On request of the Global Network of Women’s Shelters (GNWS), the Dutch Foundation of Women’s Shelters and its partners organized the 3rd World Conference of Women’s Shelters (3WCWS) from 3-6 November 2015 in Conference Center World Forum, The Hague (De Haag) in The Netherlands.
CTS team members, who work closely with women and provide shelter to young girls and women in Pakistan, attended this worldwide event. Through this platform, CTS acquired a prolific opportunity to share/exchange knowledge and experience with different individuals around the globe. CTS is optimistically looking forward to work with international organizations working for the common cause of ending violence against the women and children. Likewise, in the course of the conference, CTS staff met with German women shelter workers and planned and then visited one women’s shelter home situated in Hamburg, Germany.
This conference 3rd world conference of Women’s Shelters was attended by over 1000 advocates and activists representing 115 countries, call upon Governments, UN Agencies, International Organizations, non – profitable organizations, the Private Sector and Civil Society to take urgent and effective action to prevent and end violence against women and children over the globe.
The theme of the conference mainly focused on Connect & Act, to end violence against women as violence against women and girls is a human rights violation. One in every three women worldwide experience physical and/or sexual violence at least once in their lives, usually by an intimate partner. During 3WCWS, United Nations (UN) Secretary–General Ban Ki-moon has proclaimed the elimination of violence against women as a top priority of the UN’s work. Achieving “gender equality and empowering women and girls” is one of the Goals of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, adopted by the 193 member states of the UN during the annual General Assembly (25 September 2015). One of the important targets of the goal is the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls. UN representatives emphasizes on commit to contributing to the realization of this Goal, which will transform the lives of women and girls.
Official opening programme commenced with deliberate speech of Hina Jilani – Pakistani women’s rights activist & lawyer and the member of elders. She emphasized that over the last decades many countries have made considerable progress in introducing legislation and institutionalizing policy frameworks. However, implementation, monitoring and accountability are weak, slow or lacking. (click here to read the complete Report in PDF)