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UN-Women highlighted the importance of preventing SH during COVID-19 in multiple settings, including on health, care and domestic work as well as on public spaces and cyber harassment, through webinars with a total of 1820 participants from within and outside of the UN system.
#HeForShe at home campaign
To creatively address concerns about rising violence at home during COVID-19, and the increased burden of unpaid care work, UN Women in Asia and the Pacific joined forces with a community of influencers, activists and celebrities in Thailand to involve the public in the #HeForSheAtHome campaign. The campaign was designed to ease tensions at home using humor, and advocated for shared caring responsibilities to prevent family violence. The campaign reached approximately 46 million viewers and engaged more than 140 content producers across various social media platforms, with the core message that men can be more involved in caring roles at home.
Political Engagement Strategy in Asia and the Pacific
UN Women’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific has been instrumental in implementing the Secretary General's Political Engagement Strategy on Gender Based Violence (GBV), helping to highlight EVAW as a significant political issue on government agendas in the region. Along with country offices in Asia and the Pacific, the Regional Office supported states in the region include EVAW within their essential services. With leadership from the UN Resident Coordinators (RCs) and support from other UN agencies, ROAP has supported efforts in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and other countries in the region to adopt short- and long-term action areas identified within the Political Engagement Strategy.
Safety planning for violence against women during the COVID-19 pandemic
The Safety Plan was developed under the COVID-19 pandemic context when the ‘isolation measures’ could put women at further risk of violence. The Safety Plan provides a way to think about how to stay safe at home, in community and in workplace regardless of the migratory status of women. This is designed in a way to help women, especially women migrant workers, prepare for dangers if they are in an abusive situation of fear of violence or harassment. The Safety Plan is available in 9 languages.
Action Brief: A Guide for Action to Stem Increasing Violence Against Women amid the COVID-19 Pandemic in Asia and the Pacific
This is a guide for governments, aid agencies, service providers, businesses and other groups on what to do to protect women from violence during the pandemic and its associated array of lockdowns, movement restrictions, services closures, and other disease control measures.
In response to COVID-19, UN Women Albania:
- Supported the Ministry of Health and Social Protection in the adoption of Protocol “On the operation of public and non-public residential centres, providing shelter services to victims of domestic violence and human trafficking during the COVID-19 pandemic”, followed by a video broadcast on public TV and on social media to encourage reporting VAWG during the lockdown period, which reached 400,000 views.
- Supported the Sub-Parliamentary Committee on Gender Equality to identify interventions in the area of gender equality during COVID-19 pandemic and maintained ongoing communications with local and national institutions for managing the situation of violence against women and other groups, who were at higher risk of facing domestic violence due to the lockdown.
- Supported women’s rights CSOs to conduct monitoring of referral mechanisms in 11 municipalities, including a special reporting during COVID-19 health crisis.
- Trained 37 public and non-public service providers on provision of sheltering services during COVID-19 based on the approved protocol.
- Conducted 2 Rapid Gender Assessments to (i) measure the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on women and men, including in the area of GBV; (ii) assess challenges and gaps of 6 women’s CSOs in offering services to survivors during COVID-19, resulting in adaptation of support to CSOs based on the situation.
- Supported 12 CSOs with 1,100 protective equipment units to continue service provision including accommodation in shelters during COVID-19
- Supported CSO service providers to offer direct services to approximately 400 women survivors of VAWG.
In response to the COVID 19, UN Women Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) provided immediate support to 8 Safe Houses in BiH covering their running costs, basic needs of survivors and children placed in the safe houses, and basic personal protection equipment. As a result, immediate support in the first months of the COVID 19 outbreak was provided to survivors of different forms of violence through more than 1500 SOS calls and 1300 persons through phone and online counselling. Comprehensive specialized support services within Safe Houses were provided to 176 women and children. In the months after initial response UN Women BiH has provided more structural support for improved accessibility and availability of specialized services to survivors of violence in all 8 Safe Houses in BiH. Safe Houses were able to provide additional 950 SOS calls, admit 380 women and children and provide 155 different services survivors of domestic.
Ukraine: Aimed at preventing gender-based violence against women and girls 1,200 brochures for perpetrators of domestic violence comprising information on criminalization of domestic violence, as well as educational information on increased domestic work imposed on women, especially during the Covid 19 pandemic lockdowns, promoting respectful relationships between intimate partners and household members were disseminated to men from 13 target communities in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
53 staff (22 women, 31 men) of the National Police of Ukraine Departments in eastern oblasts of Ukraine, increased their knowledge on gender mainstreaming as a tool for effective integration of gender equality priorities into their work and on prevention and respond to GBV during COVID-19 pandemic.
In the response to the COVID-19, UN Women Moldova CO has conducted a rapid assessment of women’s needs, affected by gender-based violence and of the systemic response to cases of violence in the context of the Covid-19 crisis through a national NGO. Based on the needs highlighted by partner organizations, UN Women Moldova has provided essential online services through several national NGOs, to around 353 women and girls affected by violence, women's survivors of violence, 156 women migrants (including those affected by violence, or in substantial risk) for a 4-month period. In addition to this, essential products have been provided to 250 women survivors of violence beneficiaries of 15 institutions (shelters, organizations, etc.) and to 3,279 social assistants and social workers, from 36 Territorial structures of social assistance across the country, including the Transnistrian region. They have been assisted during emergency lockdown conditions and equipped with necessary items (food and hygiene products) and personal protection equipment (PPE) during COVID-19 outbreak.
In the context of Joint UN Programme „Strengthening the Republic of Moldova’s National Response to the COVID-19 Crisis”, funded by UN COVID-19 Response and Recovery Multi-Partner Trust Fund (UN COVID-19 MPTF), under UN Women CO component, 295 women survivors of violence, 41 indirect beneficiaries’ members of their families and 500 members of multidisciplinary teams in different regions of the country have been provided with essential products.
As part of COVID-19 Response and Recovery Window of the Moldova 2030 SDGs Partnership Fund (SDGPF) in 2021, over 3,000 women in vulnerable situations or part of vulnerable groups (unemployed due to COVID-19 pandemic, living with HIV, from vulnerable families, with disabilities, with more than 4 children, older people within extreme poverty, etc) from both banks of the Nistru river have been supported with essential products (food, hygienic products, PPEs).
PPE items were offered to multidisciplinary teams from Cahul and Ungheni districts to maintain their work/interventions to respond to violence against women and children in times of crisis. Around 1,200 social workers from 70 localities were enabled to provide continuous social assistance to the local population. More than 3,400 vulnerable women and children from Cahul and Ungheni were better able to maintain their well-being and increase their personal protection from COVID-19 by receiving direct support (food, hygiene packages, and PPE items).
