Universal-Womens-accesss-to-justice-Publications-Practitioners-Guide-Series-2016-ENG

V
WOMEN’S ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOR GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE 69
paragraph 1, of the Convention. This entails obligations of
means or conduct and obligations of results.” 184
To fulfil a right means to take active steps to put in place laws,
policies, institutions, administrative measures and procedures,
including the allocation of resources, to enable people to enjoy
their rights. It also requires monitoring, the gathering of data
on the prevalence of violence against women, and also
assessing the effectiveness of remedies and reparation. State
agents and officials, such as lawyers, judges, police officers,
teachers and medical professionals should be trained to
understand discrimination and violence against women, and to
promote good practices in dealing with situations where
gender-based violence have occurred or may occur. This
includes taking a public stand to condemn violence and
discrimination and addressing stereotypes that support the
persistence of gender-based inequality and violence. Fulfilling
the right of women to be free from gender-based violence
requires public education, including the education of children
from the earliest years, to reject discrimination and violence
and to ensure the equality of women. 185
184
CEDAW General Recommendation No 28, above note 167,
paragraph 9.
185
See generally, Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,
General Comment No 16, “The equal right of men and women to the
enjoyment of all economic, social and cultural rights”, UN Doc
E/C.12/2005/4 (2005). Most recently, the UN General Assembly called
on States to “[adopt] all appropriate measures, especially in the field
of education, from the entry levels of the education system, to modify
the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women of all
ages in order to promote the development of respectful relations and
to eliminate prejudices, harmful customary practices and all other
practices based on the idea of the inferiority or superiority of either of
the sexes and on stereotyped roles for men and women, and raising
awareness of the unacceptability of violence against women and girls
at all levels, including through schools, educational programmes,
teachers, parents, religious leaders, youth organizations and teaching
materials sensitized on gender equality and human rights” in its
resolution 67/144 (2013), paragraph 18(k).