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194 PRACTITIONERS GUIDE No. 12
not usually used against persons of the male gender,
and are generally meant to degrade and rip off the
integrity of women who refuse to abide by traditional
religious, and even social norms.
“Secondly, the physical assaults described above are
gender-specific in the sense that the Victims were
subjected to acts of sexual harassment and physical
violence that can only be directed to women. For
instance, breasts fondling and touching or attempting to
touch ‘private and sensitive parts’. There is no doubt
that the Victims were targeted in this manner due to
their gender.” 521
In its Agreed Conclusion of 2013, the Commission on the
Status of Women expressed “deep concern about violence
against women and girls in public spaces, including sexual
harassment, especially when it is being used to intimidate
women and girls who are exercising any of their human rights
and fundamental freedoms”. 522 The Commission recommended
that States act to:
Improve the safety of girls at, and on the way to and
from, school;
Establish a safe and violence-free environment by
improving infrastructure such as transportation;
Provide separate and adequate sanitation facilities and
improved lighting, playgrounds and safe environments;
521
Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights and Interights v Egypt,
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Communication
323/06 (12 October 2013), paragraphs 143-144.
522
UN Women, “Elimination and Prevention of All Forms of Violence
against Women and Girls”, (2013 Commission on the Status of
Women, Agreed Conclusions), paragraph 23. Agreed conclusions
contain an analysis of the priority theme and a set of concrete
recommendations for governments, intergovernmental bodies and
other institutions, civil society actors and other relevant stakeholders,
to be implemented at the international, national, regional and local
level.