A new and innovative campaign to address violence was announced today at CSW57. The Girl Scouts and Girl Guides are teaming up with UNWomen to start a “Voices against Violence” non-formal education program that is expected to reach 5 million children and young people in over 100 countries.

Purchasing sexual services (prostitution) was made illegal in Sweden in 2000. Norway and Iceland have since instituted the same laws and France and Ireland are looking to enact them shortly.

Purchasing sexual services (prostitution) was made illegal in Sweden in 2000. Norway and Iceland have since instituted the same laws and France and Ireland are looking to enact them shortly.

Today, the Working Group on Girls, a coalition of over 80 national and international NGOs with representation at the United Nations, held the first Girl’s Tribunal on Violence. The Tribunal involved girl activists from around the world who testified about their personal experiences witnessing violence in their communities, schools and in the media.

The 57^th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women was officially opened in the General Assembly of the United Nations today. Webcasts of this session and many of the CSW events at the UN are available by webcast on http://www.unwomen.org/news-events/in-focus/CSW57/webcasts/.

CEDAW

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

Purpose - The treaty, often called the “Bill of Rights for Women”, provides an international standard for protecting and promoting women’s human rights and is the only international instrument that comprehensively addresses these rights; affirming that women have equal human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political,