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Following the Fifteenth Meeting of Specialized Agencies and Other Bodies of the United Nations System on the Advancement of Women in Latin America and the Caribbean (Bogotá, 23 April 2008), a regional interagency working group has been established to define the strategy and ways to implement the Secretary-General’s campaign. ECLAC is acting as the link between the regional and global levels for the Secretary- General’s campaign to eliminate all forms of violence against women. Hide

ECLAC initiated the development of a Gender Observatory, as a tool to support governments in analysing regional realities, monitoring gender equality policies and international agreements, and providing technical support and training to national mechanisms for the advancement of women, as well as to national statistical agencies in countries that request such support. Violence against women is one of four main issues of concern of the Observatory. Hide

In November 2007, ECLAC published the regional report on violence against women. The Spanish version was launched in November 2007, under the title “!Ni una más! El derecho a vivir una vida libre de violencia en América Latina y el Caribe”. In December 2007, ECLAC published a report on the follow-up to Goal 3 of the Millennium Development Goals, including a chapter on violence against women. Hide

In 2001, ECLAC convened an International Meeting on Gender Statistics and Indicators for Measuring the Incidence of and Trends in Violence against Women in Latin America and the Caribbean. The meeting was convened through the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean and the Statistical Conference of the Americas. Subsequently, ECLAC convened an Inter-agency Coordination Meeting on Gender Statistics (2002) to harmonize the methodology for technical assistance on gender indicators used by the organizations of the United Nations system, with specific attention to violence against women. Hide

In 2004, ECLAC completed research on good practices in preventing and eliminating violence against women, based on an extensive survey of national mechanisms for the advancement of women in the region and a number of non-governmental organizations active in the field. Hide

In September 2005, a United Nations inter-agency working group on violence against women in all its manifestations, was established, coordinated by ECLAC, in order to strengthen, coordinate and integrate current activities carried out by the organizations of the United Nations in Latin America and the Caribbean in the area of violence against women. The working group prepared a regional contribution to the Secretary-General’s in-depth study on violence against women and an integral regional report that will be distributed to the Tenth Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean (Quito, Ecuador, August 2007). Hide

ECLAC is presently collaborating with the regional Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights to establish ways of linking follow-up of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women (Convention of Belém do Pará). Hide

ECLAC’s awareness-raising activities on violence against women include presentation of papers and provision of training as requested by Member States. UNFPA advocates for the elimination of violence against women with parliamentarians and women’s networks. Hide

The main focus of ECLAC’s activities in addressing violence against women is research. Efforts have included: development of a theoretical and methodological framework aimed at the construction of indicators; collection of available statistical data and information on existing legislation, programmes and public policies; analysis of good practices; and understanding the relationship between gender-based violence and poverty. Hide