63
• División para el Adelanto de la Mujer (DAW)
Esta División, que actúa bajo el mandato del Secretario General, trabaja
para mejorar el estatus de las mujeres en el mundo y para lograr
la igualdad entre hombres y mujeres. Asimismo, brinda apoyo a la
Comisión de la Condición Jurídica y Social de la Mujer (dependiente de
ECOSOC), a gobiernos y organizaciones de la sociedad civil y a otros
órganos afines. Gran parte de su trabajo se centra en la implementación
de la Plataforma de Beijing
91
.
• La Cuarta Conferencia Mundial sobre la Mujer – Beijing 1995
La División para el Adelanto de la Mujer actuó como secretaría en la
realización de la Conferencia Mundial realizada en Beijing. Previo a ella,
Naciones Unidas había convocado a Conferencias Mundiales en Ciudad de
México (1975), Copenhague (1980) y Nairobi (1985)
92
.
91 Véase
visitado el 29
de diciembre de 2009.
92 Las Estrategias de
Nairobi Orientadas hacia
el Futuro para el Adelanto
de la Mujer establecieron,
entre otras cosas que:
“Paragraph 258. Violence
against women exists in
various forms in everyday
life in all societies. Women
are beaten, mutilated,
burned, sexually abused
and raped. Such violence
is a major obstacle to the
achievement of peace
and the other objectives
of the Decade and
should be given special
attention. Women victims
of violence should be
given particular attention
and comprehensive
assistance. To this end,
legal measures should
be formulated to prevent
violence and to assist
women victims. National
machinery should be
established in order to
deal with the question of
violence against women
within the family and
society. Preventive policies
should be elaborated,
and institutionalized
forms of assistance to
women victims provided.
[...]
Paragraph 288.
Gender-specific violence
is increasing and
Governments must affirm
the dignity of women,
as a priority action.
Governments should
therefore intensify efforts
to establish or strengthen
forms of assistance to
victims of such violence
through the provision of
shelter, support, legal
and other services.
In addition to immediate
assistance to victims of
violence against women in
the family and in society,
Governments should
undertake to increase
public awareness of
violence against women
as a societal problem,
establish policies and
legislative measures to
ascertain its causes and
prevent and eliminate
such violence in
particular by suppressing
degrading images
and representations
of women in society,
and finally encourage
the development of
educational and re-
educational measures
for offenders.
[...]
Paragraph 291. States
Parties to the United
Nations Convention for
the Suppression of the
Traffic in Persons and of
the Exploitation of the
Prostitution of Others
should implement the
provisions dealing
with the exploitation of
women as prostitutes.
Urgent consideration
should also be given
to the improvement of
international measures
to combat trafficking
in women for the
purposes of prostitution.
Resources for the
prevention of prostitution
and assistance in the
professional, personal
and social reintegration
of prostitutes should
be directed towards
providing economic
opportunities, including
training, employment,
self-employment and
health facilities for
women and children.
Governments should also
endeavour to co-operate
with non-governmental
organizations to create
wider employment
possibilities for women.
Strict enforcement
provisions must also
be taken at all levels to
stem the rising tide of
violence, drug abuse
and crime related to
prostitution. The complex
and serious problems
of the exploitation of
and violence against
women associated
with prostitution call
for increased and co-
ordinated efforts by police
agencies internationally”.
Naciones Unidas, World
Conference to Review and
Appraise the Achievements
of the United Nations
Decade for Women:
Equality, Development and
Peace: Nairobi Forward-
looking Strategies for
the Advancement of
Women, A/CONF.116/28/
Rev, 26 de Julio de 1985.
