Prevention, Including Awareness Raising and Advocacy

UNICRI undertook the production and distribution of information material for child sex crime victims. Hide

UN Habitat launched awards and competitions on “Safety and Security for Women and Girls in Cities” for Latin American and the Caribbean for 2007/2008 in November 2007. Hide

In November 2007, to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, DPI’s Development Section worked in collaboration with UNIFEM to produce an e-mail campaign. The UN Information Centres mobilized civil society partners to focus on the issue, particularly around the International Day and the campaign ’16 days of activism against gender violence’. Several Information Centres, including those in Asunción, Bogotá, Baku, Cairo, Lima, and Lusaka, developed special campaigns and radio and television programmes, and held press conferences, seminars and educational forums. Africa Renewal magazine issued an article on the realities faced by millions of African women, also noting grassroots work to address violence against women;[ this article is also being offered for placement in regional newspapers]. Hide

UNTV produced several stories that were offered to broadcasters through their series “UN in Action” and “21st Century”, including features on honour killings in Turkey, domestic violence in Nepal and the prevalence of rape in Burundi. UN Radio produced various stories which included attention to violence against women, including in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq. A dozen stories were featured on the high-traffic UN NewsCentre website, with headlines ranging from “When women are empowered, all of society benefits – Migiro,” to “Sexual violence against women in DR Congo amounts to war crime: UN expert”. Several press releases highlighted the seriousness of the issue, including the visit of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Yakin Ertürk, to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Outreach Division, through the New York Festival/UN DPI Awards, has been encouraging filmmakers to publicize this issue by granting awards to several films highlighting women’s conditions globally. Hide

On 25 November 2007, the Gender Team of the United Nations Peace-building Office in the Central African Republic (BONUCA) gave a presentation on sexual and gender-based violence to police officers during a workshop on women’s rights organized by the Mission’s Human Rights Section, in cooperation with UNHCR and UNICEF. Hide

BONUCA, in cooperation with UNIFEM, carried out sensitization efforts as part of the campaign “16 days of activism against gender violence”, in November/December 2007, including a radio interview with BONUCA’s Gender Affairs Officer; reports and interviews with women and men participants at the sensitization meetings broadcasted on radio; sensitisation meetings to raise awareness among military personnel and civil society; a sketch and a discussion on ways to reduce and eliminate gender-based violence in the Central African Republic; and banners, posters and T-shirts with sensitization messages. Hide

The United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) liaised with other United Nations entities (OHCHR, UNFPA and UNIFEM) on issues relating to women’s rights, including violence against women. The Mission also participated in various forums such as the sexual and gender-based violence-Network, chaired by OHCHR, Security Council Resolution 1325 Peace Support Working Group, chaired by UNFPA and the Embassy of Norway, as well as in information sharing and strategy discussions on ways to support national mechanisms to address violence against women and girls. Hide

In August 2007, UNAIDS convened a technical consultation on social change communication aimed, among other things, at examining the role of social change communication in HIV prevention, with a specific focus on tackling the drivers of the epidemic. Hide

The Special Adviser on Gender Issues raises the question of violence against women in various forums, meetings and during missions, and brings serious and massive violations of women’s human rights to the attention of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. OSAGI , now part of UN Women, developed a Leaders’ Advocacy Kit to combat gender-based violence, in collaboration with several entities of the United Nations system. Hide

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, facilitates the creation and/or strengthening of strategic partnerships among governmental and civil society stakeholders and provides support to build the capacity of women’s organizations to spearhead innovative responses to violence against women at the country level.UNIFEM supports advocacy and communication strategies to stimulate awareness and commitment to end violence against women, including support to coordinated efforts by a wide range of stakeholders during the annual campaign of 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence. In a number of countries, UNIFEM has also cooperated with partners in the White Ribbon Campaign. Hide