A/RES/65/228
4.
Adopts the guidelines in the updated Model Strategies and Practical
Measures on the Elimination of Violence against Women in the Field of Crime
Prevention and Criminal Justice, annexed to the present resolution;
Urges Member States to end impunity for violence against women by
5.
investigating, prosecuting with due process and punishing all perpetrators, by
ensuring that women have equal protection under the law and equal access to justice
and by holding up to public scrutiny and countering those attitudes that foster,
justify or tolerate any form of violence against women;
Also urges Member States to enhance their mechanisms and procedures
6.
for protecting victims of violence against women in the criminal justice system,
taking into account, inter alia, the Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for
Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power, 15 and to provide to that end specialized
counselling and assistance;
Calls upon Member States to advance effective crime prevention and
7.
criminal justice strategies that address violence against women, including strategies
aimed at preventing revictimization by, inter alia, removing barriers that prevent
victims from seeking safety, including barriers related to custody of children, access
to shelter and availability of legal assistance;
Also calls upon Member States to develop and implement crime
8.
prevention policies and programmes to promote the safety of women in the home
and in society at large in a manner that reflects the realities of women’s lives and
addresses their distinct needs, taking into account, inter alia, the Guidelines for the
Prevention of Crime10 and the important contribution that educational and public
awareness-raising initiatives provide to the promotion of the safety of women;
Urges Member States to evaluate and review their legislation and legal
9.
principles, procedures, policies, programmes and practices relating to crime
prevention and criminal justice matters, in a manner consistent with their legal
systems and drawing upon the updated Model Strategies and Practical Measures, to
determine if they are adequate to prevent and eliminate violence against women or
if they have a negative impact on women and, if they do, to modify them in order to
ensure that women enjoy fair and equal treatment;
10. Also urges Member States to take into account the special needs and
vulnerabilities of women within the criminal justice system, especially women in
detention, pregnant inmates and women with children born in detention, including
through the development of policies and programmes to address such needs, taking
into account relevant international standards and norms;
11. Further urges Member States to recognize the needs and special
vulnerabilities of women and children in situations of armed conflict and in
post-conflict situations, migrant women, refugee women and women subject to
forms of violence because of their nationality, ethnicity, religion or language;
12. Urges Member States to provide appropriate assistance to women victims
of violence, including by ensuring that those women have access to adequate legal
representation where appropriate, in particular so that they can make informed
decisions regarding, inter alia, legal proceedings and issues relating to family law;
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15
4
Resolution 40/34, annex.