Supported by UN Women Kosovo, around 550 women/DV survivors in the shelters were provided with supplies such as food and hygienic kits, bed linen and clothes to shelters. Technical equipment to shelters around Kosovo was also delivered ensuring that the attendance of online learning classes by children in the shelters is not disrupted. Women sheltered in quarantine facility were also provided hygiene packages, clothes, PPE prior to admission. UN Women directly contributed to these results through procuring and delivering these items jointly with UNFPA. Women business owners will be able to benefit from a 2 million Euro worth of grants for allocated by the government as part of its economic recovery package. UN Women contributed to these results by collecting operative data and evidence on the gendered impact of the pandemic in the Rapid Gender Assessment of the Situation and Needs of Women in the Context of COVID-19(RGA), conducted in March-April 2020 and Rapid assessment of the socio-economic impact of the crisis on Kosovan households conducted in April-June 2020. Needs of survivors from non-majority communities were addressed through support to the shelter in North Mitrovica in receiving essential services in North Mitrovica. All DV shelters in Kosovo received working tools including beehives, tailoring and hairdressing tools, baking ovens for the large-scale production of bread and other food items as well as technical equipment. The main aim of this undertaking was to enable income generation for the shelters, in order to foster their economic empowerment and independence in a sustainable fashion. At the same time, provision of these tools offers the opportunity for capacity building for survivors residing in these shelters, who by utilizing these tools gain the ability to use those skills for possible employment opportunities or business start-ups once they leave the shelter. With the average annual turn-over of women in shelters being approximately 600, it can be estimated that up to 600 women will directly and sustainably benefit from the provided equipment Kosovo public at large was informed about:
- The pandemic and key prevention measures;
- The impact of the pandemic on women and women economies;
- DV and GBV through the 16 days of activism campaign; and
- Promotion of Kosovo Police app which can be used to report cases of DV and GBV as well as other incidents and crimes (and which now allows the easy reporting of domestic violence through an updated direct button).
The total reach of the cumulative campaigns was over 300 000 people through UN Women Kosovo social media alone. UN Women contribution to all these results was provided through technical and advocacy support.
In Tajikistan, Under UN Women technical guidance, the UNCT members jointly with the Governmental structures (health/ women empowerment/ social protection/ emergency) created joint plans, including on awareness raising and prevention. The final SPT COVID-19 Action Plan’s measures and activities were presented and well aligned with the Government’s position and the COVID-19 request issued by state authorities (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of RT, CoWFA, MoH, CoES, CYA). The activities were incorporated, along with monitoring indicators ad targets, in the Integrated Socio-Economic Response Framework. The plan also covered awareness raising elements: Dissemination of information about COVID-19, VAWG, VAC, supporting awareness raising campaigns on TV, social media networks, radio broadcasting on COVID-19 and including on the impact on women and girls, general and user-friendly information (videos, leaflets) developed for dissemination among the population. Within the Spotlight Initiative UN Women developed gender-sensitive recommendations for preparedness to and during quarantine period. Recommendations included specific measures to address GBV, protect women health workers, etc. Recommendation were handed over to MFA and other GoT bodies. In this process, the Spotlight Initiative team participated in several meetings with Government officials and various coordination platforms to advocate for the rights of women and girls in the context of COVID-19.
Rapid Gender Assessment
The report on “What Rapid Gender Assessment data says about the impact of COVID-19 on women’s and men’s lives and livelihood in Tajikistan” was prepared and published in three languages by UN Women in cooperation with Z-Analytics. The overall objective of the assessment was to assess COVID-19 impact on women, girls, men, and boys, and to compare gender issues and social norms during the outbreak period. Furthermore, the assessment aimed to increase preparedness and response efforts to the emergency created by COVID-19 and to provide a gendered insight on how the situation has affected women and men differently. The RGA assessment captured 1,500 respondents in total, both women and men above the age of 18 years. The assessment covered all regions of Tajikistan with total population 9,126.6 people. RGA data shows that, overall, 61 percent respondents received information through traditional media sources, such as television, radio, and newspapers. Furthermore, RGA data disaggregated by target regions demonstrate that in Dushanbe, a considerable number of respondents also received information through internet and social media (22 per cent) and from public announcements (3 percent). In GBAO, 19 percent of respondents received information from health workers which is high by 5–7 percentage points then DRS, Sogd and Khatlon and 11 percentage points higher than Dushanbe. Compared to other regions, more users in DRS, Sogd and Khatlon found mobile phones to be an efficient tool in getting information on COVID-19. In Sogd – where people were dependent on traditional media sources was still utilized by a considerable number of people compared to Dushanbe and DRS. Finally, in Khatlon, most respondents (62 per cent) received information on COVID-19 through traditional media sources, followed equally by internet and social media and health centers and family doctors. As indicated by RGA data in this report, the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected both women and men from urban and rural areas and among all age groups. Based on RGA results, several conclusions are drawn that summarize the results of the COVID-19 outbreak. Based on these conclusions, several recommendations for various stakeholders, including national authorities and international organizations, as well as the local civil society organizations (CSO) are forwarded.
Video messages
UN Women, UNICEF, UNFPA and UNDP jointly with the Committee on women and family affairs and the EU delegation developed positive transformative messages to the population: The messages in informational videos on promoting positive masculinity and challenging traditional norms among young people, men and women, which were part of the programmatic activities, were adopted to be more focused on men's involvement with care work at home in order to reduce the domestic burden on women, taking into account the increase in self-isolation during COVID-19 and its negative impact of GBV. The COVID-19 response video was also produced by UN Women in cooperation with CoWFA and spread among partners and Gender Thematic Group for further dissemination. The UN Women video on the social media page of the Gender Thematic Group (Facebook) had been viewed more than 18,000.
Informational leaflets
UN Women in consultation with STP RUNOS and Committee of Women and Family Affairs developed the content for the leaflet on COVID19 impact on women and girls. Family resilience during the pandemic (81,400 copies), which has been disseminated among 596,000 people to promote harmonious and non-violent environment in the families. In addition, UN Women produced COVID-19 related leaflets (COVID-19 and women's vulnerability). These leaflets were aimed to women from vulnerable groups and contained information on help centers and hotlines as well as statistics. Teenage volunteers shared brochures and DVDs (developed by UNICEF and the Ministry of Health and Human Services) on COVID-19 prevention in their communities.
Outreach campaigns
According to the report from the Red Crescent Society, a 5-month COVID-19 and EVAWG outreach campaign challenged gender stereotypes and the notion of equality and fair distribution of the housework during the pandemic through the leaflet on Impact of COVID19 on Women and Girls. How to sustain family Resilience During the Pandemic. A progress has been made in the framework of SPT COVID-19 Response Plan and 5-month outreach campaign, which increased awareness of 596,000 in 6 SPT target districts (Isfara, B. Gafurov, Rudaki, Vose, Hissar and Yovon) on COVID-19 safety measures, prevention on violence against women and girls, available VAWG service for SGBV survivors and promoting gender equality relations. Project staff of the Red Crescent Society held several meetings with the local authorities in 6 target districts to inform about the project initiatives and obtain their support in organizing outreach campaigns to remote communities and disseminated the information materials via 120 community volunteers.
