2013-06-18T18:13:32-04:00 Michelle Bachelet http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=michelle-bachelet Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Michelle Bachelet Good old fashioned elbow grease. tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.2177778 2012-11-25T04:10:05-05:00 2013-01-24T05:12:02-05:00

Michelle Bachelet http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelle-bachelet/
Hoy, con la vista puesta en el día Internacional del Fin de la Violencia contra las Mujeres, que se celebra este domingo, pido a todos los dirigentes que se pronuncien a favor de acabar con la violencia contra las mujeres y las niñas.

El año pasado puse en marcha la agenda política de 16 pasos. Hoy insto a todos los jefes de Estado y de Gobierno a acabar con el azote de la violencia que afecta a todas las sociedades, mediante su participación en una apasionante iniciativa mundial que dé a conocer los compromisos nacionales para poner fin a la violencia contra las mujeres y las niñas.

El primer paso ya lo hemos dado: se ha roto el silencio. Hoy, la violencia doméstica es ilegal al menos en 125 países y existe un amplio conjunto de leyes relativas a la violencia contra las mujeres y las niñas. Hay un consenso internacional sobre la forma de avanzar que quedó expresado en la Plataforma de Acción de Pekín. 187 países han ratificado el Convenio para la Eliminación de Todas las Formas de Discriminación contra las Mujeres. Se sabe mucho más sobre las causas originales de la violencia, y hay un número cada vez mayor de mujeres, hombres y jóvenes que se movilizan contra la violencia sin cesar. Existen innumerables organizaciones cuyos miembros trabajan sin descanso para apoyar a las supervivientes y, en muchos países, las autoridades han tomado medidas decisivas. Pero todo eso no basta.

Debemos hacer más para proteger a las mujeres y prevenir esta violación generalizada de los derechos humanos. Los Gobiernos y los dirigentes deben dar ejemplo. Ha llegado la hora de que los Gobiernos traduzcan las promesas internacionales en acciones nacionales concretas.

Esperamos ver leyes y planes de actuación nuevos y mejores que proporcionen refugios, servicios de asistencia telefónica gratuitos y ayuda legal y sanitaria gratis a las supervivientes. Contamos con que haya programas educativos que enseñen derechos humanos, igualdad y respeto mutuo, e inspiren a los jóvenes a tomar la iniciativa para acabar con la violencia contra las mujeres y las niñas. Necesitamos que haya cada vez más mujeres en la política, las fuerzas del orden y las tropas de paz. Necesitamos igualdad de oportunidades económicas y puestos de trabajo dignos para las mujeres.

Para que haya todas estas cosas es preciso contar con unos líderes decididos y valientes. El próximo mes de marzo, responsables gubernamentales y figuras de la sociedad civil se reunirán en la Comisión de la ONU sobre la Condición de la Mujer para acordar acciones que prevengan y respondan con eficacia a la violencia contra las mujeres. Las expectativas son altas, y así debe ser. En algunos países, 7 de cada 10 mujeres son golpeadas, violadas, maltratadas o mutiladas durante su vida. Una crisis de semejantes proporciones merece la máxima atención de los dirigentes mundiales. No puede haber paz ni progreso mientras las mujeres vivan con el miedo a la violencia.

Hoy, la violencia contra las mujeres se reconoce cada vez más como lo que es: una amenaza contra la democracia, un obstáculo para la paz duradera, un lastre para las economías nacionales y una horrible violación de los derechos humanos. A medida que más gente esté convencida de que la violencia contra las mujeres no es aceptable ni inevitable, a medida que se castigue cada vez a más maltratadores, el cambio para poner fin a la violencia contra las mujeres será más profundo y más sólido.

No es un problema exclusivo de las mujeres, es una responsabilidad de todos nosotros. Esta violencia es una atrocidad y hay que detenerla. Ya no hay tiempo para dejarse llevar por la complacencia ni las excusas. Debemos mostrar la voluntad, la determinación y la capacidad de movilizar más recursos para poner fin a ese azote de la humanidad que es la violencia contra las mujeres.

Sí, es posible.


Michelle Bachelet.
Expresidenta de Chile y directora ejecutiva de ONU Mujeres.

Traducción de María Luisa Rodríguez Tapia.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.2175287 2012-11-22T19:00:00-05:00 2013-01-22T05:12:01-05:00

Michelle Bachelet http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelle-bachelet/
Today, looking towards Sunday's International Day to End Violence against Women, I call on all leaders: Take a stand to end violence against women and girls.

Last year I launched the 16-step policy agenda. Today, I urge all Heads of State and Government to end the scourge of violence that affects every society by participating in an exciting global initiative to showcase national commitments to end violence against women and girls.

The first step has been taken: the silence has been broken. Today at least 125 countries outlaw domestic violence and there is a large body of legislation on violence against women and girls. There is international agreement on the way forward as articulated in the Beijing Platform for Action. One hundred and eighty-seven countries have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Knowledge on the root causes of violence has increased, and women, men and young people continue to mobilize in huge numbers against violence. There are countless organizations whose members work tirelessly to support survivors and, in many countries, policy-makers have taken decisive action. But it is not enough.

