Madam Chair,
Allow me to extend the gratitude of Sweden to the delegation of Mexico and His Excellency Gomez-Mont, Minister of the Interior, for taking an active part in our dialogue here today and for addressing the questions that we had submitted in advance.
Sweden welcomes the national initiatives in Mexico to promote gender equality and women’s rights. At the same time, we remain concerned about the reports on widespread and systematic violence against women, including cases of disappearances and domestic violence. For that reason we appreciate the information provided here today on the new measures that have been initiated in this regard. We recommend the government of Mexico to continue its’ efforts and implement all measures necessary, with a view of tackling the problem of violence against women. Second; We are concerned, reading in the recent report of the Mexican National human Rights Commission, an estimation that 99% of all crimes in Mexico are not resolved. We note the high number of unresolved killings in Mexico and the abuses of journalists, which lead to restrictions on the freedom of expression. We welcome that you, Mr Minister, addressed this problem in your presentation and reiterated your commitment to combat impunity. We recommend to continue the efforts and take all measures necessary to put an end to impunity, also with regard to crimes against journalists.
Finally; In 2006, the Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed concern that corporal punishment within the family was still widely used in Mexico, also in schools and other institutions. Sweden therefore recommends the government to take measures to ensure that children are fully protected from corporal punishment and other forms of violence or exploitation.
Thank you, Madam Chair.