Stressing that enacting laws alone are not enough to stop violence against women, a senior UN official has urged the Indian government to address structural discrimination and strengthen preventive initiatives in an effort to develop a more holistic framework against discrimination against women.

Citing the example of the December 16 gangrape in New Delhi, Rashida Manjhoo, UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women (SRVAW), commended the government’s response but said it fell short of adopting the recommendations advocated by the Justice Verma commission.

Welcoming her statement, the Working Group on High Rights (WGHR) on Friday said Manjhoo’s statement highlighted the multiple and intersecting inequalities and discrimination that make women more vulnerable to violence, and leave a deep impact on their lives.

In this context, supreme court lawyer Vrinda Grover said, “After hearing the testimonies of families and survivors of violence against women in conflict areas, and more specifically where the Armed Forces Special Powers Act is in operation — in states of the Northeast and Kashmir — Ms. Manjhoo has observed that a range of basic civil liberties are under serious threat. Violence, including sexual violence, is inflicted upon women with impunity in these militarised zones.”

The government’s refusal to repeal AFSPA “in the face of this assault on the right to life and dignity of women and others makes it (government) complicit in these violations”, Grover noted.

Both WGHR and SRVAW encouraged the need to address the issue of abysmal rates of conviction in cases of sexual assault, the human rights group said in a statement issued here.