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The report “Violence against mothers” is the first UN document devoted entirely to violence and discrimination experienced by women as a result of fulfilling the role of mother.
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UN Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem points out that mothers experience violence and exclusion in professional life, as well as in healthcare, social assistance, and the justice system.
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The report describes the phenomenon of the “motherhood penalty,” the insufficient protection of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period, as well as perinatal and economic violence against mothers.
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Autorka podkreśla, że biologiczne realia ciąży, porodu i karmienia dziecka powinny być uwzględniane przy tworzeniu prawa i polityk publicznych.
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The report refers to the position of Ordo Iuris, pointing to the need for greater legal and social protection of motherhood worldwide. The Ordo Iuris Institute has prepared an analysis of the UN publication.
The report entitled Violence against mothers, published by Reem Alsalem – the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls – is the first United Nations document devoted entirely to violence and discrimination experienced by women as a result of fulfilling the role of mother. The study was presented on June 25 during the 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Council and is one of the most important documents on women’s rights prepared in recent years within the UN system.
In the analysis it has prepared, the Ordo Iuris Institute points out that the report presents motherhood as an experience requiring special legal and social protection. The Special Rapporteur indicates that women very often experience violence, exclusion, and unequal treatment precisely because of fulfilling the role of mothers. This applies both to professional life, where mothers face limited promotion opportunities or lower wages, and to the functioning of the healthcare, social assistance, and justice systems.
The report draws attention to the phenomenon of the economic marginalization of mothers, known as the “motherhood penalty,” as well as to the insufficient protection of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. The author of the document also describes cases of perinatal violence and of economic and psychological violence against mothers, as well as the difficult situation of women raising children in conditions of armed conflict, poverty, or forced migration. Special attention is also devoted to mothers facing multiple discrimination, including single mothers, migrant women, women with disabilities, and adolescent mothers.
One of the most significant conclusions of the report is its emphasis on the importance of the biological realities of motherhood. Reem Alsalem indicates that pregnancy, childbirth, and feeding a child give rise to specific health and social needs of women, which should be taken into account when creating law and public policies. The document is also critical of solutions and language that disregard the specific nature of the experience of motherhood, indicating that they may lead to women’s real needs being overlooked and may limit the effectiveness of the mechanisms protecting them.
The Ordo Iuris analysis also emphasizes that the report refers to the position of the Ordo Iuris Institute presented as part of the international consultations conducted by the Special Rapporteur’s mandate. In the opinion submitted, the Ordo Iuris Institute’s experts pointed out that motherhood remains insufficiently protected both in law and in public policy, and that effective protection of women’s rights requires taking into account the special role of mothers and the social importance of the family.
According to the authors of the analysis, Reem Alsalem’s report constitutes an important step toward a fuller recognition of the problems faced by mothers around the world. The document indicates that countering violence against women cannot be limited solely to combating the classic forms of violence, but should also include measures eliminating discrimination arising from motherhood and strengthening the protection of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the raising of children.
“The UN Special Rapporteur’s report constitutes a breakthrough in the international debate on women’s rights. For the first time, it has been indicated in such a comprehensive manner that the very fact of being a mother can lead to violence and discrimination, and that women’s experiences related to pregnancy, childbirth, and the raising of children require separate analysis and appropriate instruments of protection. Particularly important is the emphasis on the biological determinants of motherhood and on the need to design public policy assumptions and directions that respond to women’s real experiences. It is also gratifying that the position of the Ordo Iuris Institute, pointing to the need for greater social and legal appreciation of motherhood, was taken into account in the process of preparing the report,” notes Julia Książek of the Ordo Iuris Center for International Law.
Translated using Claude.ai
See also:
- “Motherhood in the 21st Century” – An International Ordo Iuris Conference in Warsaw
- Abortion on Demand, Gender Ideology, Censorship, and… Women’s Ordination: The United Nations Descends into Absurdity
- Abortion and surrogacy violate women’s rights – Ordo Iuris statement to the UN
- Ordo Iuris in an international coalition supporting a report against surrogacy
Source of cover photo: iStock