Youth Involvement
UNICEF, UNDP and UN Women jointly with Youth Committee invested in awareness among youth and children, parenting and prevention of violence against a girl-child through the Peer Education Center of the Committee. WHO and UNCT cooperated with the state ministries on development and publishing the infographics and information for the population in multi-media (WHO website). 130,000 young people benefitted from online gender-sensitive awareness-raising and community mobilisation activities led by the newly established Communication Centre at the Committee on Youth and Sport Affairs. The Communication Centre engaged young volunteers in prevention and awareness-raising activities as part of its COVID-19 response measure. UN Women provided logistical support and several informational and educational materials for dissemination. Other partners included UNDP and UNICEF, who equipped the Center with furniture and other items.
Hotline
Rendering psychological and legal consultations from PSS hub and national hotline was done through the investment on ensuring a 24/7 support, so that women and girls across Tajikistan, both those at risk and those experiencing violence, could have wider access to this service. UN Women provided the hotline with the relevant information on location and availability of services.
COVID 19 and Women living with HIV
People with HIV were also central in planning the activities. 241,058 people reached by non-stigma and discrimination messages towards women living with HIV through a social media campaign designed with the support of 12 women living with HIV.
According to the monitoring report from the official campaign website, accounts on Instagram, Facebook and Odnoklassniki the campaign created a great interest from general population. Messages of the campaign urge peoples to commit to helping create and sustain communities that promote awareness, understanding, and acceptance of people with HIV and generated over 100840 people in Instagram, 111789 people on Facebook and 28429 people on Odnoklassniki.
Women living with HIV got aware on consequences of COVID-19 impact on women living with HIV and supported by UN Women by distributing 7000 items of the leaflets on “What people living with HIV should know about COVID-19” that provided information to women on how to protect themselves, and how to respond to stigma and discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic. 300 women living with HIV from Dushanbe, Sughd and Districts under Central Government Jurisdiction were equipped with key protective gear and sanitizers.
The Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, Development partners, Donors, International organizations, UN Agencies, and civil society organizations have been better informed and make evidence-based decisions to address the needs of women living with HIV on COVID-19 context.
According to the multi-stakeholder group consist of active NGOs working in the field of HIV and AIDS, representatives of National Aids Center, representatives of the development agencies, international organizations, HIV networks, including women leaders, gender experts and Tajikistan Network of women living with HIV members, developed recommendations which have been incorporated in National Response plan and addressed immediate needs of WLWH.
UN Women made a significant contribution through identifying the key actors, members of the group and coordination of the multi stakeholder group further activities. UN Women contributed to this through hiring a National Consultant to serve as Senior peer counsellor and monitor and advise other peer counsellors. The consultant engaged with the government and other key stakeholders and monitored the progress of COVID-19 prevention and response actions, especially for women living with HIV. This virtual network of peer counsellors, consisted of 10 members, eight of them have been trained in psychosocial support and peer-counselling in individual and group consultations.
A new Viber group of peer counselors has been created that enables members to pose questions and receive immediate support from others. According to the final report of the local consultant, over 486 consultations on various issues in the context of COVID-19 and DV have been provided by the peer counsellors to WLWH from different regions. Voice notes and videos are regularly shared on sanitation techniques, social distancing, health care facilities contact details such as doctors, hotlines, and more.
This group of peer counsellors revealed that the number of cases of domestic violence has significantly increased among women living with HIV in Tajikistan during the pandemic. Women received online information on HIV treatment or how to access VAW services and support centers they received a comprehensive advice and guidance on services, made available by SPT in Tajikistan.
Due to the significant increase in the number of cases of domestic violence among women living with HIV, as revealed by the group of peer counselors, a mobile application has been developed for people living with HIV to simplify medical information and treatment, to address the urgent needs and connect women to VAW services.
According to the feedback of women engaged in the testing, the application allows people living with HIV to access timely and necessary medical services. The interactive map shows location of medical centers and nongovernmental organizations supporting people living with HIV.
UN Women provided technical guidance and IT support through the local company. The application design is based on the experiences of its developers and HIV activists. For people living with HIV, the app will act as a personal electronic patient card. It will allow the users to stay in touch with doctors online, setting up reminders about when to take medication and schedule appointments. A help button contains links to hotlines on HIV treatment and prevention and psychological and legal support for women.
UN Women continued to actively participate in the UN system-wide SEA Working Group PSEA WG, which is being coordinated by the Office of the Special Coordinator on improving the UN response to SEA. Using its technical expertise and experience, UN Women provided input to all WG deliverables, which inter-alia include the Fact sheet on the Secretary-General’s initiatives to prevent and respond to SEA, the Secretary-General’s Report on Special measures for PSEA, the annual PSEA action...
View MoreUN Women ESARO in partnership with the country offices, UN partner agencies and the African Union is engaging traditional authorities across Africa by working with AU to launch Council of Traditional Leaders of Africa (COTLA) / Conseil des Autorites Traditionnelles D’Afrique (CONATA), so that it effectively drives a pan-African movement of Traditional Leaders to end child marriage, FGM/C and other harmful practices. Throughout the year the African Union engaged COTLA/CONATA as an advocacy institution following the AU statutory meeting of ministers in charge of Social Development, Labor and Employment who took a decision calling for an extension of the campaign to end child marriage for a five-year period from 2019 to 2023. In the year, COTLA/CONATA convened an annual steering committee meeting in Lusaka through the support of the Republic of the Government of Zambia, and with financial and technical support of UN WOMEN.
UN Women is also supporting the framing of by-laws to harmonize the national laws with the customary laws in line with the international conventions. At least in 5 countries such initiatives are ongoing, these include, Malawi, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Liberia.
In Burundi, The new law No. 1/11 of 20 May 2019 on electoral code reform, improves the level of positioning women on the electoral roll and offers more opportunities to women to stand as candidates in legislative elections. In addition, the code allows women to be elected in their husbands’ origin regions contrary to the provisions of the reformed law which limited the candidacies of women to their origin regions.
In Ethiopia: During the reporting period, UN Women supported the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) to undertake a gender analysis of Ethiopia’s draft electoral law. When the law was adopted not including all the proposed changes, UN Women ensured that the legislative committee that was working on directives based on the Electoral Law was provided with a technical support about gender sensitive stipulations to make the derivative legislations gender responsive. The gender analysis identified issues that need to be addressed in terms of affirmative action stipulations, media use during elections, security of voters and candidates, voters that may need assistance during registration and voting and representation of women in different election management bodies etc.
