Responses and Services

UNRWA supports women’s programme centres in all refugee communities, where awareness-raising, support sessions on gender-based violence, and often legal advice, are provided to women. Women’s programme centres have kindergartens, where possible abuse of children and women occurring in the home can be detected and counselling and advice are provided in such cases. Violence against women and children is also addressed through theatre and role playing.

UNODC’s global project aims to build non-governmental support structures for victims of violent crime, including victims of trafficking in persons. UNODC’s technical assistance projects at the national level have supported One-Stop Centres for victims of domestic violence, particularly for women and children, in South Africa, where all government services (social development, justice, police, correctional services, education) and community-based organizations’ services are provided to victims/survivors in a coordinated and mutually reinforcing manner.

OHCHR extends legal assistance to victims of violence and members of their families. In Côte d’Ivoire, OHCHR has initiated a series of high visibility activities on the promotion of economic, social and cultural rights of women as a tool to empower them in their efforts against gender-based violence.

UNRWA has developed guidelines, a referral system and a training course for health staff on handling cases of violence against women and children in UNRWA clinics. The UNRWA West Bank field office produced a draft brochure on domestic violence for health clinics.

In 2008, UNHCR allocated an additional USD 1.5 million for prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence. Projects include capacity building workshops for women in Panama; psychological counselling in Venezuela and Turkey; distribution of sanitary materials in India and Thailand; improved access to health facilities and income-generation activities in India; allocation of subsistence allowances to unaccompanied children in Egypt; language classes in Malta, vocational training in Bosnia; and the establishment of safe houses in Yemen and Turkey.

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, through its gender-responsive budgeting programme in South East Europe, supported civil society, which led to increased regional and municipal budget allocations in 2008 for domestic violence shelters in Bosnia and Herzegovina and amendments to the domestic violence law to ensure co-financing for shelter operations.