The Committee of Experts – CEVI of the Follow-up Mechanism to the Belém do Pará Convention (MESECVI) held, on December 14th and 15th, its 17th Meeting, in order to evaluate the work carried out in 2020 and outline its work plan for 2021. Leila Linhares Barsted, from CEPIA, a member of the Committee of Experts, participated in this Meeting, which was attended by Nadine Gasman, President of the Inter-American Commission of Women – CIM / OAS and Minister of Women of Mexico.
During the meeting, the CEVI decided to initiate the Fourth Round of Follow-up on the Implementation of the Committee’s Recommendations to the States Parties that will emphasize the right of access to justice for women in the region, from a gender and diversity perspective. Likewise, the Committee expressed its concern, among other issues, with the situation of setbacks in the promotion of women’s human rights and, especially, of women’s right to live without violence.
This has been seen in a significant number of countries in the region and has had a negative impact on the implementation of public policies and budget allocations to prevent, punish and eradicate violence against women at all levels of government, especially at the legislative and judicial levels. In the same vein, it was proposed to continue monitoring the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the pandemic mitigation measures on the lives of women and girls in the region.
Likewise, it will continue to analyze the increase in gender-based violence and the responses of the States to effectively address complaints and guarantee services directed at women and girls. The Committee agreed to develop a strategy to deepen the work of MESECVI in the prevention, care, punishment and investigation of cases of gender violence against women and girls with the English-speaking countries of the Caribbean and Haiti.
To the same end, cooperation and the exchange of better experiences and information will continue to be strengthened between MESECVI and other entities that address the issue of violence against women at the subregional, regional and international levels, and with the EDVAW Platform that brings together regional mechanisms of independent experts on violence against women and women’s rights.