Moreover, UN Women conducted a National Comprehensive Mapping and Analysis of National Laws in Ethiopia as a step towards the elimination of discriminatory laws. The assessment is a comprehensive legislative analysis from a gender perspective to provide an in-depth understanding of the current legal framework and the existence of gaps and discriminatory provisions, with the long-term vision of advocating for law reform to enact new laws or repeal or revise discriminatory legislation. The first draft of the assessment first draft was submitted for review. The gender analysis will explore the vast spectrum of laws to assess their gender responsiveness and will highlight discriminatory provisions and gaps that would require to be repeal, amended or enactment through a law reform process.
Another initiative led by UN Women was the different advocacy sessions towards the adoption of the family law in the Somali region. To this end, an assessment on the general socioeconomic status of women and girls in Somali and Afar regions and barriers hindering the adoption of the family law was conducted. The key findings of the study revealed that in almost all measures of socio-economic indicators including access to education, health, water, electricity, and sanitation, women and girls in both regions have significant challenges compared to other regions of Ethiopia. With regards to the prevalence of VAWG in the two regions, findings of the study show a much higher percentage of sexual violence against women with 14.7 percent in Somali and 13 percent in Afar regions when compared with that of the EDHS, 1% in Somali followed by 4% in Afar.
Most importantly, the study identified the factors hindering the adoption of family laws in Afar and Somali regions to be lack of political commitment, structural and institutional factors (competing priorities and inadequate financing) and social and cultural factors which are highly influenced by religion. The controversy on marriageable age, bigamy, period of widowhood, irregular union, child adoption, and Paternity issues were also among the causes for the resistance towards adopting Family law. UN women will continue popularizing the findings and recommendations of the study and undertaking policy advocacy at different level with the aim of harmonizing the regional family laws with that is the international standards.
The legal adjustment in the main electoral law has been finalized with the legislative drafting team taking some of the recommendations provided. However, the legislative process for matters that will be guided by directives from the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia, it is still an ongoing process that will also continue in 2020 which is the election year and beyond.
In regard to the preliminary work on the “Assessment of the discriminatory law” conducted for legal adjustments that will support and recommend the repeal or revision of all formal laws that directly or indirectly discriminate against women and girls, UN Women will continue supporting the Federal Attorney General and other relevant institutions on the legal adjustment based on the recommendations provided.
The draft Somali and Afar assessment on the barriers for adoption of the federal revised family law, which was conducted in 2019, identified key areas that needs better advocacy coupled with continuous dialogues to bring the expected changes. Some of these areas include; enhancing the knowledge and understanding of the grass root community on the benefit of putting in place an alternative family dispute resolution in addition to the customary and religious systems, enhancing capacity of women and men parliamentarians to advocate for the adoption of family law, and facilitate a knowledge exchange with other Muslim dominated countries who have adopted family law that is in line with international standards. Using the existing partnership with the regional government and faith actors, UN Women will work towards the repeal of the existing regional law in 2020.
In Mozambique, the government of Mozambique continued to demonstrate strong commitment on advancing GEWE including fulfilment of regional and international obligations, which are evidenced by the following achievements: approval of the “Lei contra os casamentos Prematuros[1]” (Law against early marriage) (The Law was approved by the Parliament on 18th July 2019 and with its approval early unions in Mozambique are considered a crime. The law condemns until 8 years of imprisonment to adults who consent or obliged a child to accept a union and 12years for an adult who live in a forced union with a child girl); approval of the revised “Lei fa Familia (Family Law) e “Lei das Sucessões” (Inheritance Law). Additionally, 4 other Laws were reviewed to better respond to the issues included in the approved laws, namely: “Lei da Familia”- Family Law (Lei 22. 2019); “Lei da Revisão do codigo Penal”- Law of criminal code (Lei 24 de 2019); “Lei da revisão do Código do Processo Penal”- Law of review of the Criminal process code (Lei 25 de 2019) and the “Lei da revisao do Codigo de execução das Penas” –Law of review of the criminal process code- (Lei 26 de 2019).
In Rwanda, Under the equality in law by 2030 initiative, UN Women provided technical and financial support to the Legal Aid Forum, a network of 38 national and international NGOs, universities, lawyers’ associations, faith-based organizations and trade unions to conduct an assessment aimed at determining whether there are any discriminatory provisions in Rwandan laws. The implementation of this initiative involves different actors from government and civil society organizations through a steering committee put in place for quality assurance. The Legal Aid Forum has submitted a draft report waiting for final validation by stakeholders. The report recognizes tremendous achievements for gender mainstreaming in Rwanda’s legal framework. However, there are still few provisions that need to be worked out through legislative reforms.
In South Sudan, the Reconstituted National Constitution Amendment Committee (R-NCAC) has been working on reviewing the various laws including the security sector laws. UN Women provided technical support in review of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army Act 2009, the National Security Services Act 2014, the Police Service Act 2009 and the Prisons Service Act 2011.
In Sudan, UN Women has supported the women’s movement to voice their concerns and claim the repeal and reform of laws violating women’s human rights such as the public Order Law which was then repealed in December 2019.
In Somalia, UN Women in close collaboration with UNFPA, UNDP and UNSOM is actively engaged in passage of the Sexual Offence Bill and FGM Bill. The Sexual Offence Bill has already been approved by the cabinet of ministers and awaits endorsement at the parliament. The FGM bill is in the final stages of drafting and soon will be presented to the cabinet of ministers. The Sexual Offences Bill (SOB) seeks to serve the purpose of combating sexual violence and consolidating laws of sexual offences, providing for punishment of perpetrators of sexual offenses, providing for procedural and evidential requirements during trial of sexual offenses and other related matters.
In Tanzania, UN Women provided technical and financial support to the Ministry of Constitutional and Legal affairs (MoCLA), Tanzania Women Parliamentary Group (TWPG), Women Fund Tanzania and the Women’s Coalition on the Constitution Review and Leadership For advocacy to repeal the following laws that discriminate against women and girls: The Law of Marriage Act (LMA) of 1971 sanctions the marriage of girls as young as 14 years, while requiring boys to be adults. During 2019, the Tanzania Court of Appeal upheld a previous High Court judgment declaring the minimum age of marriage for girls, as set out in the Law of Marriage Act, unconstitutional. As a result, the National Assembly of the United Republic of Tanzania will need to pass legislation bringing this law in line with international standards. UN Women is currently strategizing with and supporting the Tanzania Women Parliamentary Group (TWPG) and the Ministry of Constitutional and Legal affairs (MoCLA) for advocacy to pass the required legislation.
In Uganda, UN Women provided technical support to the government in the legislative developments. Some of these include:
- The Sexual Offences Bill that seeks to consolidate all laws relating to sexual offences and provide procedural and evidential requirements during trial of sexual offences in addition to measures to check sexual harassment in public places.
- Employment Bill 2019 that seeks to amend the Employment Act 2006 to operationalise the provisions of Art.40 of the Uganda Constitution and align it to the ILO convention No.190.
