On Tuesday, 5 October, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Ms. Reem Alsalem, made her first statement to the UN General Assembly.

In the statement, she identified five priorities for her upcoming work in the next three years.

The five priorities include:

• intersections between gender-based violence against women, sexual orientation and gender identity and expression;
• violence against indigenous women and girls;
• gender-based violence in the context of disaster risk reduction and climate change;
• psychological violence against women; and
• relationship between the condition of statelessness, gender, and gender-based violence.

“I want to look at the intersection between gender-based violence against women, sexual orientation and gender identity and expression,” stated Ms. Alsalem approaching the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly. “For many women and girls, the fact that they live outside patriarchal norms related to heteronormativity and gender norms, puts them at increased risk of gender-based violence. Yet, the violence they face is still not taken as seriously as it should be. They require a more assertive response by Member States and others in fulfilment of their international human rights obligations.”

“For many women and girls, the fact that they live outside patriarchal norms
related to heteronormativity and gender norms,
puts them at increased risk of gender-based violence.
Yet, the violence they face is still not taken as seriously as it should be.
- Ms. Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women

The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women was established in 1994. It has been instrumental in developing intersectional approach to gender-based violence and strengthening standards related to LBTI women’s human rights. However, the previous mandate holder had only paid very limited attention to violence against LBTI women, as well as intersections of gender and SOGIESC.

“We are looking forward to working with the new Special Rapporteur, and to providing support to local groups and activists engaging with the mandate through her country visits, communications and thematic reports,” stated Kseniya Kirichenko, ILGA World’s UN Programme Manager.

Ms. Reem Alsalem (Jordan) was appointed UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women in July 2021 for a three-year tenure. She is an independent consultant on gender issues, the rights of refugees and migrants, transitional justice and humanitarian response.

The United Nations page of the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women can be found here.
ILGA World’s Factsheet on the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women can be found here.

Watch (from the minute 02:10:37) the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women
delivering her statement to 76th Session of the UN General Assembly Third Committee:

opening photo credit: UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Ms. Reem Alsalem,
delivering her first statement to the UN General Assembly (photo via UN Web TV)