CEDAW/C/GC/35
prioritize the interests of the victims/survivors and give consideration to
circumstances hindering their capacity to report the violence suffered to the
competent services or authorities. 55
B.
Prevention
30. The Committee recommends that States parties implement the following
preventive measures:
(a) Adopt and implement effective legislative and other appropriate
preventive measures to address the underlying causes of gender -based violence
against women, including patriarchal attitudes and stereotypes, inequality in the
family and the neglect or denial of women’s civil, political, economic, social and
cultural rights, and to promote the empowerment, agency and voices of women;
(b) Develop and implement effective measures, with the active participation
of all relevant stakeholders, such as representatives of women’s organizations and of
marginalized groups of women and girls, to address and eradicate the stereotypes,
prejudices, customs and practices set out in article 5 of the Convention, which
condone or promote gender-based violence against women and underpin the
structural inequality of women with men. Such measures should include the
following:
(i) Integration of content on gender equality into curricula at all levels of
education, both public and private, from early childhood on wards and into
education programmes with a human rights approach. The content should
target stereotyped gender roles and promote the values of gender equality and
non-discrimination, including non-violent masculinities, and ensure ageappropriate, evidence-based and scientifically accurate comprehensive
sexuality education for girls and boys;
(ii) Awareness-raising programmes that promote an understanding of gender based violence against women as unacceptable and harmful, provide
information about available legal recourses against it and encourage the
reporting of such violence and the intervention of bystanders; address the
stigma experienced by victims/survivors of such violence; and dismantle the
commonly held victim-blaming beliefs under which women are responsible for
their own safety and for the violence that they suffe r. The programmes should
target women and men at all levels of society; education, health, social
services and law enforcement personnel and other professionals and agencies,
including at the local level, involved in prevention and protection responses;
traditional and religious leaders; and perpetrators of any form of gender -based
violence, so as to prevent repeat offending;
(c) Develop and implement effective measures to make public spaces safe
for and accessible to all women and girls, including by promoting and supporting
community-based measures adopted with the participation of women’s groups.
Measures should include ensuring adequate physical infrastructure, including
lighting, in urban and rural settings, in particular in and around schools;
(d) Adopt and implement effective measures to encourage the media to
eliminate discrimination against women, including the harmful and stereotypical
portrayal of women or specific groups of women, such as women human rights
__________________
55
17-12719
See L.R. v. Republic of Moldova and general recommendation No. 33, para. 51 (b). Consideration
should be given, in particular, to the situation of girls who are victims/survivors of sexual
violence.
13/19