- The Marriage and Divorce bill which brings together all laws governing a Marriage and its dissolution;
- The legal aid bill that seeks to ensure indignant citizens access free legal aid services; and
- The Domestic Violence Act (DVA) which provides protection of women from violence committed to them in a domestic setting
In Zimbabwe, UN Women supported work on the Marriages Bill by conducting a gender analysis of the bill and supported development of an alternative marriages bill as a reference document to inform parliamentary debates. The Bill seeks to consolidate the laws relating to marriages in Zimbabwe into one Act of Parliament and as such repeal the Marriages Act [Chapter 5:11] and the Customary Marriages Act [Chapter 5:07]. The Bill also criminalises child marriage and decriminalises HIV transmission (repealing Section 79 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act), both of which were key advocacy issues for UN Women in the reporting year.
The study on “Prospects for Ending Child Marriage in Africa: Implications on Legislation, Policy, Culture & Interventions” undertook mapping of the legislative frameworks in 10 countries in Africa, which is also guiding the countries in strengthening the EVAW and Child Marriage legislations. Another important area the ESARO is supporting is the framing of bye-laws to harmonize the national laws with the customary laws in line with the international conventions. At least in 5 countries such initiatives are ongoing, these include, Malawi, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Liberia.
A study on “Mapping of Discrimination Faced by Women with Disabilities in ESAR” also highlighted the various forms of discrimination and violence faced by women with disabilities and will help advocacy with member states on enactment of legislation and policy in the 6 study countries of Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
Report: Regional Forum Promoting the Implementation of the Istanbul Convention in the Western Balkans and Turkey
This report presents a summary of the discussions held during the first Regional Forum on Promoting the Implementation of the Istanbul Convention in the Western Balkans and Turkey. Convened by the Government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, UN Women, the European Union, and the Council of Europe (CoE), in partnership with European Women’s Lobby, the regional forum reviewed progress in fulfillment of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, known as the Istanbul Convention. The forum took place within the framework of the EU-UN Women regional programme “Implementing Norms, Changing Minds". The report is available here.
Report: Second Reginal Forum Promoting the Implementation of the Istanbul Convention in the Western Balkans and Turkey
The report presents a summary of discussions and conclusions from the Second Regional Forum Promoting the Implementation of the Istanbul Convention in the Western Balkans and Turkey. Convened by the Government of Albania, UN Women, the European Union, and the Council of Europe, the Second Regional Forum reviewed progress in ending violence against women and girls and implementing the Istanbul Convention in the region. The forum took place on 9-10 October 2019 under the framework of the EU-UN Women regional programme “Implementing Norms, Changing Minds.” The report is available here.
At the East & Southern African regional level, to bring the global commitments to the field and to create an enabling safe, secure and equitable environment in line with the UN Secretary-General's guidance, a Training of Trainers program on “Gender Parity” and “Prevention of Sexual Harassment, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse” was organized in partnership with UN Women HQ with participation by 42 participants from 12 countries in the region representing UN Women, UNPFA, UNHCR, IOM, ICAO and UNDSS in Mombasa, Kenya. Following the training at least 5 countries have replicated the training in their countries and also took initiatives to establish and strengthen the PSEA task forces.
In Kenya, UN Women continued to play a key role in convening and leading stakeholders to demand accountability for ending violence against women and girls, while at the same time ensuring access to quality and essential services for survivors. As one of the key highlights, UN Women together with its’ partners convened a National GBV Conference in 2019 bringing together over 450 participants from across the country with the aim to harness accountability for GBV prevention and response. As a result of the Conference a communique with 27 recommendations articulating roles for each duty bearer was finalized.
Standardization of GBV training was improved through UN Women support in the development of the Safe Spaces and Applicability Manual , the GBV Service Providers Data Bank tools, and the Model Gender-Based Violence Recovery Centers Guidance Note. These tools are expected to provide a harmonized training curriculum for use by duty bearers while the guidance note will provide a framework for provision of GBV services within a multi-sectoral framework. The Harmonized GBV Training Manual was also finalized. Further KCO led in the development of the “Implementation Guide for the Global Women’s Safety Framework” . The guide to implementation provides a “how to” and a “step by step” guidance for tea chain producers who are keen to address sexual harassment. Prevention and response to GBV by the National Police Service was strengthened through KCO’s support in the development of a National Action Plan (NAP). The NAP provides for the creation of a special gender crimes unit within the policy system and provides opportunities for all actors to strengthen their partnership with the Police, by seeking to support different aspects of the action plan.
A number of capacity building and trainings were undertaken targeting law enforcement and other officials in the ESAR countries. Most significantly, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda and Zimbabwe also benefited from the Spotlight funding and undertook a number of initiatives aimed at training and capacity building of relevant actors in addressing VAW, HP and promotion of SRHR.
The International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics (iKNOW Politics), a joint project of UN Women, UNDP, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and International IDEA, produced an awareness-raising video on violence against women in politics (VAWP) and published it on the knowledge platform in 4 languages (English, Spanish, French, Arabic). https://www.iknowpolitics.org/en/learn/video/violence-against-women-politics
UN-Women Lebanon, supported by the Government of Japan, also held national awareness-raising events on VAWP and produced a video communicating data, research and women’s experiences. The video is available here.
OHCHR, Physicians for Human Rights, and UN Women published a report in December 2019 that identified key gaps and concrete actions to prevent and respond to cycles of election-related sexual violence in Kenya, called “Breaking Cycles of Violence: Gaps in Prevention of and Response to Electoral-Related Sexual Violence in Kenya.” The video is available here.
UN Women East & Southern Africa Regional Office intensified the advocacy and awareness on the need for intense action against child marriage and other harmful practices across Africa as a result of the first East and Southern Africa regional multi-stakeholder knowledge seminars held in Kenya. During the seminars, the findings and recommendations from studies undertaken by ESARO thematic teams were presented. Studies covered:
- Technology Assisted Violence Against Women;
- Administrative Data for Monitoring and Reporting on SDGs;
- And Ending Child Marriage in Africa” was held in Kenya.
Seminar participants called for intensified review of country policies on child marriage and ending violence against women and girls and made commitments for action through their organizations as well as lobbying other stakeholders in localizing the recommendations of the studies.
During the year 70 student leaders from 30 universities in Kenya committed to taking responsibility in remedying and ending tech-assisted violence against women and girls. UN Women developed a research paper and facilitated a knowledge seminar on protection of girls from tech violence with participation of 70 student leaders from 30 Universities across Kenya. The seminar highlighted several manifestations of tech-assisted violence against women and girls including revenge porn, cyber enticement, solicitation, online grooming, cyber harassment, cyber bulling and exposure to harmful online content. The seminar culminated into the signing of a pledge by all with the student leaders from Maseno, Kenyatta, Jomo Kenyatta and Moi Universities initiating diverse related interventions including a HeforShe club to address the issues of technological violence against women and girls. Technology-Assisted Violence Against Women and Girls is emerging as a global problem with serious implications for societies and economies around the world. Reports indicate that an incredible 73 per cent of women have been exposed to some form of violence online[1]. While technology is helping the women specifically youth in a number of ways, it is also becoming a challenge with increased incidents of hate speech (publishing a blasphemous libel), hacking (intercepting private communications), identity theft, online stalking (criminal harassment) and uttering threats.
