Ireland represented at 57th annual meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women

"We must look back on a year of shocking crimes of violence against women and girls and ask ourselves how to usher in a better future". Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General

Over the last fifty-seven years the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) has promoted and monitored the rights of women around the world. This year the Commission will discuss how to stop and prevent all forms of violence against women and girls. Alongside this important work, the CSW will continue its valuable work on raising the status of all women.

Violence against women and girls can happen anywhere, regardless of income, class or culture. Extreme forms of violence, such as the shooting of 15yr old Malala Yusufzai in Pakistan last year gain huge media coverage but the even greater problem of violence against women in their own homes rarely gets public attention.

Did you know that more than 1 in 3 women in the world will experience violence at some point in their lifetime? 

This year is an especially important year for the Irish delegation to the CSW, led by Minister Kathleen Lynch, as we currently hold the Presidency of the European Union. We believe that violence against women and girls is a human rights violation and furthermore has a hugely negative influence on sustainable development and economic growth.

For Irish Aid, combating gender based violence is one of our priorities and so we have supported several side-events at the conference. These include discussions highlighting case-studies from Irish Aid’s partners, showcasing research on the real results of anti-violence programmes and providing a space for governments and groups to share experiences and lessons learnt in fighting violence against women.