10th
June 1995
We,
the signatories, of the Madrid Declaration, believe that: women world-wide
are subjected to many forms of violence in spite of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and many other international conventions and
treaties.
Women are affected by violence in war, in the workplace and at
home. Gender
related violence, defined as an assault against the physical and
psychological integrity of a person, is based on, and perpetuates the
unequal power relations between men and women.
Women
are exploited at work, often without access to trade unions; they are
forced into prostitution, harassed, beaten or raped.
In many parts of the world, violence against women has become a
deliberate strategy of war.
Violence
against women is :
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A
crime and a violation of human rights.
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An
obstacle to social, economic and political development.
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An
obstacle to peace and democracy.
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A
challenge to us all.
Violence
against women destroys human dignity, is a block to development and
diminishes both men and women.
Men have used and abused positions of power to violate women's
human rights.
Now, men in all walks of life must organise to transform their
attitudes and combat all forms violence against women.
Women
have formulated political strategies of resistance and organised to bring
the issue of violence against women into the public area.
The
Madrid Declaration aims to condemn all forms of violence against women and
establish values, behaviour and commitments which could lead to the
eradication of violence against women and to action based on the
experience and strategies of the women's movement.
Specific emphasis is placed on the involvement and awareness of
men.
SOLIDAR
(International Workers Aid) and all signatories of The Madrid Declaration
call upon the relevant international organisations, governments, national
and local institutions and community based organisations to commit
themselves to the following recommendations :
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To
ratify or reaffirm without reservation, and implement all UN
conventions and declarations relating to the protection and promotion
of women's human rights and to provide adequate and additional
resources to fulfill their mandates.
These include among others the Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Geneva Convention of
1949 and additional protocols.
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To
provide resources to combat the root causes of violence at all levels
by promoting the understanding and dissemination of information on the
causes and consequences of violence against women; programmes and
services to alleviate violence against women, including the protection
of victims and rehabilitation of perpetrators and develop strategies
to prevent gender related violence.
Special attention should be given to changing the attitudes and
practice of men.
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To
recognise women as political actors by promoting women at all decision
making levels locally, nationally and internationally, supporting
their self-determination and their political struggles.
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To
place special emphasis and resources on prevention through formal and
informal education.
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To
bring pressure to bear on the mass media not to glorify violence and
sexist images.
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Domestic
Violence
The
privacy of the home, ethnic and cultural customs and all types of
religious fundamentalism must not be allowed to act as excuses behind
which the human rights of half the world's population are violated with
impunity.
Domestic violence is a public, not a private issue.
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To
adopt and strengthen the necessary legal measures to protect women
from all forms of domestic and social violence, including physical,
mental abuse, harassment and rape.
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To
provide the necessary resources to ensure effective justice for women
survivors of violence.
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To
train and raise the awareness of public servants and officials at work
at all levels, on the issues of violence against women and to ensure
that women survivors receive adequate attention, support and
protection.
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To
promote discussion at national and international levels on the means
to confront domestic violence.
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Work
The
introduction of neo-liberal economic strategies and Structural Adjustment
Programmes have worsened the conditions of women due to the reduction of
public spending on health, education and social
welfare.
Due to women's productive and reproductive roles, this leaves them
more vulnerable to violence.
A
further consequence of the globalisation and deregulation of the economy
is the gross exploitation of workers, especially women, in the
international labour market.
This is particularly evident in Export Processing zones.
Exploitation and violence implicit in the trafficking of women and
increased migration must be factors of special
concern for labour and trade union movements.
Northern
and Southern trade unions, NGOs and other national and international
bodies are urged to :
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Work
together to introduce a social clause in the World Trade Organisation
guaranteeing basic working rights for all women workers including
those in Export Processing Zones.
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Ensure
the protection of all women from the abuses and exploitation of
trafficking and forces prostitution.
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Secure
and advance the labour rights of documented and undocumented migrant
workers.
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Provide
standards and mechanisms for the
prosecution of employers who violate national and international
labour standards.
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Utilise
and strengthen consumer organisations to promote products which
violate women's rights as workers.
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War
and Conflict
We
are witnessing an increasing number of armed conflicts around the world,
both international and within nation states.
Civilians are most affected by these conflicts, and women are the
main victims.
80% of the world's refugees and internally displaced are women and
children.
Decisive
action must be taken in zones of war in order to stop any abuse directed
at women and children.
Rape and all kinds of sexual violence, torture, sexual slavery,
slaughter of women, forced abortion and forced sterilisation are being
systematically used as weapons of war.
We
the signatories of the Madrid Declaration urge the international
community, national governments and non-governmental
bodies to:
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Define
all forms of gender specific violence in areas of war and conflict as
war crimes, and ensure that individuals who advocate or take part in
such acts of violence are tried
mechanisms for the punishment of war crimes.
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Ensure
women's human rights
in war and conflict, in flight, in refugee camps and in
countries of asylum.
Women fleeing from situations of political
conflict and repression must have the right to asylum on an
independent basis, and the right to family reunification.
All efforts should be made to assist
them to integrate and enjoy full and equal rights in the
countries of asylum.
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Ensure
that humanitarian assistance programmes are gender sensitive and
include local partners and organisations, with women being central to
the design and implementation of
these programmes.
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Support
and intensify efforts towards peace, conflict prevention and recognise
women's central role and accelerate efforts to reduce arms trading in
the world.
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We
the undersigned and the organisations we represent declare our
commitment to take forward the Madrid Declaration.
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NO
TO VIOLENCE
AGAINST
WOMEN
(Source
: Solidar International Workers Aid)
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INTERNATIONAL