A number of countries in ESAR such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Burundi have strengthened the multi-sectoral response and referral pathway in GBV cases by working closely with the law enforcement, health and social services actors.
Advocacy and Awareness on Ending Child Marriage and FGM in Africa: UN Women East & Southern Africa Regional Office in partnership with the country offices, UNFPA, UNICEF, African Union, CSOs established partnerships with the Traditional and Cultural Leaders in the Region in accelerated advocacy and initiatives on ending child marriage, FGM and Harmful practices. To this end, UN Women adopted an innovative approach in engaging traditional and cultural leaders on ending harmful practices to bring a transformational change in the lives of women and girls. UN Women facilitated sub-regional and regional consultations of Traditional and Cultural Leaders, in Nairobi-Kenya, Blantyre-Malawi, Lagos-Nigeria and Cairo-Egypt wherein high level commitments and resolutions were adopted by the Traditional Leaders calling for immediate end to Child Marriage and FGM. UN Women through leadership of H.E. President of Zambia and the African Union, facilitated a Platform for the Traditional Leaders from Africa Region to convene in the sidelines of the AU Summit and launch of the Council of Traditional Leaders (COTLA) on 11 February 2019 in Addis Ababa. The Traditional Leaders made the Addis Ababa Declaration calling for immediate end to Child Marriage and FGM and their commitment to work towards this goal through establishing regional, national and district level councils of traditional leaders. UN Women will continue the work with traditional leaders for a lasting impact in 2020 and beyond.
UN Women HQ partnered with the Physicians for Human Rights in organizing a regional workshop on “Child Witnesses in SGBV Cases”, which was attended by around 24 experts from 8 countries mostly from the conflict and humanitarian context countries in Africa. ESARO represented UNW HQ in making a presentation on its work in EVAW focussing on harmful practices and protection of child witnesses. The training helped in sharing global practices including use of technology to assist child witnesses in SGBV cases, which have been adopted by some of the participant countries.
In Rwanda, UN Women, IOM, UNHCR, and UNICEF, supported the Government with capacity building and awareness raising activities, and facilitated the establishment of a Technical Committee which brought together representatives from relevant government institutions, increasing coordination and information sharing. Through UN agencies, a baseline study/research on trafficking in Rwanda has been conducted, several tools developed, including the legal framework guide for practitioners. The new law in combination with the increased capacity, awareness and coordination, has increased the attitude and the response towards trafficking in persons. It is envisioned to result in more identified cases, more prosecuted perpetrators and better support to victims.
In Somalia, UN Women worked closely with the Ministry of Women and Human Rights Development and other UN Agencies towards enactment of Human Rights Commission Law and National Disability Act. Both the laws aims at prevention of discrimination and promote gender equality as an instrument to achieve human rights.
UN Women in close collaboration with UNFPA, UNDP and UNSOM is actively engaged in passage of the Sexual Offence Bill and FGM Bill. The Sexual Offence Bill has already been approved by the cabinet of ministers and awaits endorsement at the parliament. The FGM bill is in the final stages of drafting and soon will be presented to the cabinet of ministers. The Sexual Offences Bill (SOB) seeks to serve the purpose of combating sexual violence and consolidating laws of sexual offences, providing for punishment of perpetrators of sexual offenses, providing for procedural and evidential requirements during trial of sexual offenses and other related matters.
In South Africa, UN Women worked closely with the women’s machinery, law enforcement and CSOs in organizing Trainings on essential services package and also a Pilot of Rapid Results Initiative to accelerate GBV services delivery in EC. UN Women SAMCO successfully implemented a joint programme on GBV in collaboration with other UN agencies buoyed by its role as chair of the Gender Theme Group. This contributed to significantly enhancing coordination of GBV Prevention and Response efforts in South Africa by all stakeholders. As a result there is improved integrated UN system, government and national multi-stakeholder capacity for responding to GBV in South Africa. UN Women SAMCO played a pivotal role in ensuring that there is better coordination of UN agencies work on gender-based violence. Through SAMCO's role as chair of the Gender Theme Group UN agencies managed to deliver as one in providing technical and financial support to the country through the Interim Steering Committee on GBV and Femicide that is chaired by the Presidency. There is better division of labour and sharing of information to avoid duplication but also ensure that gaps are minimized in terms of providing support to the government. A National Coordination Mechanism (National GBV Council) supported by draft legislation to mandate the establishment of this National Gender Based Violence Council are currently under consideration by the Cabinet to institutionalize the coordination mechanism of government, civil society, development partners, business sector, youth and other role players.
In Tanzania, UN Women supported the preparation of the strategic plan and implementation of the women’s land rights campaign, called Stand for Her Land, as well as high-level government participation in its November 21, 2019 launch event. This campaign is advocating for the removal of some provisions in the Customary Law Declaration Order of 1963 and the Land Policy of 1995 that continue to uphold property-right discrimination against women, despite the existence of progressive land laws in Tanzania. (The Local Customary Law (Declaration Order) of 1963 discriminates against women on property ownership, especially inheritance of land. Widows have no right of inheritance, nor rights of residence in the matrimonial home after death of their husbands. Sections in the Probate and Administration of Estates Act, Section 92(1) deny widows the right to inherit from their deceased husband’s estate and give daughters unequal share of the estate compared to sons).
In Uganda, Working with UN Women, Communication for Development Uganda (CDFU) started implementation of dialogue meetings to sensitize the communities against harmful practices and communications for behavioural change. Now that CDFU has a platform, they plan to continue sensitizing and testifying against Female Genital Mutilation because the dangers are known, and we should not keep quiet about them leading young girls into pain and suffering. CDFU condemns the practice of FGM and declare that we do not want young women to undergo this process that almost claimed Margaret’s life. CDFU is engaging media to educate and raise awareness around the ills of the practice of FGM. In collaboration with UN Women, CDFU also works has radio listening and action platforms (LAPS), whereby the organization buys radios for the community with pre-recorded messaging educating on these ills. Along with other UN Women partners who work in this area (such as Justice Centers and CEDOVIP), CDFU continue to sensitize against this harmful practice and amplify the voices of survivors.
