Even as political conflicts move toward resolution, the problem of reintegration has grown. The Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women has been adopted by nearly 160 states, and it operates as an international bill of rights. Still, persistent patterns of discrimination against women in the economy, generally and with respect to work, continue in every area of the world. The issue is complicated because in some parts of the world women have made significant progress while in other parts, they are either absent from or poorly represented in economic structures. Occupational segregation, new patterns of work, the relationship between work and family life and unpaid household work, all continue to be pressing issues.
Discrimination persists in education and training, hiring and compensation, and promotion.
Third Committee Violence against women is found everywhere and at high levels. Moreover, it assumes a variety of forms. Although all women are vulnerable to violence or the threat of violence directed against them, some groups of women are particularly vulnerable. Honor killing, trafficking in women, genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women, rape, sexual slavery and forced pregnancy, murder, female infanticide, pre-natal sex selection, sexual abuse and sexual harassment, are among the forms of violence that exist and that force women into subordinate positions compared with men. Violence against women, especially that which is aimed to intimidate all women, is a fundamental obstacle to the achievement of the objectives of equality, development, and peace.