Conferences

• The Kuwaiti Women's Associations Union organized a closed regional consultative meeting in collaboration with the Geneva Institute for Human Rights and the United Nations on violence against women and girls in the Middle East and North Africa – its causes and consequences. The meeting was attended by the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls, Reem Al Salem, and lasted for three days.
• Representatives from non-governmental organizations working on violence against women and girls, the regional office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the United Nations Population Fund attended the meeting, which extended over three days.
• Sheikha Fadia Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, the President of the Union, stated that the meeting addressed various Qatari experiences, challenges, and major obstacles facing women in the Middle East and North Africa. The recommendations are expected to contribute to the United Nations' global efforts to enhance and protect the human rights of women and girls.
• Sheikha Fadia explained that the consultative meeting discussed three items in line with the major challenges facing women who experience violence. This includes analyzing the root causes of violence against women in the Middle East and North Africa and possible ways to address it. She highlighted the sensitivity of the issues discussed during the consultative meeting.
• She stated that the aim of the consultative meeting is to increase knowledge and information about women's rights and to build the participants' capacity to understand the United Nations' mechanisms for specific actions and to exchange approaches and strategies to enhance women's rights in the region.
• Sheikha Fadia also noted that the meeting aims to provide participants with the necessary knowledge to engage in monitoring women's rights in national public policies and to present preliminary results and recommendations for future reports to the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on violence against women and girls, the General Assembly, and the Human Rights Council.
• She expressed hope that practical recommendations would be made concerning the role of the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls in the Middle East and North Africa in supporting efforts to combat violence against women and girls and in monitoring activities that the United Nations body and fund for population, as well as the United Nations Human Rights Commission, could undertake in the region.
• Sheikha Fadia stated that these efforts and activities organized by the Union fall within the framework of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations. It represents collaboration between civil societies and the state, noting that the consultative meeting coincides with the celebrations of the Kuwaiti Women's Associations Union on Kuwaiti Women's Day, which falls on May 16th of each year. This commemorates the role of the Honorary President of the Union, Sheikha Latifa Al-Fahd Al-Salem Al-Sabah, who worked on establishing the foundations of this annual celebration

Kuwait Leads the Way

• In turn, the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls, Reem Al Salem, expressed her happiness in participating in the consultative meeting. She extended her sincere thanks to the State of Kuwait, Sheikha Fadia Al-Saad, and the Geneva Institute for Human Rights for organizing the consultative meeting and giving her the opportunity to participate. She emphasized the importance of communication with concerned organizations worldwide, especially human rights organizations and, more specifically, Arab organizations.
• She stated that Kuwait is at the forefront in this field, and this is the first meeting of its kind held in an Arab country, which is a source of pride. She highlighted that civil society organizations are the backbone of humanitarian work in general, and particularly in issues related to violence against women and girls.
• Reem Al Salem added, "I have come today to listen to you, learn from you, and understand how I can support your efforts and what mechanisms we can employ to support these initiatives optimally, in line with practical realities and the challenges faced by these organizations."
• She noted that violence against women is a global issue that must be addressed by governments and civil society organizations, as there is no region in the world that is exempt from this challenge. She emphasized that no society can progress without women enjoying stability and security since they represent half of society.
• The Fourth Session
• Nizar Abdul Qadir, the Executive Director of the Geneva Institute for Human Rights, stated that this is the fourth session organized by the institute in collaboration with the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls. He expressed his delight that this year's organization was in partnership with the Kuwaiti Women's Associations Union.
• He pointed out that this was a good opportunity for participants to exchange experiences across various local contexts and fields of work and to understand the challenges and major obstacles that women face in the Middle East and North Africa.
• He mentioned that the phenomenon of violence against women transcends time and place, as it occurs regardless of war or peace, poverty or wealth, education or ignorance. Despite the United Nations' 1993 decision to appoint the first UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and the General Assembly's 1999 resolution designating November 25th as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, recent reports and statistics still show alarming levels of violence against women.
• He pointed out that the numbers provided by the United Nations indicate an increase in violence against women and girls. More than one in every three women has experienced physical or sexual violence in their lives, and over 750 million women have been married before the age of eighteen. More than 250 million women have undergone female genital mutilation.
• He asked, "Has women's destiny been to face violence wherever they are?" He emphasized that today's task is to provide an answer in the negative. Violence against women can and must be reduced. This reduction can be achieved through the adoption of strong strategies to combat it, including the purification of local and global cultures from factors that fuel this phenomenon. This includes laws, national legislation, local customs and beliefs, and educational curricula. It's also crucial to fight against distortions that attempt to manipulate religions and beliefs in favor of cultures that condone violence against women. The media should also be challenged, as it often molds and restricts women to specific roles and images that promote their victimization.
• He concluded by saying that the burden of correctly prioritizing action against the issue of violence falls on local civil society organizations. Violence comes in various forms and shapes, and it remains prevalent in different parts of the world, with some countries allowing it under the cover of legal, religious, or cultural protection. In other societies, minor girls are still married off with the blessings of religious leaders, communities, and the law. In yet other societies, rape is used as a weapon of war. He emphasized that all of these actions constitute violence against women and girls, despite the variations in form and severity.
• He reiterated the commitment of the Geneva Institute for Human Rights to continue raising awareness about women's rights issues in general and the issue of violence against women in particular. This commitment includes training and building the capacity of relevant government bodies, national institutions, and non-governmental organizations. The institute also engages extensively in international forums to mitigate human rights violations and strive for a world free from violence and conflict