Women's Rights are human rights - Protection from harm or abuse

Flair concludes its series on women's rights as discussed by the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Despite the passing of the Domestic Violence Act (1995) and its amendment (2004), gender-based violence against women physically, sexually and emotionally is still widespread.

Between 2002 and 2006, the number of cases at the Victim Support Unit (VSU) doubled. In over 70 per cent of acts of violence against women, such as rape and carnal abuse - half the victims are children under 16. (Women's Media Watch - Looking Out. Vol. 3#1. May 2007.)

The August 2006 report on Jamaica of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, thirty-sixth session, noted with grave concern the extent, intensity and prevalence of violence against women, especially sexual violence, in Jamaica.

This is an excerpt from an article published in the Jamaica Gleaner on Monday, April 21, 2008. You can read the entire article at the Jamaica Gleaner website.