Mrs. Amina Bouayach, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) and Vice-President of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) took part in the Official Launch of the Arab Declaration to End All Forms of Violence Against Women and Girls, on Tuesday 7 December 2022, in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi.

In her statement, she emphasized the serious dimensions of issues related to violence against women and girls. She also stressed the need to protect women's rights defenders.

Mrs. Bouayach denounced the spread of violence against women in the world. She underlined that every eleven minutes, a woman or girl is killed by someone close to her. She also added that one woman out of three is exposed to physical or sexual violence during their lifetime in the world.

Within the same context, she stressed that digitization has led to the emergence of new forms of violence via the Internet. It takes several forms including spreading hate speech against women, misusing images to violate private life, luring or extortion, cases of bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination.

Mrs. Bouayach considered that the adoption of the "Arab Declaration to End All Forms of Violence against Women and Girls" is a step forward to address women's issues in the region. It is an occasion to mobilize and emphasize the need to overcome facts and interpretations that hinder the effectiveness of women's rights.

Hence, Mrs. Bouayach called for the harmonization of laws and legislation to combat impunity, prevent, care for women victims of violence, and due diligence to protect them. She also recommended deepening societal debates on gender equality and parity, economic and social empowerment of women, and other human rights priorities.

Personalities representing international bodies and relevant Arab, regional and national mechanisms took part in this event, which was organized in Abu Dhabi on 6 and 7 December 2022.

On the sidelines of this event, the CNDH Chairperson visited the headquarters of the National Human Rights Institution in the United Arab Emirates, where she discussed with Mr. Maqsoud Krouse, Chair of the Emirati NHRI, on ways to enhance cooperation and exchange experiences between both institutions.