Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 July 2020
393. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the locations worldwide most commonly associated with human rights abuses and violence against women and children; the actions proposed or in hand to deal with the issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19092/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe human rights of women and children are protected under international human rights instruments, including the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The compliance of countries with their obligations is kept under review by the relevant treaty monitoring bodies.
In addition, a number of UN special procedures with relevant mandates, including the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences and the UN Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, are active on these issues. Their regular reports to the UN Human Rights Council, which can be accessed on its website, detail the situation with regard to the human rights of women and children and make recommendations as to how they can be addressed and prevented.
Ireland’s policy for International Development, A Better World, prioritises preventing and responding to gender based violence while Ireland's Third National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security reiterates Ireland's commitment to intensifying investment in prevention and response to gender based violence, especially in fragile and conflict affected states.
My Department is also an active member of the Irish Consortium of Gender Based Violence, an alliance of Irish and international human rights, humanitarian and development organisations and the Irish Defence Forces. Support is provided to the Consortium to promote increased understanding of gender based violence and ensure high quality programming and policy responses in both development and humanitarian settings.
