United Nations Commission on the Status of Women

Eliminating gender-based violence and harassment in the context of SDG-5

Portfolio- Germany
General Speaker’s List Speech
‘Violence against women isn’t cultural, it’s criminal.’ Greetings to all
the distinguished delegates and the respected executive board. After
centuries of struggle to empower women, and have gender equality,
women may have received ‘rights’ on the surface level but continue to
toil against the patriarchy. Many obstacles prevent women to stand on
the same pedestal as men, and one such obstacle is sexual and gender-
based violence. Gender-based violence is one of the most prevalent
human rights violations in the world. With an increase in awareness,
one would expect such cases to drop but violence against women has
increased significantly in the recent years. Germany as a nation is one
of the 13 feminist governments in the world with gender equality
being its central priorities. Germany has not only worked extensively
to form policies to eliminate violence against women and oppression
in the country itself but also is the fourth largest public donor to the
Global Fund partnership fighting gender-based violence, with
contributions totalling 4.6 billion euros to date. The delegate of
Germany would like to conclude by calling upon the global
community to take robust measures as after all sexual and gender-
based violence knows no social, economic or national boundaries. It
is a global and a humanitarian issue.

Topics for Moderated Caucus:

1. Vulnerability to sex trafficking of the marginalised communi
ties in the underdeveloped regions of the world
The modern day form of slavery- trafficking. A violation to one
of the most fundamental human rights, still does not have a legal
 legislation prohibiting it in approximately half the countries of
the world. Sex trafficking of women and girls especially
belonging to marginalised communities endangers them to
physical abuse, contraction of STDs, mental trauma and societal
exclusion. Germany as a nation has criminalized sex trafficking
and prescribed penalties of 1 to 10 years’ imprisonment under
section 232a of the German Criminal Code. The country has
also criminalised purchase of sex services which helps curb sex
trafficking and gender-based violence. But the $150 billion
global industry can’t be shut down by just national legislations.
The delegate urges the committee to recommend stronger
international laws and the countries to abide by them. Lastly the
delegate would also like to propose special assistance including
educational, financial and social support to women subjected to
sex trafficking.

2. Exploitation of women and children in conflict areas

Exploitation of women in conflict zones is a tactic. A tactic of
war used to impose political agendas and destroy communities.
Unlawful killings, maiming and mutilation, rape, sexual slavery,
arbitrary detention, forced marriage, forced prostitution, forced
pregnancy and forced sterilisation are the forms of violence, to
name a few, that a woman endures in an area hit by conflict. One
out of every 5 refugee women in humanitarian situations suffer
sexual violence. In the war against ISIS in Iraq, 5 to 10,000
women were trafficked for sexual slavery and prostitution. In
the ongoing war in Yemen, women make up 76% of all
displaced persons subjected to violence. Spanning from age 4 to
82, women and girls of Ukraine are being ‘systematically raped’
as an opportunistic method of oppression by Russian soldiers.
The delegate of Germany strongly urges the nations under
conflict to empower women to have a political stand so that
stricter laws can be executed to prevent exploitation and provide
sufficient funds for healthcare, migration and protection.
3. Violence and harassment at workplaces
Violence and harassment at work is a widespread phenomenon
around the world. A survey conducted by the International
Labour Organization established that every fifth person
surveyed had experienced sexualized harassment at work. For
women sexual harassment can be one of the most damaging
barriers to career success and job satisfaction. Germany as a
nation has taken strong steps to expunge sexual harassment at
workplace. The German Equal Treatment Act prohibits violence
and harassment at workplace. Furthermore, sexual harassment in
the form of physical contact can be a criminal offence under
Section 184i of the Criminal Code and is punishable by
imprisonment of up to two years and/or a fine. Legal legislations
prohibiting violence at work still does not exist in more than 50
countries in the world. The delegate of Germany encourages
countries to have strict laws, national awareness programs and
helpline numbers to eradicate this global challenge.

Solution Moderated Caucus Speech

Gender based violence is the biggest pandemic of all. Prevention

plays a central role in efforts to eradicate and remove the root
causes of gender-based violence. Currently less than 1
percent of bilateral official development assistance and
philanthropic funding is given to prevent and address GBV,
despite the fact that roughly a third of women have experienced
physical or sexual violence. There is an urgent need to finance
programs developed to eradicate GBV. Training professionals to
be able to identify, address and respond to gender-based
violence. This might include providing training for teachers,
youth workers, social workers, trainers, the police, the justice
system, health care providers, etc. To ensure women’s full and
meaningful participation in efforts to combat and eradicate the
illicit transfer and misuse of small arms and light weapons. The
delegate urges the member states to continue finding ways to
change social norms and to further prevent, mitigate, and
respond to GBV. Ending violence against women is everyone’s
business.