HRC44 - NB8 statement - Special Rapporteur on violence against women

Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on violence against women

7 July 2020

Statement by Finland on behalf of the Nordic & Baltic countries

Madam President,

I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic countries: Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden and my own country Finland.

Let me begin by reaffirming our determination to combat all forms of violence against women and girls, including sexual and gender-based violence, sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. COVID-19 has firmly underlined that we must continue this fight as women and girls across the globe have experienced increased violence during the pandemic

The report by the Special Rapporteur paints a bleak picture of what gender-based risks women journalists face in their work owing to the fact of being women and at the intersection of other identities, such as race and ethnicity. Violence against women journalists, including emerging forms of online and offline violence constitute not only a threat to women, but also to democracy, freedom of expression and access to information.

The efficient prevention of violence against women journalists requires a systematic, coordinated, multi-agency effort. This response must be fully founded on a set of integrated human rights based policies and promote transformative change.

Madam Special Rapporteur,

What best practices of reporting and support mechanisms and platforms have you observed, and what can we learn from these?