In Kenya, Prevention of sexual harassment (SH) in the institutions of higher learning was strengthened through the partnership with Action Aid, University Student leaders, and Vunja Calabash and enhanced the demand for University leadership to address sexual harassment as a priority. An online campaign, petition and visibility in social media brought all actors together to advocate for SH prevention signed up by 11,000 students, which positioned some 5 key issues that the university leadership should address. Male engagement as a strategy for SGBV prevention led to partnership with boda boda and matatu welfare leaders where an agreed code of conduct was adopted, and the members consented to comply and abide by the bylaws. Community outreaches by men and cultural leaders has led to renouncement of harmful practices such as FGM and GBV through community declarations.
Advancing the Istanbul Convention implementation: The role of women's NGOs and networks in the Western Balkans and Turkey
This report provides an overview of the current situation regarding the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (also known as the Istanbul Convention) in the Western Balkans and Turkey. It examines the impact of networking on advocacy efforts to promote the implementation of the Istanbul Convention, including the role of organizations that represent minority or disadvantaged groups of women. The report provides examples of good practice in advocacy and a summary of lessons learnt and benefits and challenges of networking partnerships. This publication was produced under the framework of the EU-UN Women regional programme on ending violence against women in the Western Balkans and Turkey, "Implementing Norms, Changing Minds," funded by the European Union. The report is available here.
UN Women capacities at the regional and national level have enhanced through its triple mandate and technical leadership on EVAW in Africa region. This is evidenced through the leadership on Africa Spotlight Initiative at both regional and country levels, steep increase in the mobilization of resources, strengthening of partnerships with AUC, regional and national CSOs, government and other partners. UN Women in Africa also by leveraging on the Africa Strategy and harnessing the technical capacities of the team through establishment of a regional EVAW Community of Practice (COP) and sharing of innovation and technical knowledge through South-South learning. This helped immensely in initiating, strengthening and up-scaling programs on ‘safe markets and safe public spaces’ in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe; addressing tech violence against girls in education institutions through a research and advocacy document; partnerships with regional traditional leaders in establishing a movement of “Council of Traditional Leaders in Africa (COTLA)” and its launch in the sidelines of the African Union Summit in February 2019 through the President of Zambia in grassroot advocacy and prevention of child marriage, FGM and other harmful practices. Strengthened partnerships with the government and CSOs also helped in technical support in legislative reform, strengthening institutions, establishment of referral pathways and multisectoral responses in EVAW in the region.
UN-Women continued to support the mainstreaming of gender and development of training sessions on violence against women in politics, which were delivered in the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) 2019 courses on Political Approaches to Preventing and Responding to Election-Related Violence.
The year 2020 is a pivotal year for advancing gender equality worldwide, as the global community takes stock of progress made for women’s rights since the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action. This information note explores UN Women's upcoming actions throughout 2020 including its multigenerational campaign: “Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights for an Equal Future”, Generation Equality Forums and Action Coalitions. Generation Equality and 2020 information note from ECA available here.
Almost all the countries in the ESA region have functional GBV Working Groups led by UNFPA and the PSEA Task Forces led by UN Women and the UNRCO.
To bring the global commitments to the field and to create an enabling safe, secure and equitable environment in line with the UN Secretary-Generals guidance, a Training of Trainers program on “Gender Parity” and “Prevention of Sexual Harassment, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)” was organized in partnership with UN Women HQ with participation by 42 participants from 12 countries in the region representing UN Women, UNPFA, UNHCR, IOM, ICAO and UNDSS in Mombasa, Kenya. Following the training at least 5 countries have replicated the training in their countries and also took initiatives to establish and strengthen the PSEA task forces.
In Burundi, UN Women supported the development of UNCT gender strategy which serves as a frame of reference for in planning process within UNS in Burundi.
UN Women ESARO supported the development of a model law for establishment of special mechanisms to fast track SGBV cases by International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) with UN Women support. This had been one of the articles of the Kampala Declaration (2011) and provides a comprehensive framework to facilitate development of national instruments to fast track prosecution of SGBV cases.
In Kenya, UN Women provided both financial and technical support in the development of the GBV policy for Migori County. This was done through a participatory, multi-sectoral workshop attended by state and non-state GBV actors in the county.
In South Africa, UN Women as the lead UN agency has significantly made financial and technical contributions to the Coordination stream of the work of the Interim Steering Committee to ensure that the structure and legislation are drafted and the drafting of the Nation Strategic Plan. Other UN agencies have contributed in other streams of work.
Funding intersectional violence against women and girls (VAWG) services
This policy brief highlights the value that ‘by and for’ organizations bring to the fight to end violence against women and girls (VAWG) and examines how the current funding landscape jeopardizes the existence and autonomy of these organizations. It provides key recommendations on improving the nature of funding frameworks to support organizations that address the specific needs of minoritized women and girls. The policy brief is available here.
Good Practices in Responding to Domestic Violence a Comparative Study
With the aim of assisting the Agency for Gender Equality of Bosnia and Herzegovina in supporting responsible government bodies to advance minimum standards in ensuring response and assistance to victims of gender-based violence, good practices were analyzed across four countries, two EU Member States (Austria and Spain), and two non-EU States within the Western Balkan region (Albania and Serbia). This document provides a detailed, technical description of national programmes and initiatives that have been recognized internationally as good practice. It provides comparative information from the four selected countries in order to demonstrate distinct approaches and models. The aim is to provide diverse options to assist relevant actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina in selecting the best approach tailored to their current needs and circumstances in line with international standards.
For each practice, after setting forth the relevant international standards based on the Istanbul Convention, the UN Guidelines on Essential Services Package, jurisprudence from the European Court of Human Rights and Council of Europe Guidelines, the flagship best-practice initiatives are described, comparing like models, where good practice exists in more than one country. Challenges to implementing each good practice model are also noted, including deviations from international standards as well as practical barriers to implementation. The study is available here.
UN Women Analysis of the Capacities for the Implementation of Council of Europe Convention of Preventing and Combating Domestic Violence and Violence against Women in Police and Free Legal Aid Sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina
With this analysis, UN Women seeks to support the Agency for Gender Equality of the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees Bosnia and Herzegovina to establish minimum standards for service provision to survivors of gender-based violence in several sectors in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The analysis examines the two sectors' capacity to implement the standards derived from the Istanbul Convention including state obligations and due diligence, integrated policies and data collection, prevention, protection and support, substantive law, investigation, prosecution, and procedural law.
In addition to the detailed assessment of legal, operational and institutional framework, the analysis further examines the capacities of responsible sectoral governmental institutions and service providers at the local level, including relevant NGOs. Detailed information from institutions and service providers were collected from interviews, representing the opportunity for identifying a new way of understanding the topic at hand. The analysis will add to the evidence-based support to the activities of institutions in the country with a view of meeting the obligations that stem from the Istanbul Convention, and ultimately providing adequate support to victims of gender-based violence and domestic violence, as well as processing of perpetrators. You can read the analysis here.