We all must do better to protect women and prevent this pervasive human rights violation. Governments and leaders must lead by example. Now is the time for governments to translate international promises into concrete national action.

We hope to see new and improved laws and national action plans that provide for safe houses, free hotline services and free health and legal aid to survivors. We count on education programmes that teach human rights, equality and mutual respect, and inspire young people to take leadership on ending violence against women and girls. We need increasing numbers of women in politics, law enforcement, and peacekeeping forces. We need equal economic opportunities and decent jobs for women.

All of these actions require decisive and courageous leaders. Next March, leaders from governments and civil society will come together at the UN Commission on the Status of Women to agree on action to prevent and respond effectively to violence against women. Expectations are high, and they should be. In some countries, up to 7 in 10 women will be beaten, raped, abused, or mutilated in their lifetimes. A crisis of such proportions deserves nothing less than the highest attention of world leaders. There can be no peace, no progress, when women live under the fear of violence.

Today violence against women is increasingly recognized for what it is: a threat to democracy, a barrier to lasting peace, a burden on national economies, and an appalling human rights violation. As more and more people believe that violence against women is neither acceptable nor inevitable, as more and more perpetrators are punished, the change to end violence against women grows deeper and stronger.

This is not just a women's issue, this is a responsibility for all of us. This violence is an outrage and it must be stopped. Time has run out for complacency or excuses. Let us show the will, the determination and let us mobilise greater resources to end what is a scourge of humanity, violence against women.

Yes, it is possible.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.893561 2011-07-08T17:39:44-04:00 2011-09-07T05:12:01-04:00

Michelle Bachelet http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelle-bachelet/
But promising equality, of course, is not the same as delivering it on the ground. Despite real advances, there sadly remains an immense gap between these welcome legal guarantees and everyday life for women. It is a justice deficit which can be found in rich and poorer countries alike and in every aspect of our societies.

It is not, however, only women who suffer from this failure of justice. We all do -- whatever our gender. Without a doubt, women's strength, industry and wisdom are humanity's greatest untapped resource. It is potential we simply can't afford to continue to waste.

It was this recognition that led to the formation of UN Women, which brings together all the UN gender equality agencies under my leadership. It was our recognition that the justice gap was crucial to removing the barriers to equality which made it the subject of our first report -- Progress of the World's Women: In Pursuit of Justice.

It is comprehensive and sobering, cataloguing both the lack of legal protection women receive and the reasons behind this failure.

In some cases, it can be the laws themselves which are unjust. Early pregnancy and childbirth remains the leading cause of death among girls aged 15 to 19 in the developing world. Yet in no less than 50 countries, the age of marriage for girls still remains lower than for boys. In over 40 economies, too, women remain barred from certain jobs and industries.

But in many cases, women are denied a fair deal because of a failure, whether through lack of resources, will or cultural obstacles, to uphold the legal rights they have been granted. We discovered that women are three times less likely to report a sexual attack than a robbery. It is all too easy to understand why. A European study found on average only 14 percent of reported rapes ended in conviction. In other countries, the figure is even lower.

We found a similar failure, too, in the economic sphere. Despite 117 countries having equal pay laws, women in every sector and region continue to be paid between 10 to 30 percent less than men.

It is, however, not all bad news. For as well as identifying where justice is failing women, the report also identifies where and how progress is being made. It shows, for example, how the law itself, through landmark cases, has helped drive change and alter attitudes. We see as well how vital is an increase in women's representation in Parliament, the judiciary and enforcement agencies in advancing women's rights.

I find it heartening that the number of countries where women make up over 30 percent of parliamentarians is now 28 and that they can be found from Tanzania to Costa Rica, Rwanda to Spain. It is still far too few, of course, but it is a seven-fold increase on the position in 1997. We are moving slowly in the right direction.

We found how practical and achievable measures can make a big difference. An increase in the number of women police officers help overcome a reluctance to report sexual assaults. Convictions increase when the police are joined up with forensic, health and legal services in one stop shops. In Sweden, improved paternity leave has reduced the gender pay gap. In Nepal, tax exemptions have incentivised families to transfer land to daughters, sisters and wives.

But there is a huge amount more to do. It is clear, for example, we need determined action to protect and promote women's rights in conflict and post-conflict societies. The targeting of women for sexual violence has become an unacceptable fact of modern war. It is women, too, who have proved themselves vital in healing the wounds of societies and ensuring a lasting and just peace.

So our report is a call for action -- setting challenges for national governments, civil societies and the international community. It outlines an agenda which, by ensuring laws and the legal system tackle bias against women, will accelerate the progress towards our ambitions for a better world. UN Women will work to support this agenda, with the benefits to be felt by everyone. We all win -- men and women, girls and boys -- if we win this battle for justice.

Michelle Bachelet is the first Executive Director and Under-Secretary-General of UN Women. UN Women's flagship report, Progress of the World's Women: In Pursuit of Justice, is launched this week (visit progress.unwomen.org).

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