Amnesty International Bermuda will celebrate International Women?s Day today by promoting women?s rights.

The last ten years has seen significant advances in the protection and promotion of women?s rights through the ratification of several international treaties, the charity said.

?International human rights law treaties have been introduced to challenge violence against women, such as the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, the UN declaration on the elimination of violence against women and the Beijing declaration and platform for action,? Amnesty said. ?The inclusion of rape as a war crime and crime against humanity in the statutes of international criminal tribunals exemplifies these standards, which represent a commitment on the part of the international community to challenge violence against women.?

However, despite the treaties, the charity said serious violations of women?s human rights continue around the globe. Amnesty said even in countries which have women?s rights legislation, violence against women is sustained and maintained by political structures, social institutions and cultural norms. ?Acts of violence against women go unpunished because of inadequate implementations, monitoring, documentation and evaluation of the law.?

Amnesty?s campaign, ?Stop violence against women?, has been running since last March and will continue until next February.

Chairwoman of Amnesty International Bermuda, Lucy Attride-Stirling, will be speaking today on the porch of the Bermuda Library, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.