UN-Women organized an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on Data & Violence Against Women in Politics (VAWP) December 4-5, 2019 in New York. More than 40 experts attended the meeting, including academics, gender equality advocates, Members of Parliament (MPs), representatives of Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and International Organizations (IOs), as well as UN agencies. The EGM complemented ongoing efforts to address VAWP. It was a follow-up activity of the Violence against women in politics: Expert Group Meeting organized by UN Women, the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences in collaboration with partners in March 2018. Although VAWP has captured global attention, comparative data on VAWP remains unavailable. Globally accepted indicators and data collection methods to measure the incidents or prevalence of VAWP do not yet exist. This EGM helped map existing knowledge tools, databases, and surveys as sources of data on VAWP. Academics and practitioners also exchanged on lessons learned, experiences and good practices in VAWP data collection.
UN-Women and UNDP co-published a programming guide, “Preventing violence against women in elections” in December 2017. The guide seeks to identify the specific components of violence against women in elections, including types, tactics, victims and perpetrators, and presents options for policy and programming responses based on current good practices. It also provides examples of definitions and methods from all regions that may prompt ideas for actions according to each country’s national context. This guide is intended for those best positioned to prevent and mitigate violence against women in elections, including national electoral stakeholders, international organizations such as UNDP, UN Women and other UN agencies, as well as those providing programming support on electoral assistance, women’s political participation, human rights monitoring and ending violence against women. It will also be a resource for members and especially leaders of political parties, electoral management bodies, civil society organizations, women’s groups and gender equality activists.
In 2019, the Guide was translated and made available in additional languages, including Georgian, Albanian -- the guide is available here.
UN Women ESARO in partnership with UNW HQ organized a training on “VAW Prevalence Data” was organized for UN Women, Government Ministries of Gender and Statistics, UNFPA and WHO participants in Mombasa, Kenya. A total of 38 participants attended from 11 countries in the region. Following the training at least 4 country offices initiated the “VAW Prevalence Data” program in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania. Having focused data on VAW will help the policy makers and development partners in having targeted interventions in creating a safe VAW free environment for women and girls.
In Tanzania, UN Women played a key role in conducting the Social Institution and Gender Index (SIGI) Tanzania survey by providing technical support on sampling, budgeting, conducting the main survey and reporting writing. The survey will produce the gender data related to discriminatory laws through the collection of consistent, high quality data. One such study is a gender analysis of customary justice systems to ensure that evidence is generated for advocacy at national level to support advocacy calling for the review of customary laws. The findings of the survey will be available in 2020.
In Kenya, UN Women supported in the establishment of the county-based network of S/GBV survivors and through the launch of the S/GBV case data collection mobile application. KCO piloted the use of the mobile application to test its efficacy as a response to the challenges of S/GBV data collection at community level.
2018 Public Perceptions of Gender Equality and Violence Against Women in the Western Balkans and Turkey
The infosheets present the key findings of a baseline survey conducted in selected communities of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo (Under UNSCR 1244), North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey. The infosheets provide insight of current and dominant attitudes and perceptions (and the factors that influence them) toward gender equality and violence against women at community level. The inforsheet is available here.
Sexual Harassment and other Forms of Gender based Violence in Urban Spaces in Albania
This study looks at the different dimensions of sexual harassment and other forms of gender based violence against Albanian women and girls in urban public spaces particularly in the cities of Shkodra and Korça. It focuses primarily on women and girls’ perceptions of safety and the impact this issue has on their lives, as well as the forms of violence they experience and what strategies they have at their disposal to cope with the violence. The report also contains general and specific recommendations for each of the municipalities involved in the study in order to improve the conditions and take the necessary measures and actions to turn the studied areas into safe areas for women, girls, boys and men. All findings presented in this report are a result of: 500 survey interviews in the two municipalities (Shkodra and Korça), two Focus Group Discussions with 16 participants and two Structured Observations. The study is available here.
Analysis of the Cost of Domestic Violence: Estimating the Cost of Multi-sectoral Response at the Local Level in Bosnia and Herzegovina
With the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention), Bosnia and Herzegovina committed to establishing, developing or enhancing a wide range of general and specialist services for survivors of domestic violence. While the country has a satisfactory legislative framework, which prescribes the obligation to prevent and protect women from different forms of violence, survivors are still faced with various obstacles to accessing a number of services including health, social, and legal support.
With this analysis, UN Women seeks to support national efforts in informed planning and decision-making by providing an estimate of current allocations of existing services that are rendered in response to domestic violence at the local level. Furthermore, the analysis defines recommendations for enhanced financing of basic and specialized services and multi-sectoral approach in line with the requirements of the Istanbul Convention. The significance of the first such analysis in the country is the estimated value of survivors' direct and opportunity costs of domestic violence. The study employed qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis, and included data collected from questionnaires targeting relevant institutions and beneficiaries. The analysis is available here.
Review of the Multi-sector Approach to Domestic Violence at the Local Level in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Coordination is a central element of the response to domestic violence and violence against women and is crucial both to the victims or survivors and the institutions that respond. This report reviews the viability of applying this approach to the establishment and functioning of multi-sector referral mechanisms at the local level in Bosnia and Herzegovina as the central element of the multi-sector response. The review includes the analysis of the most relevant international and domestic legislation, guidelines and standards on applying a multi-sector response to domestic violence and violence against women in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Furthermore, in-depth information on the multi-sector referral mechanisms was collected in six selected locations through semi-structured interviews conducted with the relevant representatives of the multi-sector teams, gender mechanisms and non-governmental organizations. The gathered information highlighted the three main aspects of an effective and coordinated multi-sector response: 1) the capacities of the multi-sector referral mechanisms, 2) the quality of the service provided by the multi-sector referral mechanisms and 3) their sustainability beyond the duration of the projects through which they were established. The review is available here.
Data collection ‘by and for’ minoritized women
Collecting data and conducting research on all forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG) is critical in order to design relevant policies and measures needed to protect and support women and to eliminate VAWG. This policy brief examines the lack of data on violence against minoritized women and highlights the importance of utilizing an intersectional approach to data collection and engaging ‘by and for’ in the data collection process. The policy brief is available here.
Regional report on discrimination of Roma women in the area of healthcare, child marriages and support and protection in cases of domestic violence
The Regional Report examines the violence and discrimination faced by Roma women in the areas of health care, child marriage, and institutional protection and support in cases of domestic violence. Based on survey findings in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.
The report reveals shocking levels of violence against Roma women, as well as the prevalence of discrimination that prevents Roma women from accessing services and institutional protection in cases of violence. These patterns of violence and discrimination are examined vis-à-vis states' obligations to comply with anti-discrimination and anti-violence frameworks, such as national legislation, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention). This report was developed under the EU-UN Women regional programme 'Ending violence against women in the Western Balkans and Turkey: Implementing Norms, Changing Minds'. The report is available here.