Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

In 2013, the El Salvador Protocol for the Investigation of Feminicide which was developed with the support of OHCHR was adopted by the General Prosecutor Office and has been incorporated into the regular training curriculum of Salvadorian prosecutors. OHCHR organized an expert meeting on victims and witness protection in May 2013 to contribute to the development of a related tool, with a special focus on the protection of victims of sexual and gender-based violence. Hide

Numerous UN entities, as key member of the Secretary-General’s Campaign Unite to End Violence Against Women and Girls, launched various campaigns and events to mark the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence in 2013. For example, OHCHR created a dedicated web page, organised an online panel discussion on the role of small arms on gender-based violence. UNDP organized a meeting in Namimbia aimed at mobilizing men in EVAW. Hide

In Kosovo, OHCHR published a study on sexual gender-based violence related to the conflict and actively advocated towards the adoption of a law for reparations of survivors of sexual violence, which is still with the Kosovo Assembly for further discussion. To assist the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325, OHCHR provided countries with financial and technical support to implement national actions plans such as Kosovo, or develop such plans, such as Guinea, which eventually adopted a national action plan (2013-2017). In December 2013, OHCHR organised a workshop in Cairo, on “Monitoring places of detention for women” and “The implementation of National Action Plans for 1325”with participants from NHRIs and civil society from Iraq, Oman, Palestine, Qatar and Yemen. Hide

OHCHR supported the following human rights mechanisms: the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences (SRVAW) in the conduct of 3 official country visits in the reporting period: India (22 April to 1 May, 2013), Bangladesh (20 to 29 May, 2013), and Azerbaijan (25 November to 5 December, 2013); the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children in convening 5 regional consultations (Geneva, Santiago, Bangkok, Abuja and Amman) and two global consultations (New York and Vienna) on the right to an effective remedy for trafficked persons pursuant to Human Rights Council Resolution 20/1; and the Working Group on Discrimination Against Women, which regards violence against women as cross-cutting in all of its work, in two country visits in Iceland (16 to 23 May 2013) and in China (12 to 19 December 2013). Hide

During the reporting period, OHCHR, in cooperation with UN Women, convened three validation workshops for the finalization of the Model Protocol for the investigation of femicide in Latin America. The tool aims at strengthening capacities to take gender aspects into account in analyzing the crime scenes and in identifying necessary expert evidence. The Model of Protocol was also presented to the Conference of State Parties to Inter-American Convention on Violence against Women (Belém do Pará Convention) and to the General Assembly of the Ibero-American Association of Public Prosecutors (AIAMPO). The Human Rights Council, at its June 2013 session, adopted resolution 23/25 which recognized the Model Protocol as a good and promising practice (OP 19). Hide

OHCHR supported the development of a training course on human rights for judges and prosecutors in the Dominican Republic's Judicial Academy, also focusing on the specificities of gender-based violence and the need for proper investigation, prosecution and redress, as well as a permanent discussion group on human rights composed by judges and prosecutors within the Judicial Academy. In Kenya, OHCHR elaborated two manuals “Human Rights, Gender Based Violence, Child Protection - A trainer's Guide for UPF” for the Ugandan Police Force and a manual on Human Rights Training of Trainers' for Uganda People’s Defence Force and for the Uganda Local Defence Forces. Hide

OHCHR submitted a report to the Human Rights Council on creating and/or strengthening synergies and linkages on violence against women and girls (A/HRC/23/25) at its 20th session (June 2012) which includes recommendations on the means to reinforce the links between the Council and its mechanisms as well as between the Council and other intergovernmental processes. OHCHR, in partnership with the Mission of Canada, other Member States and NGOs, also promoted a series of discussions on how to strengthen cooperation and synergies between Geneva-based actors to feed into the work of the Human Rights Council.OHCHR supports the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) which held two sessions in Geneva, in which women’s rights, including violence against women, in 15 countries (Andorra, Afghanistan, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Republic of Moldova, Serbia, Seychelles and Tajikistan) was discussed and analysed. In a statement adopted during its fiftieth session on the role of women in the process of political transition, the CEDAW Committee urged Egypt, Libya and Tunisia to strongly condemn all forms of violence against women and girls and to ensure that custom, tradition, and cultural or religious considerations are not invoked to justify non-compliance with their legal obligations under the CEDAW Convention. OHCHR also supported national actors and civil society organisations activities on the implementation of UPR and CEDAW recommendations on violence against women, including in Togo and Chad. Hide

OHCHR continued its specialised course on monitoring and investigating conflict- related sexual violence (CRSV) for human rights officers which was translated into French and delivered to the Human Rights Components of MONUSCO. Hide

OHCHR supported the formulation and implementation of laws on violence against women in accordance with international human rights standards, including in Iraq and in Panama, where the law also established the specific crime of femicide (2013). In Afghanistan, it released a report on 8 December entitled A Way to Go: An Update on Implementation of the Law on Elimination of Violence against Women in Afghanistan, in which it reported limited results in its implementation. Hide

OHCHR has initiated a study on sorcery- related violence with a focus on PNG, the findings of which will be available in 2014. Hide