Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

The OHCHR Country Office in Mexico has completed the first stage of validation of the indicators on violence against women, involving several stakeholders. The OHCHR supported the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its causes and consequences to conduct three country visits, namely to Algeria (1-10 November), Zambia (6-11 December) and the United States (24 January-8 February 2011). The OHCHR supported the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women in attending the civil society regional consultation for the Asia-Pacific region (January 2011). Hide

The OHCHR/Human Rights Adviser in the Russian Federation contributed to activities of the annual campaign “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” in partnership with the UN Gender Theme group.The OHCHR Regional Office in Central Africa participated in a conference/debate ("causeries éducatives"), organised by the UN Theme Group on Gender, on 8 December 2010, in Yaoundé, Cameroon, where several issues were discussed, including early and forced marriages; female genital mutilation and gender-based violence and HIV/Aids. Several stakeholders participated in the event. The Human Rights Section of MINUSTAH in Haiti, in collaboration with the MINUSTAH Multimedia Center held a session on the different types of violence against women, with representatives of the civil society (November 2010). Hide

The OHCHR Regional Office for South-East Asia participated in the Commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of UN Security Council 1325, on Women, Peace and Security held by the Thematic Working Group on Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (TWG-GEEW). The event also launched the Regional Advisory Group on Women, Peace and Security, where several stakeholders were present. The OHCHR Regional Office in the Pacific gave a presentation on “Women and Conflict and Peace and Security” at the Regional Training Program on violence against women, which was organized and facilitated by Fiji Women’s Crisis Center (FWCC). On 26 October, the Regional Office and the OHCHR New York Office organized a workshop for the 1325 anniversary in New York entitled: Unrecognized Conflict: Women’s Survival and Security. The workshop discussed issues of unknown and unrecognized conflicts and how they impact women’s security. On 27 October, in New York, the OHCHR facilitated a workshop on “Building Peace: Exploring the Intersections of Militarism and Violence against Women”, as part of the 1325 anniversary. The OHCHR Regional Office in the Pacific published a discussion paper for the 10th Anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, entitled “Armed Tribal Conflict and Sorcery in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea.” On 25 October, the Regional Office further presented issues from the discussion paper at a workshop ‘Voices from the Frontlines’ organized by the United Methodist Women and World Council of Churches. Hide

The OHCHR Regional Office for Central America provided in El Salvador technical advice to the Salvadorian Institute for the Advancement of Women (Instituto Salvadoreño para el desarrollo de la Mujer, ISDEMU), the Prosecutors’ Office and the Parliamentary Group on a new legislative act on the elimination of violence against women, which was adopted on November 25th 2010. Hide

In May 2010, seven UN agencies (UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, UNDP, UNHCR, OHCHR, UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO) have launched a three-year UN Joint Program "Ending violence against women - a national priority for Kyrgyzstan". Four strategic compenents of the program include: 1) strengthening policy framework, including through the implementation of the recommendations of the UN human bodies and procedures; 2) improving official data collection system and analysis of collected data; 3) awareness-raising, sensititation and capacity-building with the view to change gender stereotypes; 4) protecting and helping survivors of gender-based violence. Hide

The OHCHR/Human Rights and Transitional Justice Section in the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste monitored the response of the formal justice system to reported cases of violence against women, including whether traditional justice mechanisms are given priority in such cases. In March 2010, through participation in working groups, the OHCHR also provided a human rights and protection commentary on draft governmental policy related to emergency shelters and safe houses for survivors of violence against women. Hide

As Protection Cluster chair, the OHCHR promoted coordination on strategy and advocacy among actors working to address violence against women in Timor-Leste. Hide

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. Ultimately, this project will provide a much needed advocacy tool not only for developing a reparations mechanism for all victims of sexual violence, but also for addressing the many weaknesses in the judicial system that affect prosecution of this crime in the DRC. Hide

The OHCHR/Human Rights and Transitional Justice Section in the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste worked on the Draft Laws on Reparations, through an OHCHR-funded consultant, tasked with producing the original draft laws, and the follow-up institution for the truth commissions, such as the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR) and the Commission for Truth and Friendship (CTF), advocating for the inclusion of victims of sexual violence. Hide

The Regional Office of the OHCHR in Panama has provided, occasionally together with UNDP, technical support for the elaboration of a law on violence against women, which is expected to be adopted on 25 November 2010. Hide