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In Mexico, UNODC provided legislative support to promote the harmonization of criminal laws against femicide at the state level.
In Kyrgyzstan, UNODC facilitated amendments to the Criminal Procedural Code to strengthen protection mechanisms for survivors of SGBV.In South Africa, UNODC provided input for the official review of draft legislation concerning sexual and domestic violence (i.e. the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act Amendment Bill, the Domestic Violence Amendment Bill, and the Criminal Matters Amendment Bill).
UNODC published the Model Legislative Provisions against Trafficking in Persons and a Legislative Guide to the Trafficking in Persons Protocol, in which measures and principles such as the principle of non-discrimination, establishing procedures to collect gender-disaggregated data, developing gender-sensitive policies against trafficking in persons and educational programs promoting gender equality as preventative measures, are discussed and promoted as practical and implementable best practices.
UNODC supported countries in awareness-raising and advocacy for ending violence against women, including:
UNODC established the GLO.ACT Women's Network of Regional Champions against Trafficking in Persons and Migrant Smuggling, composed of female and male gender champions from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Pakistan.
UNODC supported ICAT events to promote CEDAW General Recommendation 38 and advocate for survivor-centered approaches to address human trafficking and the non-punishment of trafficking victims.
In Colombia, UNODC developed a guide for a conceptual approach to gender-based violence: legal framework, concepts, routes of attention and recommendations regarding citizen security in the COVID-19 pandemic in Santiago de Cali.
In Pakistan and Myanmar, UNODC coordinated national high-level roundtables to build consensus among different sectors for effective responses to GBV and the delivery of quality essential services for survivors.
In 2020, ICAT published a joint Analytical Review, which assessed, among others, persistent gaps in addressing the gender dimensions of trafficking in persons and identified the necessity to focus prevention efforts on eradicating gendered norms around sexual entitlement, coercion and control that normalize violence and constitutes a part of the continuum of violence against women and girls. ICAT also developed a first-ever Action Plan, which highlights several gender-related follow-up actions.
In the framework of the GLO.ACT project, UNODC undertook a gender and human rights analysis of Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants in Pakistan. UNODC also supported the Afghan National High Commission on Trafficking in Persons in the review and updating of their strategic national action plan to address the root causes and respond to the needs of women and girls.
UNODC promotes the Blue Heart Campaign.UNODC is developing a Human Rights and Gender mainstreaming tool to contribute towards gender transformative programming and assist policy makers, practitioners and UN staff when implementing activities to counter migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons. In the framework of the Global Action to Prevent and Address Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT), UNODC is preparing to launch a women’s network among partner countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq and Pakistan) to promote and foster the participation of women professionals (government and civil society) in combatting trafficking and smuggling. It was publicly announced on 10 December 2019 at an awareness-raising event held for the 2019 campaign '16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence' and International Human Rights Day. Additionally, UNODC developed a 3 hour university module, accompanied by an educational video, on the Gender Dimensions of Trafficking in Persons and Migrant Smuggling tailored for academic teachers.In the MENA region, UNODC continued improving prevention and criminal justice responses to violence against women and girls through a regional project and the Joint UN Global Programme on Essential Services for Women and Girls subject to Violence, with Egypt and Tunisia serving as pilot countries.
View MoreUNODC promotes the Blue Heart Campaign.
UNODC is developing a Human Rights and Gender mainstreaming tool to contribute towards gender transformative programming and assist policy makers, practitioners and UN staff when implementing activities to counter migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons.
In the framework of the Global Action to Prevent and Address Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT), UNODC is preparing to launch a women’s network among partner countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq and Pakistan) to promote and foster the participation of women professionals (government and civil society) in combating trafficking and smuggling. It was publicly announced on 10 December 2019 at an awareness-raising event held for the 2019 campaign '16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence' and International Human Rights Day.
Additionally, UNODC developed a 3 hour university module, accompanied by an educational video, on the Gender Dimensions of Trafficking in Persons and Migrant Smuggling tailored for academic teachers.
In the MENA region, UNODC continued improving prevention and criminal justice responses to violence against women and girls through a regional project and the Joint UN Global Programme on Essential Services for Women and Girls subject to Violence, with Egypt and Tunisia serving as pilot countries.
UNODC continues to support OHCHR and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in its work to develop a General Recommendation on the trafficking of women and girls in the context of global migration. As part of this, UNODC co-hosted a regional consultation for Middle East and Northern Africa in cooperation with OHCHR and UN Women in Egypt in November 2019.
In Bolivia, in cooperation with UNDP, UNODC updated the Protocol to Conduct Hearings on Precautionary Measures. In the first seminar on gender-based violence and femicide, UNODC presented ways of measuring gender-based killings of women and girls.
In Guatemala, UNODC’s support to the National Civil Police under the joint UN Global Programme on Essential Services for Women and Girls subject to Violence, resulted in a specialised criminal investigation model and protocol for violence against women cases.
In 2019, UNODC provided technical legislative support/ services to six countries (Algeria, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, India, State of Palestine, Zambia) for drafting legislation on trafficking in persons. This included assessing legislative needs, providing substantive input on draft legislation, providing substantive and technical input and support during legislative drafting workshops and assessing compliance with existing domestic legislation. UNODC also collaborated with the Government of Uzbekistan to promote the rights of women within the framework of existing laws related to gender.
UNODC organized an Expert Group Meeting on interlinkages of trafficking in persons with marriage, including forced, child, temporary and sham marriages, bringing together international experts in the field for the development of a UNODC issue paper on these issues (to be published in mid 2019.
In Guatemala, UNODC supported the establishment of an inter-institutional coordination roundtable with the National Police and the Attorney-General’s Office for the investigation of cases of violence against women and assisted both institutions in the development of joint investigation plans and protocols on the subject.
In Uzbekistan, UNODC supported the Government in the development of a draft law on the prevention of domestic violence. In Egypt, UNODC is supporting the Government to develop fair and effective procedures to deal with cases of violence against women and girls, and thus to ensure a victim-centred approach as well as a fair and just prosecution of perpetrators.
UNODC promotes the Blue Heart Campaign against Human Trafficking. In the framework of the UNODC Education for Justice Initiative, the Office raised awareness on trafficking in persons through education, working closely with youth and academics to look into key concepts of trafficking and how this affects in particular women and girls, and how education can contribute to crime prevention and promotion of legality and justice. This includes dedicated modules and resources on gender and organized crime, including trafficking in persons. UNODC published an article on gender-responsive approaches in evaluation and programming to better address trafficking in persons (p. 22 ff.)
In Mexico, UNODC supported the development of a videogame called Chuka, which aims to teach children to recognize the most common types of violence against women and girls, and act assertively when facing different representations of such violence.
In 2017, UNODC further expanded its activities in developing standards and tools and providing technical assistance to Member States in the field of crime statistics. Among these activities was UNODC’s publication of the Resource Book for Trainers on Effective Prosecution Responses to Violence against Women and Girls and the development of an implementation guide for the Essential Service Package for Women and Girls Subject to Violence to assist countries in the implementation of the Essential Services Package at the country level.
Further, UNODC developed a study on the role of women in the smuggling of migrants (to be published in the first half of 2018), as well as a Practitioner's Toolkit on Women's Access to Justice Programming (together with UN Women, UNDP and OHCHR).