Based on Article 68 of the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia; and

Having in mind the fundamental values of the constitutional order of the Republic of Macedonia for equality of the citizens in their freedoms and rights, regardless of their gender; the inviolable right to life, and to physical and moral integrity of the human beings;

Recalling the provisions for improvement of the status of women in the society, contained in the National Action Plan for Equal Opportunities between Women and Men;

Emphasizing the commitments and the measures for efficient protection of women against discrimination, contained in the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW); the European Convention on domestic violence, the relevant documents of the Council of Europe, and other international documents;

Aware that violence does not adhere to geographical, social or ethnic boundaries, nor does it recognise age barriers, and that it profoundly affects the private lives of the people and the overall social relations;

On its session held on 24 November 2006, the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia adopted the following

D E C L A R A T I O N
On Combating Violence Against Women,
Including Domestic Violence

The Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia:

1. Strongly condemns all forms of violence against women, including domestic violence, and is committed to the fight against this kind of violence as one of the priorities in its political activities, with the aim of building a more equal and balanced society;
2. Joins the pan-European campaign of the Council of Europe dedicated to the combating violence against women, and it will contribute to its implementation using all parliamentary measures;
3. Is dedicated to:

3.1. Raising of the awareness of the public about violence against women;
3.2. The development of the legislation in the fields that concerns the problem of violence against women;
3.3. The full implementation and monitoring of the implementation of the legislation in this field;
3.4. The cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Macedonia, the units of local self-government, and the non-governmental organizations on the strict implementation of the laws and measures in this field;
3.5. Educating the employees in the state services on prevention of violence against women;
3.6. Undertaking preventive actions, with the help of the staff of the institutions working in the filed of social protection, health care, education, the police etc.;
3.7. Securing the necessary number of shelters for the victims of domestic violence, as well as programmes for resocialization and rehabilitation;
3.8. Securing special care for the children - victims of domestic violence;
3.9. Securing the necessary finances from the budget for realization of the activities aimed at combating violence against women, including domestic violence.

A S S E M B L Y O F T H E R E P U B L I C O F M A C E D O N I A