Honorable Experts
Representatives of the Permanent Missions
Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission of Women, Carmen Lomellin
Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am honored to welcome you to the First Meeting of Experts of the Follow-Up Mechanism for the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women, “the Convention of Belém do Pará”. Honorable Experts, let me first congratulate you on your appointment to this Committee. Also, allow me also to express my deep appreciation for the work that you are about to undertake in the fight against violence against women.

In confronting this problem, we should also pay tribute and give recognition to the important role of women in all aspects of society – cultural, political and economic. The contribution of women to their families, to their communities, their country and to the world cannot be overstated. Whether at the helm of a large company, engaged in agriculture, running a small business, or raising a family, women add value in myriad ways. Yet, all too often, women find themselves being discriminated against, abused and denied equal rights and protections.

Violence against women is a serious problem that affects societies worldwide. This scourge impedes social development and restricts the ability of women in all walks of life from attaining their full potential.

As you know, there is no country in the world where women are safe from the scourges of violence and abuse. Sadly, this is also true in our Hemisphere. Statistics from several studies¹ reveal the following:

• In Canada, 29 % of women are physically abused by partners or former partners; this figure is 21 % in Nicaragua, and 22 % in the United States.
• In Peru, a study of 12 to 16-year old girls giving birth found that 90 per cent of them were pregnant from rape, often incest.
• In the Caribbean,² a recent survey carried out in Barbados shows that 30% of women were battered as adults. In Belize, in the same year that their Domestic Violence Act was enacted, 103 cases proceeded to court within a six-month period. In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, research found that 75% of the perpetrators of domestic violence were males in common-law relationships.
• In São Paulo, Brazil one study found that 13 per cent of deaths of women of reproductive age were homicides, of which 60 per cent were committed by the victims' partners.³
• In Colombia, the Pan American Health Organization reports that 41% of women have experienced violence by a partner or other person.⁴

Ladies and Gentlemen, the statistics may be disputed and be the basis for debate, but the problem is clear. Violence against women is a major and far-reaching blight that can no longer be tolerated. This violation does not occur only in certain countries or in isolated areas with uniquely identifiable characteristics. Whether educated or unschooled, wealthy or poor, living in developed or developing countries, urban or rural areas, women often confront violent threats to their wellbeing, their livelihoods and their lives.

The magnitude of this problem is at once alarming and sobering, and reflects the need for regional cooperation to achieve the purposes of the Convention of Belem do Para. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the reason why we are here today.

Since the Convention of Belem do Para was adopted by the OAS General Assembly in 1994, the OAS has been working diligently to eliminate gender-based violence. The Convention is the first and remains the only international instrument adopted to prevent, punish and eradicate violence against women. It not only recognizes that violence against women constitutes a human rights’ violation, but it also defines violence in both the public and private spheres.

By taking a leadership role in this issue, the OAS has demonstrated once again the critical position that it occupies and the attention that it can bring to bear on issues of such hemispheric and global importance in order to effectuate change.

To date, 31 of the 34 Member States are signatories to the Convention. This is progress. However, I would like to see and strongly encourage ratification by all Member States. This is an issue that is way too important to be ignored. It is more than politics. Fundamentally, it is a question of the role of women in society, human rights, respect for the rule of law and inclusive democracy.

Five years after the Convention's entry into force, the CIM coordinated a project entitled “Violence in the Americas: A Regional Analysis Including a Review of the Convention of Belem do Para.” This project reviewed the nature and efficiency of the policies and legislative reforms adopted in the countries of the region to comply with the objectives of the Convention. Since that time, and with the support of the CIM Assembly of Delegates and the OAS General Assembly, the CIM has worked diligently with experts throughout the region to encourage the energetic application of the Convention, and to study the most effective manner of doing so. I thank the Secretariat for their tireless efforts.

Distinguished experts, you have accepted a huge responsibility and an honorable duty. We look forward to benefiting from your expertise and experience. The meeting we are inaugurating today has a very demanding agenda, but I know that you will rise to the occasion. I am convinced that through our joint efforts -- our governments, multilateral agencies, civil society and all of you -- we can make a real difference in improving the lives of women in the Americas.

Finally, let me reiterate my commitment and tell you today, that you can count on the full support of the OAS as you move forward. I wish you much success in your endeavors and look forward to the results of this meeting.

Thank you.

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1. UNIFEM. http://www.unifem.org/gender_issues/violence_against_women/facts_figures_2.php#.
   
2. Roberta Clarke, Violence against women in the Caribbean. State and Non-State Responses. UNIFEM and CIM, page 9.
   
3. UNIFEM, Facts & Figures on Violence Against Women, http://www.unifem.org/gender_issues/violence_against_women/facts_figures_2.php#
   
4. PAHO, Fact Sheet on Violence Against Women, http://www.paho.org/English/AD/GE/VAW2003.pdf