VIIIth Conference on Feminicide/Femicide
the duty of due diligence in eradicating feminicide/femicide
- Conference - 1st of June 2015 15:00-18:30
in the European Parliament - Conference Follow-up Strategy Meeting - 2nd of June, 9:00-13:00
at the European Social Platform
INTRODUCTION
Feminicide/femicide is “the violent death of women based on gender, whether it occurs within the family, a domestic partnership, or any other interpersonal relationship; in the community, by any person, or when it is perpetrated or tolerated by the state or its agents, by act or omission” (MESECVI, 2008). It is the most extreme form of violence against women. It is not a matter of “…isolated incidents that arise suddenly and unexpectedly, but rather the ultimate act of violence which is experienced in a continuum of violence” (1)against women. To fight against it, more than a dozen Latin American countries have adopted laws that specifically penalize feminicide or femicide. European countries also rely on increasingly specific legal instruments to combat violence against women. Twenty years of the Belém do Pará Convention (2) in Latin America and the entry into force of the Istanbul Convention (3) Europe demonstrate an increasingly stronger international commitment against this kind of violence, a commitment which has also been recently expressed in the establishment of EU-CELAC’s Bi-Regional Dialogue on Gender Issues. However, legal norms, agreements, and international dialogues alone are not sufficient for the eradication of violence against women, nor its most extreme manifestation, feminicide/ femicide. It is necessary that the whole of the state structure commit itself to act with due diligence to prevent, investigate, sanction all acts of violence against women, as indicated in Belém do Pará and Istanbul, as well as to compensate the victims. The protection of the life of women is fundamental when evaluating the diligence of States before acts of violence (4). Feminicide/femicide is often a consequence of lack of due diligence in the actions taken by States; such is the case when, for example, public policy, carried out by bodies charged with the implementation of the law, such as the police force or the judicial system, are ineffective or passive in cases of violence against women. The VIII Conference on Feminicide will examine some aspects related to the duty of due diligence in the actions of States in the face of violence against women and feminicides/femicides. Due diligence will be addressed from an international perspective, including strategies, initiatives, and tools that are being developed in the European and Latin American spheres, as well as, bi-regionally, to contribute to the eradication of the violence against women and feminicide/femicide: In what way do the regional conventions (Belém do Pará and Istanbul) help States act with due diligience in the face of violence against women? As the end of the EU-CELAC 2013-2015 Action Plan term approaches, how has the Bi-Regional Dialogue on Gender Issues contributed to the eradication of feminicide/femicide? The conference will also include a national perspective on due diligence, and in this sense, it will center on means of protection, attention to health, social services, and preventive campaigns, problems related to investigations and judicial processes as well as sanctions in the face of violence against women and, in particular, feminicide/femicide . (1) Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Rashida Manjoo, http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Women/A.HRC.20.16_En.pdf(2) Belém do Pará Convention: http://oas.org/en/mesecvi/docs/BelemDoPara-ENGLISH.pdf
(3) Istanbul Convention: http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/standardsetting/convention-violence/convention/Convention%20210%20English.pdf
(4) Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. IACHR. “Report 170/11. Case 12.578: María Isabel Véliz Franco Et Al. Merits Guatemala.” Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Organization of American States, 2011b, paragraph 75, http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/decisions/court/12.578FondoENG.doc-12/19/2012
PROGRAMME - VIIIth Conference on Feminicide/Femicide
1st of June 2015 from 15:00 to 18:30 in the European Parliament
14:30 | Access to European Parliament |
15:00 | Welcome and Opening |
15:15 | Panel I: Chair: Ernest Urtasun, Member of the European Parliament, Greens/EFA |
The CELAC and the EU Perspective on the Bi-Regional Dialogue on Gender and the eradication of violence against women | |
The European Strategy for Equality Between Women and Men after 2015 | |
Indicators of implementation of the Belém do Pará Convention: Outcomes in the Latin American continent | |
Debate (30’) | |
16:40 | Panel II: Chair: Ulrike Lunacek, Member of the European Parliament, Greens/EFA |
EEAS Strategy about violence against women in Latin America | |
Guatemala’s response to feminicide: Progress and challenges in the area of due diligence | |
The Comprehensive Law against gender-based violence in Spain: Progress and challenges in the area of due diligence | |
Media: Strategies for awareness of the media in the face of femicinide and violence against women | |
17:45 | Debate (30’) |
18:15 | Closing |
2nd of June 2015 - 9:00-13:00 at the European Social Platform, Square de Meeûs 18, 1050 Brussels
9:00 | Registration |
9:15 – 11:00 | Welcome and Opening Ernest Urtasun, Member of the European Parliament, Greens/EFA Panel I: Chair: Klaus Linsenmeier / Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, EU Office director |
| · Strengthening the methods of civil society participation in MESECVI Luz Patricia Mejía / OEA /MESECVI Coordinator of the Technical Secretariat (15’) |
| · Operation of GREVIO and opportunities for civil society participation Johan Friestedt/ GREVIO / Monitoring mechanism of the Istanbul Convention (15’) |
| Commentators Pierrette Pape, European Women’s Lobby / Policy and Campaigns Director (5’) Liz Meléndez / Centro de la Mujer Peruana Flora Tristán (5’) |
Debate (45’) | |
11:00 – 11:20 | Break |
11:20 – 12:45 | Panel II: Chair:Ernest Urtasun, Member of the European Parliament, Greens/EFA |
· The right to abortion in Europe and Latin America: Progress, setbacks, and opportunities Irene Donadio / International Planned Parenthood Federation, European Network (15’) | |
· “The Right to Choose=Free people” Campaign in Chile Mónica Maureira / Professor at the Diego Portales University and feminist activist (10’) | |
· “Let her Choose” Campaign in Peru Liz Meléndez / Centro de la Mujer Peruana Flora Tristán (10’) | |
· “Feminist mobilization in Spain against the reform of abortion law” Cristina Bigordà / Dones amb Iniciativa (10’ | |
Debate (40’) | |
12:45
| Closing Ernest Urtasun, Member of the European Parliament, Greens/EFA |
