Gender Violence - A Human Rights Violation

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             At the 1993 UN Conference on Human Rights in Vienna, sponsored by the High Commission on Human Rights, this issue became even more important (see Schuler 1992). Global activism by women's NGOs drew attention to the issue of violence against women . A worldwide petition campaign gathered over 300,000 signatures from 123 countries, putting the issue of violence against women at the center of the conference (Friedman 1995: 27-31). The concluding document, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, formally recognized the human rights of women as "an inalienable integral and indivisible part of human rights " (Connors 1996: 27). In addition to working to eliminate violence against women in public and private life, this document advocated "the elimination of gender bias in the administration of justice and the eradication of any conflicts which may arise between the rights of women and the harmful effects of certain traditional or customary practices " (sec. II, B, para. 38, UN Doc A/Conf.157/24 (Oct. 1993, quoted in Thomas 1999: 249). The Vienna Declaration specifically called for the appointment of a special rapporteur on violence against women and the drafting of a declaration eliminating violence against women .1 .
             In 1994, the UN Commission on Human Rights condemned gender-based violence and appointed the requested rapporteur (Report of Secretary General 1995: 132). The Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women is mandated to collect information relating to violence against women, to recommend measures to remedy it, and to work with other members of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), the human rights body that predated the recently created Human Rights Council. The Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women appointed by the CHR chairman in 1994, Radhika Coomaraswamy, was very effective in bringing more attention to the issue. During her tenure as Special Rapporteur from 1994 until 2003, she prepared several substantial reports defining violence against women and investigating its various manifestations around the world.