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ESCWA, in partnership with the Arab Institute for Women at the Lebanese American University, organized a youth arts competition for the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence 2018. The competition attracted a record number of submissions – almost 200 – from young people from 10 Arab States, who submitted paintings, photos, videos, songs and poems on the theme ‘#HearMeToo’: Speak up against violence against women and girls.” The best submissions were showcased at an event, which also featured a roundtable discussion on arts and activism.
ESCWA engaged with students enrolled in the Fashion Design Programme at the Lebanese American University School of Architecture and Design to create designs for a tote-bag to commemorate the 16 Days of Activism campaign. This activity engaged students and solicited their artistic abilities to produce a bag with a powerful message. As part of the partnership, ESCWA staff also led a discussion on gender-based violence with the students to inspire their work.
ESCWA launched a social media campaign for the 16 Days of Activism campaign. ESCWA created a set of 16 cards presenting key facts about gender-based violence in the Arab region, as well as concrete steps that can be taken by youth and the general public to address it. The cards were shared on ESCWA social media channels in English and Arabic on each of the 16 Days of Activism, as part of a broader social media campaign that also featured videos, polls and other multimedia content.
ESCWA facilitates gender discussion series, open to all members of the community. The following topics have recently been addressed: How cinema and theatre can advance women’s rights; and Protection orders in the Arab region.
ESCWA, in partnership with UN DESA and Simon Fraser University in Canada, hosted the Symposium on Women and Water Security for Peacebuilding in the Arab Region. The objective of the Symposium was to review and advance the emerging water security gender nexus in the Arab region, through the lens of the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.
ESCWA partnered with the Arab Institute for Women at the Lebanese American University (LAU) to utilize ESCWA publications in the curriculum for an M.A. program in “Interdisciplinary Gender Studies” at LAU. This included ESCWA staff leading interactive discussions with students on subjects such as women’s political participation, violence against women, the Women, Peace and Security agenda, and the regional state of gender justice in the Arab region.
ESCWA, and its partners UN Women and the League of Arab States, organized a regional workshop to support National Women Machineries in the Arab region in their efforts to address violence against women. Discussion topics included the role of international mechanisms in providing increased protection to survivors of violence, the importance of gender-sensitive national legislation, and the various services that contribute to addressing violence against women. The workshop sessions also covered the regional frameworks that address violence against women, as well as the needed national data to deal with this issue, and the importance of establishing partnerships with national stakeholders to address violence against women.
ESCWA, in partnership with UNFPA, held a meeting to discuss new guidelines on costing violence against women in the Arab region. Experts held in-depth discussions on how to enhance the forthcoming “Step by Step Guide” and identify tools on estimating the cost of violence in the Arab region, especially intimate partner/marital violence.
ESCWA drafted a series of briefs to better inform policy in member States, including: “Women in the Judiciary: A Stepping Stone towards Gender Justice,” which examines the presence of women in the judiciary in the Arab States and explores implications for the achievement of gender justice, including on the capacity of judicial institutions to deal with cases related gender-based violence; and “The Due Diligence Standard, Violence against Women and Protection Orders in the Arab Region,” which discusses the need for protection orders in the Arab region through the concept of the due diligence standard and its applicability to violence against women in both the public and private spheres.