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From Harm to Justice: Ending Violence Against Women in the Public Sphere in the OSCE Region
Meeting
- Date:
- Location:
- New York, United States
- Organized by:
- Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Permanent Mission of Malta to the United Nations
- Source:
- OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, OSCE Secretariat, OSCE Gender Issues Programme
- Fields of work:
- Democratization, Gender equality
Overview
Women who stand at the forefront of efforts to advance gender equality often face severe backlash for their public engagement. Online harassment, physical intimidation, gendered hate speech and other forms of gender-based violence are used to silence women’s voices in public life, attacking not only individual rights, but also justice, equality and democratic participation.
Focus of the event
Aligned with the 70th Commission on the Status of Women’s (CSW70) focus on access to justice, this side event explores how violence against women in the public sphere intersects with broader efforts to end gender-based violence and what legal and institutional strategies can effectively address it. The event will highlight how discriminatory narratives, glass ceilings and structural barriers continue to constrain the work of women politicians, women human rights defenders and women peacebuilders, and why tackling these barriers is essential to ensuring equal participation and protection.
This side event aims to:
- Highlight the specific challenges and forms of violence faced by women peacebuilders, women human rights defenders and women politicians in the public sphere
- Share regional and international good practices on legal and institutional responses that strengthen women’s access to justice
- Leverage political support and strategic partnerships for a more comprehensive approach to protecting and empowering women active in public spheres
Agenda
Opening Remarks (10 minutes)
- Dr Lara Scarpitta, Senior Adviser on Gender issues/Head Gender Issues Programme OSCE
- Dr Tea Jaliashvili, First Deputy Director, OSCE ODIHR
- Ambassador Natasha Meli, Permanent Representative of Malta to the United Nations in New York
Keynote (7 minutes)
- Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls
Panel Discussion (28 minutes)
- Zeina Hilal, Gender Partnership Programme Manager, Inter-parliamentary Union
- Dr Yulia Netesova, Chief of Democratic Governance and Gender Unit, OSCE/ODIHR
- Noura Aljizawi, Human Rights Defender, The Citizens Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs, Toronto University
Interactive Q&A (25 minutes)
Moderator:
Elmaja Bavčić, Adviser on Gender Equality, OSCE Secretariat
Participants
The event is intended for Member State delegations, human rights organisations, women’s rights groups, parliamentarians and civil society.
Registration
No registration is needed, but the number of seats is limited. Participants must be accredited to the United Nations to join.
Contact
For further information, please contact Elmaja Bavčić (OSCE Secretariat Gender Issues Programme) at Elmaja.Bavcic@osce.org and Saša Gavrić (ODIHR) at Sasa.Gavric@odihr.pl.
Contact
