Press Release denouncing Women Deliver and the Organisations joining its joint declaration

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Published in Nueva Revolución March 14th, 2025

Published in LaVozDelSur.es 15th mar, 2025

Concerning Women Deliver’s Statement againts Reem Alsalem Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls

The Asociación Mujeres Feministas Radicales de Andalucía (AFRA Mujeres) publicly denounces the statement issued by Women Deliver and supported by other organizations in response to the call for input by the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls, Reem Alsalem. We consider that this stance not only distorts the reality of sex-based violence but also undermines decades of feminist struggle, endangers the safety of millions of women and girls, and violates international human rights instruments.

1. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS: AN UNQUESTIONABLE REALITY

Women and girls make up nearly 50% of the world’s population, 70% of trafficking victims, 90% of victims of sexual violence, including in armed conflicts, and 95% of gender-based murders in the domestic sphere. These data, collected in reports from the UN, WHO, and other international entities, confirm that violence against women and girls is a form of oppression based on sex, not gender identity.

According to the latest report by UN Women, one in three women worldwide has suffered physical or sexual violence at the hands of their partner or third parties. In countries lacking adequate policies to recognize and address this violence, the femicide rate is alarming, and the data speak for themselves.

Ignoring sex as a category of analysis in addressing this violence is an act of institutionalized misogyny that erases victims and dilutes the problem into a discourse that does not reflect the material reality of violence.

2. THE ATTACK ON REEM ALSALEM’S MANDATE: A THREAT TO THE PROTECTION OF WOMEN AND GIRLS

Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, has done immense work to make visible and combat the violence that affects millions of women and girls worldwide. Her report has gathered the legitimate concerns of feminists, women’s organizations, and victims who have denounced the impact of gender identity-based policies on the safety and rights of women.

The coordinated attack on Alsalem by Women Deliver and the organizations signing their joint declaration is an attempt to silence one of the few voices within the UN system that continues to recognize sex-based violence as a structural human rights violation. This attempt to delegitimize her not only seeks to curtail her independence but also exposes millions of women and girls to policies that leave them unprotected.

3. THE MANIPULATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS DISCOURSE TO DISENFRANCHISE WOMEN

Women Deliver and its allied organizations have claimed in their statement that «gender-based violence is not linked to a fixed biological category» and that «policies excluding trans and non-binary people from victim services are discriminatory.» This argument distorts reality:

• Violence against women is not a product of gender identity but of structural patriarchal oppression based on sex.
• Erasing sex as a determining factor in violence hinders the creation of effective public policies and leaves victims unprotected.
• The elimination of safe spaces for women in shelters, prisons, and victim support centers has led to sexual assaults and re-victimization of women in multiple countries where such policies have been implemented.

This approach leaves the most vulnerable women unprotected: girls, elderly women, women with disabilities, homeless women, and trafficking victims, who depend on women-only services to escape violence.

4. RESPONSIBILITY OF SPANISH ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE SUPPORTED THIS DECLARATION

We find it alarming that various Spanish organizations, including some political parties, have signed this declaration, contributing to the erosion of women’s and girls’ rights in our country. By endorsing this narrative, these organizations violate national and international legislation on gender equality and gender-based violence, including:

• Organic Law 1/2004 on Comprehensive Protection Measures Against Gender Violence, which recognizes the structural nature of violence against women.
• The Istanbul Convention, which defines violence against women as a manifestation of historically unequal power relations.
• The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which obliges states to adopt measures to eradicate sex-based violence.

5. DEMANDS AND CALL TO ACTION

As the Asociación Mujeres Feministas Radicales de Andalucía:

1. We demand that Women Deliver and the signatory organizations withdraw their declaration and signature and recognize the fundamental role of sex-based analysis in the fight against violence against women and girls.
2. We urge the United Nations to maintain its commitment to protecting women’s rights and to ensure that the Special Rapporteur can continue her work without undue pressure.
3. We call on all feminist and human rights organizations to sign this statement to demand that the UN reject the censorship attempts against Reem Alsalem and reaffirm its commitment to protecting women and girls.

Sign this statement

We invite feminist and human rights organizations to sign this statement so that it can be submitted to the United Nations.

Sex-based violence is an undeniable reality. Recognizing it is not hatred, it is justice.

On behalf of the Asociación Mujeres Feministas Radicales de Andalucía,

Please sign this statement here: ——–>Form

List of signatures joining this Declaration