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The Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Yakin Ertürk, is visiting Sudan from 25 September to 1 October 2004. She will be attending several meetings and consultations which will look at violence against women in Africa and the current situation of women in Sudan.

UNITED NATIONS
Press Release
27 September 2004

The Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and
consequences of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights issued the
following statement today:

The Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and
consequences of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Yakin
Ertürk, is visiting Sudan from 25 September to 1 October 2004.

In Khartoum, she participated, together with the Special Rapporteur on
Women's Rights of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights, in
an African Regional Consultation on violence against women organized by
African women's organizations. Experts on women's rights from 13 countries
participated in the consultation to discuss strategic interventions to end
violence against women in Africa.

Today, the Special Rapporteur will participate in a National Consultation
with local women's organizations to discuss the situation of women in
Sudan. She will also meet with various government representatives,
national institutions and United Nationss agencies to discuss the
particular situation of women in Darfur. At the invitation of the
Government, the Special Rapporteur will also travel from 28 September to 1
October to Nyala in South Darfur and El Genina in West Darfur to examine
the situation of women in situ and reach an independent assessment of
reports and allegations received in relation to her mandate. Her aim is to
formulate recommendations to strengthen the protection of women's rights
and response to violence against women.

The Special Rapporteur will also visit camps for internally-displaced
persons in both states and hold meetings with local authorities, United
Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, women's organizations,
as well as to take testimonies from victims of violence. The Special
Rapporteur's findings will be presented to the sixty-first session of the
United Nations Commission on Human Rights in her annual report.

UN News Service