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UNHCR continued its work, in partnership with with civil society, to ensure a holistic response for survivors of SGBV, including through establishment of safe spaces in centres in Lebanon, which are not specifically created for services provision to SGBV survivors, in order to avoid stigmatization of SGBV survivors seeking support; establishment of “centres d’écoute” for counselling services to SGBV survivors in Mali; establishment of family counselling mechanisms and community protection committees in Yemen to address domestic violence among Somali refugees; training in Burkina Faso for its staff and partners working with camp-based and urban refugees resulting in revisions to the SOP on SGBV in light of the changing situation in the Malian crisis. Hide

In April and June 2013, UNODC organized expert group meetings, held in Bangkok, to respectively develop the Handbook for Prosecutors dealing with cases of violence against women and girls and the Implementation action plan for criminal justice systems to prevent and respond to violence against women. Hide

An ILO programme, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), on Economic Empowerment and HIV Vulnerability Reduction along Transport Corridors in Southern Africa, reported that acceptance attitudes towards violence, through project interventions, such as education on gender equality, had significantly decreased. The project has a strong component on violence against women and focuses on building women’s economic resilience, business skills and related capacities. Hide

In Togo and Chad, OHCHR supported activities on the implementation of UPR and CEDAW recommendations on violence against women. Hide

UNHCR launched a policy on Access to Justice for Survivors of SGBV, in 2012, aimed at strengthening provision of legal services for survivors. The policy included conducting advocacy and awareness-raising with high-level and local authorities, and capacity-building activities in both formal and informal justice fora. Hide

In 2012, UNFPA responded to crises under the GBV cluster coordination mechanism with special focus on the health needs of women and girls in Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Georgia, Guinea, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Hide

The World Bank through its Health Sector Support and Multi-Sectorial Aids Project in Burkina Faso has proposed additional financing to support the training of professionals from the mass media, such as journalists from the main daily and weekly journals, national and local radios and television on HIV infection and prevention, including on issues of gender violence. The additional funding will also support women’s organizations at all levels to strengthen their capacity to programme and implement activities focused on HIV prevention, negotiation capacity in sexual relationships and sexual violence including the problems related to female mutilation. In Solomon Islands and Kiribati, the Bank is supporting increased access to various servicices for women survivors of domestic violence and in Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of Congo, support to strengthening of the health systems. Hide

During the reporting period, UNRWA detected more than 600 survivors and over 400 formal referrals to services were made. Those survivors who did not want to be further referred benefited from counselling by trained staff. UNRWA is continually extending support services into less well-served areas. In Gaza, UNRWA is working through 21 one-stop shops located in UNRWA health centres, while in West Bank, Family and Child Protection Committees have been established in 17 refugee camps with links to 11 health centres. In Syria, survivors are supported through coordination with multiple stakeholders and UNRWA has ensured survivors’ access to adequate services. Hide

In 2012, around 3,144 health facilities have integrated FGM/C in their reproductive health services, particularly in their antenatal and postnatal care, with the support of UNFPA. UNFPA has ongoing collaboration with the Auckland University of Technology to support health systems in Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Kiribati to better respond to survivors of violence, including through the development of protocols and multi-sectoral referral mechanisms, as well as training for doctors and nurses. Hide

UNDP is also working to develop the capacity of service providers, including: integration of specialized and clear rules of conduct in cases of VAW into the General Protocol of Cooperation of relevant institutions, together with the Government in Serbia; technical assistance to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in Cambodia to pilot the recommendations identified in the One-Stop Service Centre (OSSC) feasibility study; and technical assistance to the Papua New Guinea Family Sexual Violence Action Committee to integrate GBV into the national training curriculum for civil servants in 2012. Hide