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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
Washington D.C. – In the Framework of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, which starts on
November 25th on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and ends on December 10th, on the Human Rights Day, the Committee of Experts of the Follow-up Mechanism to the Belém do Pará Convention (MESECVI),
expresses its concern for the journalistic approach of some media
outlets to femicide cases, which promote the re-victimization of
murdered women, perpetuate sexist stereotypes and contribute to the
normalization of violence against women.
After a revision by the Committee of several media outlets, it has been
noted that femicide is commonly related to crimes of passion. In
multiple cases, the headline or focus of the news is concentrated on the
reasons that led the aggressor to commit the crime, such as jealousy,
alcohol, drugs, infidelity, and provocation by the victim, among others.
This does not only make the seriousness of the act invisible, but also
promotes violence against women directly or indirectly.
The Committee recalls that article 7 of the Convention of Belém do Pará
states the obligation of States Party to “condemn all forms of violence
against women and (…) pursue, by all appropriate means and without
delay, policies to prevent, punish and eradicate such violence”.
In its Declaration on Femicide,
the Committee recommended the media to “adopt codes of ethics to deal
with cases of violence against women, especially femicides, promoting
respect for the dignity and integrity of victims and avoiding the
dissemination of morbid details and sexist or degrading stereotypes of
women”. Furthermore, in the Declaration of Pachuca
(2014), the Committee called on the media to self-regulate and to
assume the responsibility inherent to the diffusion of this crime, and
additionally, calls on the States to comply with the international
standards, observing freedom of expression; and to promote gender
training with a multi-cultural approach in the curricular program of all
the levels of journalism, publicity and communication.
The Committee of Experts
is the technical organism of the MESECVI, responsible for the analysis
and evaluation of the process of implementation of the Convention of
Belém do Pará. It’s composed by independent Experts, designated among
its nationals by each of the States Party, whom exercise their faculties
in a personal capacity
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