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The Violence Against Children Survey part of the Together for Girls Initiative (including UNICEF, UN Women, UNFPA, UNAIDS and WHO as partners) has collected prevalence of and circumstances surrounding violence, targeting females and males aged 13-24, and has already been completed in Kenya, Haiti and Zimbambwe. Results were released in Zimbabwe and Kenya, in May and Novemer 2012, respectively. The results will be released in Haiti, in early 2013. Hide

UNFPA and UNICEF completed the inception phase of a joint global evaluation of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on FGM/C. Hide

UNICEF chaired the Inter-agency Coordination Group Against Trafficking in Persons during 2012, during which a discussion paper was commissioned on “The International Legal Frameworks concerning Trafficking in Persons.” UNICEF also provided inputs and support to various other international instruments and processes, including: the UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/67/146 on “Intensification of Efforts to Eliminate Female Genital Mutilations”; the CRC and CEDAW committee’s development of a joint general comment/general recommendation; a specific section on the impact of small arms and light weapons on women within the UN Coordinated Action on Small Arms paper on the Impact of Poorly Regulated Arms Transfers (as part of the Arms Trade Treaty negotiations); and the drafting and adoption of the Human Rights Council Resolution on birth registration. Hide

In October 2012, on the occasion of the International Day of the Girl Child, UNFPA, UNICEF and UN WOMEN –co-hosted a high-level event in New York to address the issue of child marriage and called for renewed global action to end the practice. Hide

UNICEF continued to support the work of the IASC Task Force on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), producing the Minimum Operating Standards on PSEA (MOS-PSEA) by UN and non-UN personnel and their accompanying guidelines. The DVD “To Serve with Pride” was also updated. Hide

UNDP, UN WOMEN and UNICEF have collaborated on a number of initiatives, including: development of “Integrated Responses to Gender-Based Violence in Serbia" to be implemented in 2013-2014 with funding from UN Trust Fund to end Violence against Women; the joint programme “Every Safe Home: Supporting Thailand towards Effective Implementation of Protection of Domestic Violence Victims” aimed at strengthening coordination, capacity-building and public awareness to end violence against women in public and private spaces; and integration of GBV in the security sector reform process of Guinea. Hide

In 2012, UNICEF commissioned the production of a handbook on Birth Registration for use by UNICEF staff; produced a technical guidance note on age assessment procedures in English, French and Spanish; assisted 38 countries (21 from sub-Saharan Africa) to complete a mapping of their child protection systems; developed together with an NGO working group on children without parental care, ‘Moving Forward: Implementing the ‘Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children’, an implementation handbook; and made available the child-friendly and staff-friendly versions of the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children in French and Russian to complement the existing English, Spanish and Portuguese versions. Hide

Under the “UNAIDS Action for Results: Outcomes Framework “ (2009-2011), UNFPA, UNDP, UN WOMEN, WHO, UNICEF, UNHCR and the MenEngage Alliance (Sonke Gender Justice and the Athena Network), also in close collaboration with the Interagency Working Group on Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV – supported countries to address the linkages between GBV and HIV/AIDS in National Strategic Plans; building effective partnerships to achieve this; and strengthening capacity to engage men and boys for promoting and addressing gender equality. Hide

The UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on Female Genital Mutilation supported 12 out of the 15 countries, where it works, to develop a legislative framework to address this harmful practice. Such legislation has been recently adopted in Kenya, Gambia, Guinea Bissau and Somalia. Hide

In 2012, through the advocacy efforts of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on FGM/C, 1,775 new communities publically declared their intention to abandon FGM/C, with Guinea Bissau becoming the 15th country where communities have announced their commitment to abandon. Since the establishment of the joint programme (2008), nearly 10,000 communities in 15 countries, representing about 8 million people have renounced the practice. Hide