Mar 2010 - Sept 2010

In DRC, the MONUSCO Sexual Violence Unit (Office of the DSRSG-Ro) created an inter-section forum on data collection and sharing with the aim to find a solution with respect to the collection of reliable data on sexual violence. Led by the UN Joint Human Rights Office, a common MONUSCO database was developed, in order to provide more accurate data on sexual violence cases, collected by the Mission’s Military and Civilian Sections.

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, released Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence: An Analytical Inventory of Peacekeeping Practice, developed with DPKO as part of UN Action and supported emergency efforts in Kyrgyzstan related to gender-based violence.

UNFPA is a key partner, along with the Centre for Diseases Control, the Clinton Global Initiative and UNICEF, in a research programme on ending sexual violence against girls, that has been rolled out in 4 countries.

In DRC,in order to strengthen assistance and support to victims of sexual violence, OHCHR has assembled a high-level panel of experts that will convene in the end of September 2010. The panel, led by the Deputy High Commissioner, will hold a series of hearings in various parts of the DRC with survivors of sexual violence as well as other actors. It will examine how victims perceive and evaluate institutional responses to the crimes committed against them.

UNHCR and the U.S.Center for Disease Control (CDC) continue to work together on a population based survey on the magnitude of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and the barriers to protection and other services among refugee populations. A feasibility mission was carried out in one refugee settlement and one urban site in Uganda.

UNHCR continues work through the newly established Stabilization and Recovery (STAREC) funding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. UNHCR received support for its consolidated program in South Kivu and Ituri provinces in the east. The main activities will be developing standard sensitization tools, training of military personnel and National Police, bolstering the capacity of community networks and targeted groups to better prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence, and facilitation of the establishment of community networks and mediation committees.

In Southern Sudan, women’s security and their access to justice is a top priority for UNDP. Four Special Protection Units (SPUs) were established to provide a secure environment for women to report cases of gender-based violence. UNDP’s law enforcement project supports the SPUs. Through the SPUs, UNDP in close colalboaration with the Southern Sudan Police Service, and other UN actors, including UNIFEM, UNFPA, UNMIS and UNHCR, helps women secure services in protected and confidential environments.

In Somaliland, Somalia, the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) operates in Hargeisa, as a ‘one-stop’ location, where victims of SGBV can receive medical care, counselling, free legal advice and representation. The victims are also given the opportunity to report the assault to the police. In Puntland, in Somalia, the Puntland Elders Network has been established in line with the State Conference for Traditional Leaders of Puntland Declaration, according to which the elders are committed, inter alia, to refer cases of rape to the formal justice system.

In Sierra Leone, UNDP provided grants to 6 civil society organisations to provide support services to SGBV victims, including legal aid, primarily in Bo and Makeni. The referral mechanism for SGBV cases has been enhanced across communities and several perpetrators have been convicted. Services provided by civil society organisations to victims of SGBV has also led to the conviction of several perpetrators. UNDP also supported legal aid clinics in the Kivus area, located in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, resulting in the conviction of several perpetrators of SGBV.

UNFPA organized the panel of the Commission on the Status of Women on “Women, Peace and Security”.