UN launches "stop violence against women" campaign

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The United Nations Secretary-General`s UNiTE to End Violence Against Women campaign to reduce the increasing number of reported cases commemorates the world day on violence against women on every November 25.

"The campaign activity will be done in various forms with one objective, namely stop violence against women and children," said the Indonesian UN Resident Coordinator El-Mostafa Banlamih here Thursday.

The campaign is done in cooperation from the UNIFEM (United Nation Development Fund for Female), the Indonesian Women and Children Empowerment Ministry and the National Commission for Women.

The program was internationally initiated in 2008 and scheduled to end by 2015 which aimed to prevent and erase any violence acts against women and child all over the world.

UNiTE Campaign is a collaboration of several UN agencies that cooperating with the central and regional governments, private sectors, schools and universities.

Benlamih emphasized on the importance of this program by mentioning that based on the UN member countries data that shows more than 70 percent of women in the world has experienced physically and mentally violence.

The campaign also considered as a joint act that must be done immediately in Indonesia considering the high number for such cases.

According to the Indonesian National Commission for Women, there are some 143,586 violence cases recorded in 2009.

Despite the fact of increasing cases number, Benlamih praised on Indonesia`s improvements development in this case, by the issuance of domestic violence law number 23/2007, the establishment of women and children integrated counseling center and improving data by the national commission for women (Komnas Perempuan).

To achieve the goals, there are other things that hurdles the violence against women handling which is different situation in every country.

Some of the matters that hamper violence handling are the absence of punishment for perpetrators, lack of counseling services for victims, attitudes and behavior that strengthens the negative stereotypes and violence against women, also the lack of resources.

In 2015 the UNiTE`s global target consisting of adopting and apply national laws to punish every form of women and children violence act, multi-sector action plan for the national level, reinforcing data collection on every cases, increase people`s awareness and social mobilization, along with handling sexual violence in conflicts.(*)