Femicide (gender-related killings), human trafficking and environmental crime were high on the agenda at the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, during its 22nd Session from 22-26 April. Soroptimist International’s UN representatives in Vienna, Roswitha Benesch, Dora Vrdlovec and Martina Gredler, were joined at the Commission by President-Elect Ann Garvie.
The CCPCJ, organised by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), is the central body within the UN system dealing with crime prevention and criminal justice policy. In addition to the resolutions passed during the session, over 30 side events were held, and a record 900 participants from Member States, civil society and the media attended.
Femicide – Gender-related killing of women and girls
Femicide, the gender-related killing of women and girls, is growing substantially all over the world and disturbingly, often remains unpunished. At the Commission on the Status of Women in March, Soroptimist International delivered an oral statement on femicide, prepared jointly by the Vienna NGO Committee on the Status of Women and participants of the Vienna Symposium on Femicide in 2012.
A draft resolution agreed at the Crime Commission, which will be recommended by the Economic and Social Council for adoption by the General Assembly, states that it is “deeply concerned that the global prevalence of different manifestations of gender-related killings of women and girls is reaching alarming proportions”.
Member States are urged to “end impunity by ensuring accountability and punishing perpetrators of these heinous crimes” and “to consider designing, implementing and evaluating comprehensive programmes aimed at preventing all forms of violence against women and girls”.
The resolution also expresses appreciation for “the considerable input of many civil society organizations, as well as academia, in addressing the different forms of violence against women and girls, through research and direct action in their respective communities”.
Environmental Crime – Ecocide
SI’s UN Representatives were involved in organising a side-event on Criminal Waste, the Cost to Women during the Commission. The event looked at the issues of environmental crime and land grabbing, exemplified by gold mining in Ghana where local people, particularly women, have been endangered and sustainable development jeopardized. 30% of the land is mined by 200 companies. Compensation is paid for crops, but not for the land itself and women are excluded. CSW (Commission on the Status of Women) Vienna is calling for action to eliminate such environmentally hazardous , unsustainable and often illegal activities and for international agreements to recognise Ecocide as a crime.
Ecocide – the extensive damage to, destruction of or loss of ecosystem(s) of a given territory, whether by human agency or by other causes, to such an extent that peaceful enjoyment by the inhabitants of that territory has been or will be severely diminished.
Human Trafficking
Soroptimist International is committed to eradicating the trafficking in people, as a fundamental infringement of human rights. Many SI clubs worldwide are working on a local and national level to raise awareness of human trafficking, educating women and girls at risk and supporting victims. In a session on the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2012, UNODC and the Permanent Mission of Belarus presented the results of data collected from 2007-10, excluding Africa. The data showed that:
- Of those trafficking victims identified by member states, 60% are women and 17% are girls, though this does not include the hidden cases.
- Although the majority of trafficking offenders are men, the participation of women (30%) is higher than for other crimes.
- There are about 460 flows of trafficking around the world per year (a flow = 5 trafficked persons).
- Most trafficking flows are regional, only 24% are transnational.
- The biggest flow – 75% – happens in East Asia.
- Progress has been made in the fight against trafficking in persons, but progress in conviction remains limited.
The resolution discussed at the Commission reiterated ECOSOC’s “strong condemnation of trafficking in persons, especially women and children, which constitutes an offence and a serious threat to human dignity and physical integrity, human rights and development”.
It expressed “ serious concern that despite sustained measures taken at the international, regional and national levels, trafficking in persons remains one of the gravest crimes facing the international community and requires a more concerted collective and comprehensive international response”.
One particular area of discussion was organ trafficking, and the resolution highlighted “the number of reported incidents of trafficking in persons for the purpose of removal of organs and the ongoing lack of reliable data in that regard”.
Images – Top: (l-r) Martina Gredler, Ann Garvie, Roswitha Benesch and Dora Vrdlovec at the UNODC;
Left: Soroptimist International clubs in Arizona, USA, raise awareness of human trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation.
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