CSW70 High-level Meeting on Violence Against Women and Girls
Statement delivered by Ms. Deivi-Päivi Jahami, Attaché, Permanent Mission of Estonia to the United Nations
New York, 12 March 2026
Excellencies, distinguished colleagues,
Violence against women and girls remains one of the most pervasive and persistent human rights violations. This compels us to move from commitments to scalable, systemic action.
Allow me to share Estonia’s experience – our good practices, challenges and lessons learned.
First, political priority and continuity. In Estonia, preventing and combating domestic violence is a clear national priority. We are implementing our second national action plan on domestic violence. The lesson is straightforward – sustainable change requires long-term strategy and political ownership.
Second, integrated services. We increasingly link child protection and victim support services, because violence never affects only one person – it affects families and especially children. Only through integrated action can we break intergenerational cycles of violence.
Third, partnership with civil society. Estonia has a state-funded victim support system – the state finances and holds overall responsibility. Meanwhile, women-specific services, such as women’s shelters, are largely provided by women’s NGOs. This model combines stability with community-based expertise and trust. Clear roles and mutual trust create the strongest safety net.
Fourth, strengthening the legal framework. The Estonian Parliament is currently debating a consent-based definition of rape. This reform aligns our legislation with international human rights standards and strengthens protection for victims. Importantly, it is supported by strong and active civil society engagement, demonstrating that societal attitudes are evolving.
Meanwhile, we must also address a critical gap in our collective response – the focus on perpetrators. Too often, our systems concentrate primarily on protecting and supporting victims, while perpetrators continue to operate with relative impunity. In the majority of cases, perpetrators of violence against women are men. Acknowledging this reality is not about blaming all men. It is about designing effective policies. This means effective law enforcement and proportionate sanctions as well as perpetrator programmes that address attitudes, behavioural patterns, and responsibility. Punishment alone does not change behaviour.
Violence against women and girls is not inevitable. It persists where systems fail, where norms excuse abuse, and where accountability is weak. Our duty is to close those gaps – legal, institutional, and cultural – and to make it unequivocally clear that responsibility always lies with the perpetrator.
Thank you.