Opening Remarks on the High Level Advocacy Forum on Eliminating Violence against Women Soyoltuya Bayaraa

Respected Mme. Tan Lin，

Distinguished guests，ladies and gentlemen，

Good morning！

It is my pleasure to deliver remarks at this High Level Advocacy Forum on Eliminating Violence against Women. On behalf of UNFPA，I would like to thank the All China Women’s Federation for hosting this event and for strong leadership in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment，including efforts to eliminate violence against women in China.

Building on the International Roundtable on family violence legislation，co-hosted by the ACWF and the UN in April this year，we have gathered here today to contribute to the on-going policy discourse on issues and challenges with regards to family violence legislation. We are delighted to be working alongside our long-time partner，the All China Women’s Federation，in bringing to this discuss on legal experts and legislative decision-makers. I believe the Forum will deepen our understanding on issues related to VAW，especially those difficult and challenging aspects of the legislation that call for joint deliberations.

While violence against women and girls to date remains the most pervasive and least reported human rights abuse in the world，it deprives women of opportunities to contribute to the advancement of families，communities and societies at large. As many as one in every three women have been beaten，coerced into sex or abused in some other way，and one woman in four has been abused during pregnancy，suffering serious consequences. UNFPA，as one of the United Nations agencies leading global efforts on this issue，is committed to keeping violence against women in the spotlight as a major human rights and health concern.

To end violence against women，we need to address its root causes through applying human rights and gender equality principles throughout a continuum of multi-sectoral policies and services，including justice，health，and social services. A comprehensive legislation to that effect will facilitate a coherent and functional mechanism to prevent VAW and address the needs of victims and survivors.

Over the past two decades，many States have adopted or revised legislation on violence against women.Yet，significant gaps remain. Many States still do not have legislative provisions in place that specifically address violence against women. Even where legislation exists，it is often limited in scope and coverage，or is not adequately enforced.

Several national and provincial laws andpolicies in China address family violence and violence against women.However，like in many other counties in the world，those laws and policies fail to provide a comprehensive definition of family violence，sufficient legal protections for survivors or the language that enables effective enforcement of victims’ protection or rehabilitation，and punishment of perpetrators.

There is a need to specifically target violence occurring within the family setting as this social institution is regrettably a focus of violence committed against women，children，the aged，and the persons with disabilities globally as well as in China. A national Family Violence Law is necessary to effectively prevent and stop family violence，to address gaps within the current Chinese legislation，and meet the requirements of international treaties to which China is a party.

A recent documentary on Fighting against Family Violence in China broadcasted on CCTV channel 12 touched and encouraged many of us. As the documentary points out，a comprehensive legislation is fundamental for an effective and coordinated response to family violencein China. It is a hope of millions of women that a new law will be comprehensive and multidisciplinary，criminalizing the main forms of violence（economic，psychological，physical and sexual），and integrating effective interventions related to prevention，protection，support，and care for survivors as well as adequate punishment of perpetrators.

Moving forward，I believe that with continuous and dedicated commitment and efforts by all，we will contribute to eliminating violence against women and deliver a world free of violence and fear.

I wish the Forum a productive，rich and frank discussions today.

I thank you for your attention.