Measures to Address Sexual Violence in Conflict Situations

In Sri Lanka, UNDP’s “Equal Access to Justice” project has undertaken a series of workshops targeting community-based organizations in plantation areas, in order to strengthen the support networks for survivors of gender-based violence at the local level. In these workshops several issues related sexual gender-based and domestic violence were discussed. Hide

In Guinea Conakry, UNDP partnered with several stakeholders and coordinated the development of “Standard Operational Procedures” on assistance for survivors of sexual violence and of a referral system. UNDP supports a women’s network to provide legal aid, and information to survivors of gender-based violence. Hide

In Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Serbia, UNDP supported the development of curricula and the training of judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement agencies on how to approach cases of sexual gender-based violence: capacity-building for monitoring trials related to sexual gender-based violence, in Bosnia and Herzegovina by targeting NGOs, and in Kyrgyzstan through the Ombudsman Institute. Hide

UNDP-Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) has recruited an expert to contribute to the Team of Experts who will be in post as of February 2011. The Expert will undertake the technical work and deployments of the Team of Experts, whilst BCPR Rule of Law, Justice and Security team and senior management will continue to be closely engaged with the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict and the Team of Experts Team Leader regarding the overall strategy and direction of the Team. Hide

In Sri Lanka, UNDP’s “Equal Access to Justice” project launched its “Community Legal Empowerment for Women” project in November 2010. The project targets also men and includes initiatives, such as legal awareness workshops, which address prevention and response mechanisms related to sexual gender-based violence; benefits of formally registering marriages. The workshops also seek to build effective referral pathways for those who are interested in accessing the projects. Two programs of training of trainers have already been conducted. Hide

In Nepal, informal legal aid desks, operating in police stations, were supported by UNDP. Mobile legal aid clinics in three districts provided free legal services and information to 1524 people (80% were women). The paralegal programme, at the community level, was expanded in 2010 and the paralegal committees received training on gender-based vioelnce and justice, helping to mainstream a national awareness initiative on sexual gender-absed violence. Hide

The Department of Public Information worked to promote the tenth anniversary of Security Council resolution 1325 on women and peace and security, by producing press materials, including a media backgrounder. Hide

The Department of Public Information’s UN News Centre covered Security Council action on violence against women, and violence against women in crisis or conflict situations, especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cote d'Ivoire. Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Margot Wallstrom was also interviewed for a News Centre feature as part of the “Newsmakers” series. Hide

Human Rights Sections of Peace Keeping Operations continue to implement activities related to sexual gender-based violence. Hide

The Human Rights Section of MINUSTAH in Haiti participated in a workshop organized by the Direction départementale du Ministère à la condition feminine et aux droits de la femme, aimed at sensitizing the local population on sexual gender- based violence. The Human Rights Section together with the UNIFEM and IOM organized training for 20 UNPOL team leaders concerning the protection and response to the widespread occurrence of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) within IDP camps. In light of the increased incidence of sexual and domestic violence, the Human Rights Section in Jacmel, together with the Ministry for Women, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (ONUSIDA), participated in a sensitization workshop at the Pinchinat Camp. The Human Rights Section stressed the importance of victims of sexual violence obtaining a medical certificate and denouncing the authors of these violations, in order to reduce their recurrence through accountability. Hide