Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

In the context of the Swiss week to combat trafficking in persons, OHCHR, in cooperation with ILO, IOM and UNHCR organized an expert panel on all forms of human exploitation, including trafficking. Hide

OHCHR, as a member of the Team of Experts on rule of law, supported the Team and contributed to strengthening the capacity of national rule of law and justice actors to address impunity for conflict-related sexual violence, including in DRC, Cote d’Ivoire and Somalia. Hide

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 supports the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, whose work during 2012 included: submission of a report on gender-related killings of women to the Human Rights Council in June 2012; submission of her report to the General Assembly on violence against women with disabilities; and official country missions to Italy, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia. Support was also provided to the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, whose work during 2012 included: submission of a report to the UN Human Rights Council on integrating a human rights-based approach into the prosecution of cases of human trafficking; her report to the General Assembly on the issue of trafficking in supply chains; country visits to the United Arab Emirates, Gabon and the Philippines; and an address to the UN Conference of the State Parties to the Convention on Transnational Organized Crime.OHCHR hosts the Working Group on Discrimination against women in law and in practice, which held four sessions and presented its first annual report at the 20th session of the Human Rights Council in June 2012. The Working Group conducted three country visits to Morocco, Moldova and Tunisia. OHCHR also submitted a study on violence against women and girls and disability to the same Human Rights Council session. Hide

OHCHR published a Guide on indicators for human rights which integrates indicators and methodological tools in relation to violence against women; and supported fact-finding missions to Mali and Commissions of Inquiry on Syria which, inter alia, look into violence against women including sexual violence. Hide

In Latin America, OHCHR and UN Women, together with the Spanish Federation of Human Rights Organizations and the Carlos IIII University of Madrid supported the formulation of a regional Protocol for the investigation of Femicide. The protocol will assist in strengthening national capacities to investigate, prosecute, punish and redress femicide. The Protocol will be promoted through, inter alia, regional and international human rights mechanisms. In Kosovo, OHCHR supported the development of a national action plan on Security Council resolution 1325. Hide