KHRP Calls for an End to Violence against Women

Wednesday, 25 November 2009

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, KHRP calls on your continued support for its Women’s Access to Justice Project to help end violence against women. Acts of gender-based violence against women take on a variety of forms from torture, rape, domestic violence, sexual abuse of children, murder and trafficking in women and girls. In Syria, KHRP is extremely alarmed by the disturbing pattern of arbitrary arrests developing against Kurdish women, and the treatment these women receive in detention. KHRP has recently made a series of urgent action appeals to UN Special Rapporteurs on behalf of Kurdish Women underlining its particular concern at the Syrian authorities’ continued willingness to torture Kurdish women. Just last month, KHRP brought together human rights defenders from across the Kurdish regions of Turkey, Iran and Iraq to participate in a cross-border roundtable on strategies and tactics for protecting and promoting women’s rights. It was decided that more training sessions should follow to help improve the protection of women’s rights and the need for better implementation of domestic and international legal frameworks. Earlier this year KHRP also observed the trial of Kerem Cajan, a man accused of killing his pregnant 18-year-old wife. In its trial observation report, KHRP highlights the failure of the authorities to protect women from honour killings and to facilitate their access to justice. The report titled ‘The Trial of Kerem Cakan: The Turkish Judiciary and Honour Killings’, is expected to be published by the end of the year. Alongside its work in the Kurdish regions, KHRP continues to share its expertise of international human rights instruments to support women’s access to justice globally. Tomorrow it will facilitate workshops in London on Women’s Rights and International Instruments and Conventions on Women’s Rights. The workshops are part of a one-day capacity building seminar organised by international human rights organisation, Liberation. To find out how you can support women’s access to justice, please visit GlobalGiving.co.uk/4010. ‘By devoting efforts and committing sufficient resources, it could be possible to envisage a system where women can rely on justice and expect a fair defence’, said KHRP Managing Director, Rachel Bernu. ‘However, local judicial systems in the Kurdish regions and elsewhere still fail to overcome their deep-rooted cultural prejudices, and persistent work is required to promote equality and protect against violations of women’s rights on a local, national and international level.’