A/RES/65/228 prevent and sanction acts of violence against women through comprehensive and coordinated policies and strategies, and to deal with all forms of violence against women within the criminal justice system. 7. The updated Model Strategies and Practical Measures recognize that crime prevention and criminal justice responses to violence against women must be focused on the needs of victims and empower individual women who are victims of violence. They aim to ensure that prevention and intervention efforts are made to not only stop and appropriately sanction violence against women, but also restore a sense of dignity and control to the victims of such violence. 8. The updated Model Strategies and Practical Measures aim to contribute to de jure and de facto equality between women and men. They do not give preferential treatment to women but aim to ensure that any inequalities or forms of discrimination that women face in accessing justice, particularly in respect of acts of violence, are redressed. 9. The updated Model Strategies and Practical Measures recognize that sexual violence is an issue of international peace and security, as outlined in Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000) of 31 October 2000 and 1820 (2008) of 19 June 2008 on women and peace and security, particularly the need for parties to armed conflict to adopt prevention and protection measures in order to end sexual violence. 10. The updated Model Strategies and Practical Measures recognize that some special groups of women are particularly vulnerable to violence, either because of their nationality, ethnicity, religion or language or because they belong to an indigenous group, are migrants, are stateless, are refugees, live in underdeveloped, rural or remote communities, are homeless, are in institutions or in detention, have disabilities, are elderly, are widowed or live in conflict, post-conflict or disaster situations and, as such, require special attention, intervention and protection in the development of crime prevention and criminal justice responses to violence against women. 11. The updated Model Strategies and Practical Measures recognize advances in crime prevention and criminal justice responses to violence against women and the importance of investing in the prevention of violence against women. 12. The updated Model Strategies and Practical Measures recognize that States have the obligation to promote and protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all people, including women, and that they must exercise due diligence and take relevant measures to prevent, investigate and punish the perpetrators of violence against women, to eliminate impunity and to provide protection to the victims, and that failure to do so violates and impairs or nullifies the enjoyment of women’s human rights and fundamental freedoms. I. Guiding principles 13. Member States are urged: (a) To be guided by the overall principle that effective crime prevention and criminal justice responses to violence against women are human rights-based, manage risk and promote victim safety and empowerment while ensuring offender accountability; (b) To develop mechanisms to ensure a comprehensive, coordinated, systematic and sustained approach for the implementation of the updated Model Strategies and Practical Measures at the national, regional and international levels; 8