Measures

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, supported the issuance of two publications to raise awareness about the linkages between violence against women and HIV, namely “The Multiple Faces of the Intersections Between HIV and Violence Against Women” and “Women, Violence and HIV&AIDS: Exploring Interfaces”. Hide

The Say NO to violence campaign (www.sayNOtoviolence.org) continued with a significant expansion in signatures from individuals, public figures, state officials, private sector entities and governments. Hide

Baseline assessments were completed in Rwanda, and first drafts were completed in Fiji, Paraguay, and Kyrgyzstan. National multi-stakeholder workshops to develop joint programming frameworks were held in Jordan, Philippines, Rwanda, Fiji, and Kyrgyzstan, and joint national committees consisting of a wide range of stakeholders, responsible for coordinating and providing technical support, were formed. These workshops are instrumental in developing a multi-sectoral joint programming framework that brings together United Nations system actions in support of national efforts to address violence against women, including the development or the implementation of national action plans on violence against women.Baseline assessments, as well as national workshops to develop multi-sectoral joint programming frameworks, had been initiated or completed in all 10 countries and joint national committees had been formed. Implementation of joint programming activities, led by UNFPA, had commenced in the Philippines and Rwanda. Activities of the joint programming initiative were increasingly linked to the Secretary-General’s Campaign “UNiTE to End Violence against Women” at the national level.UNFPA is leading the implementation of the joint programming activities at the country level in the identified pilot countries under the Inter-agency Task Force on Violence against Women. Hide

Following the launch of the UN Interagency Statement ‘Eliminating Female Genital Mutilation’, by the UN Deputy Secretary General in February 2008, UNICEF-supported efforts were made to implement the approach described therein in national policies. Hide

Many UNICEF country offices in 2008 have utilized television and radio campaigns and capitalized on international awareness days to publicize violence against women and girls. Hide

UNICEF country offices continued to support the development of legislation pertinent to violence against women and girls. Hide

UNICEF’s MICS 3 (Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey) collected in 2007 for the first time information on attitudes towards domestic violence and child disciplining. MICS also includes modules on female genital mutilation/cutting and child marriage (information is available at www.childinfo.org). UNICEF Swaziland, in partnership with the Centres for Disease Control, published a study on sexual abuse of girls, which will be replicated in other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Hide

The West and Central Africa UNICEF Regional Office produced an analysis on gender-based violence and its effects on HIV. The report provides strong evidence that chronic violence can lead to HIV risk behaviours which are not necessarily chosen in a conscious way. Hide

A technical consultation was undertaken by the inter-agency team (UNFPA, the IRC and UNHCR) to pilot test the Gender-based Violence Information Management System (GBVIMS)in Uganda in May 2008. Hide

The “UNFPA Strategy and Framework of Action to Addressing Gender-based Violence, 2008-2011” has been widely disseminated. A booklet entitled “Gender Snapshot: UNFPA Programming at Work” has been published. It includes a chapter on gender-based violence prevention and response. Hide