based violence, we must address its deep-rooted causes: discriminatory social norms, gender stereotypes, impunity, insufficient legal protections, socio-economic exclusion, structural inequalities, and harmful practices that sustain violence and abuse. Tackling these root causes is not optional but a binding obligation under international human rights law.
Eliminating violence against all women and girls cannot rest on the shoulders of women alone. All men and boys must be actively engaged to break the silence and foster a culture where opposing violence is a shared duty. The EU reiterates its strong commitment to building societies where all women and girls live free from fear, discrimination, and violence.
Ms. Alsalem, your report highlights the importance of criminalizing femicide. Could you share examples of effective national strategies to prevent femicide and ways to enhance international cooperation on this critical issue?
Thank you.