HRC 47th Session: General Comment on the draft Resolution “Accelerating efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls: preventing and responding to all forms of violence against women and girls with disabilities”

13 July, 2021

HRC 47^th Session: Decisions and conclusions

General Comment on the draft Resolution “Accelerating efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls: preventing and responding to all forms of violence against women and girls with disabilities” (A/HRC/47/L.18/Rev.1)

Delivered by H.E. Andranik HOVHANNISYAN, Permanent Representative

President,

We would like to extend our appreciation to Canada for presenting the resolution on elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls. We particularly welcome the thematic focus of the resolution on the women and girls with disabilities, a group that risks to be further marginalized as a consequence of ongoing pandemic.

We are convinced that inadequate health care and social protection services, lack of disability responsive infrastructure and carefully crafted policies, exacerbate discriminatory patterns and stigmatization of women and girls with disabilities and make them even more prone to violence and abuse. We note with satisfaction that resolution succeeded in highlighting a number of important aspects for prevention and elimination of violence, among others – life-long education, psychosocial support, economic empowerment and most importantly access to justice and remedies.

We would also like to stress particular vulnerability that girls with disabilities face in specific situations like in humanitarian settings, or when they fall victims of domestic violence as well as in institutions that were created to protect them. We know from numerous examples that it takes genuine efforts to overcome stigma towards disability, to support, to educate and incapacitate families to prevent institutionalizations and address specific needs of girls with disabilities.

Armenia would like to encourage the Council to keep the women and girls with disabilities high on its agenda and further explore human rights-based solutions for their protection and empowerment.

I thank you.

MFA RA
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