Measures

DAW, now part of UN Women, continued to promote and disseminate the ‘Model Framework for Legislation on Violence against Women’, including through presentations at: UNICEF’s Expert Consultation on ‘Legislative Reform to Achieve Human Rights’, held in New York, in November 2008; the Third Conference for Members of Parliamentary Committees on the Status of Women and other Committees Dealing with Gender Equality, convened by the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva, in December 2008, on ‘A parliamentary response to violence against women’; the OSCE Experts’ Seminar on ‘Innovative Approaches to Combating Violence against Women’, held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, in October 2008; and a round table discussion on domestic violence legislation in Tajikistan, held at the United Nations Office in Tajikistan in October 2008. Hide

UNIFEM’s, now part of UN Women, support in the formulation, reform and implementation of legislation to address violence against women and girls, in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders, included: domestic violence laws and bills in Indonesia and Thailand; a workshop for ASEAN Member States to review domestic violence legislation and best practices (October 2008); a regional workshop on coordinated community responses to domestic violence with local government representatives and civil society organizations (CSOs) (including UN Trust Fund grantees) from Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (October 2008); and a workshop on female genital mutilation/ cutting with Christian and Muslim leaders from West Africa (November 2008). Hide

The World Congress III against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents, which took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in November 2008, was organized jointly by UNICEF, the Government of Brazil, ECPAT and the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child., resulting in the “Rio de Janeiro Pact to Prevent and Stop Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents”.UNICEF continued to support social mobilization efforts at all levels to change attitudes and behaviour on violence against women and girls, including sexual violence and exploitation, trafficking and female genital mutilation. Hide

In follow up to the recommendations of the UN Study on Violence against Children, and in preparation or the World Congress III, UNICEF continued to support research, studies and data collection on different forms of violence against girls, including in collaboration with other stakeholders, such as ILO-IPEC, IOM, ECPAT, and Save the Children. Hide

At global level, UNICEF co-led the gender-based violence area of responsibility of the Protection Cluster Working Group and participated in the ECHA/ECPS UN and NGO Task Force on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, and the working group on victims’ assistance developing a guide to support the implementation of the General Assembly Resolution “United Nations Comprehensive Strategy on Assistance and Support to Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by United Nations Staff and related Personnel”. Hide

UNICEF continued to work with the Inter-Parliamentary Union and provide support at regional and national level to legal reform on violence against women and girls. Hide

In 2008, on the basis of the Coordinated Strategy to Abandon FGM/C in One Generation, UNICEF in collaboration with local partners supported programmes in 21 countries, including through data collection, public awareness-raising, training of community members, health workers, traditional leaders and decision makers. Hide

The initiative by UNFPA Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office (LACRO) on sexual violence in select Central American countries included communication and advocacy strategies at country and sub regional level, in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders. Hide

UNFPA published the technical report of the Global Consultation on female genital mutilation/cutting, held in Addis Ababa, in 2007. Hide

UNFPA, in collaboration with World Education, held an expert workshop to develop a curriculum to address gender-based violence and violence against women in humanitarian/conflict/post-conflict settings. Hide