THE NINTH MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS OF THE FOLLOW-UP MECHANISM TO THE CONVENTION ON THE PREVENTION, PUNISHMENT AND ERADICATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

The ninth meeting of the OAS Committee of Experts of the Follow-up Mechanism to the Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women (MESECVI)—and its first meeting in Mexico City—was inaugurated on Monday. 

During the inauguration, the Coordinator of the MESECVI Committee of Experts, Dr. Patricia Olamendi, said that the main objective of the meeting was to construct indicators to measure the exercise of women’s right to live a life free of violence. She welcomed the positive trend of incorporating the definition of violence against women contained in the Belém do Pará Convention into  the legal and judicial framework of various governments.

The Foreign Ministry’s Director General of Human Rights and Democracy, Ambassador Alejandro Negrin, highlighted Mexico’s strong support of the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM) and the Belem do Pará Convention’s monitoring mechanism and he reiterated that the Foreign Ministry is committed to supporting the OAS’ gender agenda. It also wants CIM to become the hemispheric political forum that promotes the fair and equal participation of women in the region.

The Deputy Coordinator of Social Policy for the transition team of the President-elect, Rosario Robles, said that democracy cannot be built on inequality, violence and discrimination against half the population. She renewed the next President’s firm commitment to including the issue of a life free of violence for women as an integral part of his social development agenda.

The ninth MESECVI meeting will begin with a forum on indigenous women in the inter-American justice system which will analyze the impact of the rulings of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on this issue and will discuss positive experiences and good practices to ensure that law enforcement and access to justice takes gender and culture into account. The meeting will be attended by experts of the Committee of Experts of the Follow-up Mechanism of the Belém do Pará Convention (MESECVI) from various Latin American countries; UN Women; the Pan American Health Organization and civil society organizations involved with the human rights of indigenous women; and students and academics from various universities and institutes.

At the meeting, the progress made by the countries of the region in combating gender violence will be discussed. Mexico has distinguished itself as a country that has presented important initiatives in international forums on women's human rights. In addition, it is a member of the Executive Board of UN-Women and is a main contributor to MESECVI.

The Foreign Ministry’s support for this meeting is part of its effort to promote international human rights standards aimed at promoting women's rights as part of the country’s compliance with its international human rights obligations.