Domestic violence : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

 

Domestic violence

  The General Assembly, Recalling Economic and Social Council resolution 1984/14 of 24 May 1984 on violence in the family, Recalling also resolution 9 adopted by the Sixth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, which called for the fair treatment of women by the criminal justice system, Bearing in mind the recommendations made on the subject of domestic violence by the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, held at Nairobi from 15 to 26 July 1985, Having regard to the Declaration on the Rights of the Child, in particular to principle 9 concerning the protection of the child against exploitation, neglect and cruelty, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Mindful of the important role of the family in ensuring the proper development of the young and their integration into the mainstream of society, and in preventing delinquency, Mindful further of the social aspects of domestic violence and of the great importance of emphasizing and developing appropriate methods of conflict resolution between the parties involved, Recognizing that abuse and battery in the family are critical problems that have serious physical and psychological effects on individual family members, especially the young, and jeopardize the health and survival of the family unit, Recognizing further the adverse effects of exposure to domestic violence, especially at an early stage of human development, and the incalculable harm thereof, Convinced that the problem of domestic violence is a multifaceted one which should be examined from the perspective of crime prevention and criminal justice in the context of socio-economic circumstances, Convinced also of the necessity to improve the situation of the victims of domestic violence, Concerned that the abuse of alcohol, narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances may be an exacerbating factor in domestic violence and that effects thereof should be further examined,

1. Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary-General on the situation of women as victims of crime;

2. Invites Member States concerned to take specific action urgently in order to prevent domestic violence and to render the appropriate assistance to the victims thereof;

3. Requests the Secretary-General to intensify research on domestic violence from a criminological perspective to formulate distinct action-oriented strategies that could serve as a basis for policy formulation and to report thereon to the Eighth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders;

4. Requests the Economic and Social Council to invite the Committee on Crime Prevention and Control to examine the problem of domestic violence;

5. Urges all relevant United Nations bodies, agencies and institutes to collaborate with the Secretary-General in ensuring a concerted and sustained effort to combat this problem;

6. Invites the Eighth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders to consider the problem of domestic violence under a separate agenda item dealing with domestic violence;

7. Invites Member States to adopt specific measures with a view to making the criminal and civil justice system more sensitive in its response to domestic violence, including the following:

(a) To introduce, if not already in place, civil and criminal legislation in order to deal with particular problems of domestic violence, and to enact and enforce such laws in order to protect battered family members and punish the offender and to offer alternative ways of treatment for offenders, according to the type of violence;

(b) To respect, in all instances of the criminal proceeding, starting with the police investigation, the special and sometimes delicate position of the victim, in particular in the manner in which the victim is treated;

(c) To initiate preventive measures, such as providing support and counselling to families, in order to improve their ability to create a non-violent environment, emphasizing principles of education, equality of rights and equality of responsibilities between women and men, their partnership and the peaceful resolution of conflicts;

(d) To inform the public, as necessary, through all available channels, about serious acts of violence perpetrated against children, in order to create public awareness of this problem;

(e) To deliver appropriate, specialized assistance to victims of domestic violence, as an integral part of social policy;

(f) To provide, as a temporary solution, shelters and other facilities and services for the safety of victims of domestic violence;

(g) To provide specialized training and units for those who deal in some capacity with victims of domestic violence;

(h) To initiate or intensify research and collect data on the background, extent and types of domestic violence;

(i) To make legal remedies to domestic violence more accessible and, in view of the criminogenic effects of the phenomenon, in particular on young victims, to give due consideration to the interests of society by maintaining a balance between intervention and the protection of privacy;

(j) To ensure that social welfare and health administration systems are more intensely engaged in providing assistance to victims of familial violence and abuses, and to make all efforts to co-ordinate social welfare and criminal justice measures..