New York 4th of  March 2013, The Fifty-Seven session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women has kicked off with the call on Governments to redouble efforts towards combating   violence against women and girls and to assist those who have been subjected to cruel treatment in various parts of the world.

In her opening remarks, the Liberia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Her Excellency Ambassador Marjon Kamara  who is also the current Chair for the Commission on the Status of Women,  reminded the delegates  attending e  the Conference to use the occasion to adopt measures that will curtail violence against women and children and to set the stage for the realization of the Conference's mandate which among other things is to create  world free of discrimination  and violence against women and girls.  She said subjecting women and girls to cruel treatment such  as sexual exploitation and inequality should be regarded as things of the past and should not be tolerated  for whatever reason.

Ambassador  Kamara pointed out that what was important at this juncture was the commitment of nations to work closely towards achieving the target goals." We can make this ambition a reality if we demonstrate the political  will and commitment to agree on global solutions and to implement agreed strategies at the national level, to the limit of our resources" Adding, " all eyes are on us, so let us proceed   with our work, with every single participant contributing  to productive and successful session.

Speaking further, Ambassador Kamara  explained that the struggle to end  the scourge of violence against women  and girls is at the core of the gender equality movement throughout the world ,and that such violence  persists in each and every country, in mega cities and  in remote villages. This, she said affects women and girls of all ages and social classes with no respect to cultural  or religious boundaries. She therefore urged Member States to act collectively in an effort to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.

For his part, the Deputy UN Secretary General Mr. Jan Eliasson frowned on the level of violence committed against women and said  it has become" a weapon of terror", and that no effort should be spared in combating the menace . He urged  for the international assistance for the victims   and called on Governments to do more to prevent  discrimination and gender-based violence.

Also speaking, the Executive Director of the  UN  Women, Michelle Bachelet, said that it was time for the world to back its word with actions so as to eliminate violence against women and girls. She pointed out that combating gender-based violence  is inextricably linked to the Universal Human Rights and that this  remains one of the  most important  goals of Millennium Development Goals that is yet to be achieved.

In the word of  UN , the  Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) operates under the armpit of the United Nations Economic and Social Council(ECOSOC). It is the principal global policy-making body dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women. Every year, representatives of Member States gather at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and women's empowerment throughout the world.