On March 3rd, a panel discussion on violence against women and girls justified in the name of culture was held by the Global Campaign to Stop Killing and Stoning women (SKSW Campaign) during the 54th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The aim of the event was to present an overview of the diverse contexts the Campaign is active in, focusing on the frontline work of our partners in their local contexts, and to expand the Campaign’s outreach through the distribution of Campaign materials and networking. The panel involved the following speakers and topics:

• Overview of the SKSW Campaign - Fatou Sow, WLUML-ICO Coordinator
• Culture and VAW as a Global Phenomenon - Zarizana Abdul Aziz
• Stoning is Not Our Culture: Iran and Nigeria - Rochelle Terman and Mufuliat Fijabi
• Criminalisation and Inhuman Punishment of Women and Girls through Laws: Indonesia including Aceh – Ni Loh Gusti Madewanti and Evi Zain
• VAW in the Context of Conflict and the Culture of Lawlessness: Afghanistan – Roya Rahmani
• Sexual Harassment: the Hidden, Unspoken form of CVAW in Sudan – Zaynab El Sawi

The UN Special Rapporteurs invited to give their insights on the human rights implications of violence against women and girls justified in the name of “culture” were:

• Rashida Manjoo - Special Rapporteur on VAW, its Causes and Consequences
• Philip Alston - Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions
• Manfred Nowak - Special Rapporteur on Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading punishments

Download the report below