Women's rights are human rights: platform for action

The strongest international statement about women's rights emerged from the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women held in September 1995 in Beijing. In their Platform for Action, UN delegates unanimously agreed that rights of women and the girl child are an indivisible part of universal human rights. This paper discusses violence against women as a violation of human rights and the philosophy behind this concept. The paper also explains the first organized gathering of international social workers in conjunction with a UN conference. Finally, the Platform for Action and what it means to international social work is explained.