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UNODC, Gender-related killing of women and girls (2018). The study gives an overview of the scope of gender-related killing of women and girls within and outside the family sphere.
UNODC, Global Report on Trafficking in Persons (2018). The report shows that most of the victims detected across the world are females; mainly adult women, but also increasingly girls. Conflict situations create increased vulnerabilities for women and girls to become trafficking victims.
Gender analysis is at the core of OCHA’s central strategic planning and field-focused operational planning. The IASC Gender Marker, introduced in 2010, also guides OCHA-managed funding and financing. OCHA’s Country Offices has also played a key role in further mainstreaming gender in the Humanitarian Needs Overviews (HNOs) and Humanitarian Response Plans (HRPs). In 2017, in 25% of HRPs gender analysis fully defined how HRP implementation took into account distinct needs/risks related to gender, and in 70% of HRPs gender analysis partially informed implementation.
In 2017, out of the 397 projects funded by CERF, 280 (71%) had a Gender Marker 2a indicating strong gender mainstreaming. A total of 77 (19%) had a 2b indicating a targeted gender action and 22 projects (6%) had a Gender Marker 1, meaning limited gender consideration. Eighteen (18 or 4%) were marked “Non- Applicable” as they dealt with the provision of common services to humanitarian partners (air operations, logistics, emergency telecommunications, safety and security), and none (0) were marked 0 which means that all CERF-funded projects for 2017 considered gender to an extent or another in their design. Gender Based Violence was the focus action of 27 projects (7%) of all the 397 projects funded by CERF in 2017, 234 projects (59%) had a GBV component, and 135 projects (34%) had no GBV related activity or component one (1) project was not marked for GBV.
All OCHA managed Country Based-Pooled Funds (CPBFs) apply the Gender Marker in all project proposals. In 2017, 79% of CPBFs projects were designed to contribute significantly to gender equality (76% in 2016), equivalent to $511 million. CBPFs provide the largest source of direct funding for local NGOs, including women’s organizations
In OCHA’s core digital assets – unocha.org, reliefweb.int and HDX – particular attention was given to highlighting how humanitarian crises impact women and children. For example, on ReliefWeb 1,835 documents were posted in 2017 on Gender-Based Violence and 1,288 Women, Peace and Security documents.
IOM’s efforts to improve the capacity to identify GBV risks continued, including through the use of the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM). The DTM is a system that regularly captures, processes and disseminates multi-layered primary data and information on the mobility, locations, vulnerabilities and needs of displaced populations at national, regional and global levels, now contains protection and GBV risk indicators. In the aims of developing tools to facilitate the analysis and reporting of GBV risk-sensitive data collected through the DTM, DTM-GBV workshops have been organized. The DTM also made progress in standardizing data dictionaries including GBV-risk related data and standard operating procedures for collecting this type of data in its response. Furthermore, IOM decided to review its DTM data monitoring system to better capture its use by other clusters and agencies, including the Protection, Child Protection and GBV sectors. 36 DTM operations reported collecting gender sensitive and GBV-risk related data at the end of 2017.
In 2016 and 2017 FAO continued its work on energy access and environment with an emphasis on protracted displacement. For example, in Syria, thanks to an EU-funded FAO project on strengthening the resilience to food insecurity, crisis-affected households can now benefit from the installation of biogas digesters. These digesters provide vulnerable household with an affordable and eco-friendly fuel source and help improve women's livelihoods by relieving them of the chore of collecting fuelwood. Through Danish funding, FAO provided direct and time-sensitive support to crisis-affected populations in the form of emergency livelihood kits in South Sudan. As of 2017, FAO has distributed more than 30 000 fuel-efficient stoves in camps, improvised settlements and host communities. The project also included training to ease the pressure on natural resources as well as to help protect women from the risk of sexual and Gender Based Violence (GBV) associated with woodfuel collection. In Nigeria, FAO is implementing a project funded by Norway where the host community and internally displaced people (IDPs) work together to produce fuel-efficient stoves to be distributed to the communities, which again helps to reduce the need for firewood collection.
CRSV: During the reporting period, the Departments of Peacekeeping Operations and Field Support (DPKO-DFS) rolled-out the Integrated Training Materials on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (ITM-CRSV) for newly deployed Military, Police and Civilian Focal Points who are responsible for CRSV mainstreaming and mandate implementation. These Integrated Training Materials (ITM) will strengthen the response of peacekeepers to CRSV, with particular emphasis on the protection of women and girls, within the frameworks of Women, Peace, and Security, Human Rights, Rule of Law, Protection of Civilians, and Child Protection.
The Departments of Peacekeeping and Field Supports (DPKO/DFS), the Department of Political Affairs, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights(OHCHR) and the Office of my Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict (OSRSG-SVC) have developed the first Policy on the Prevention and Response to CRSV by UN Peace Operations with an aim to ensure that the forthcoming policy is a useful reference in support of the effective delivery by complex UN peace operations of their CRSV mandate.
DPKO-DFS is leading the drafting, through consultation with UN peace operations, Member States, key departments and divisions of the UN Secretariat, UN Agencies, and other relevant partners, the Handbook on the Prevention and Response to CRSV by UN Peace Operations which will be co-signed by DPKO-DSF, DPA, OHCHR and OSRSG-SVC. The handbook aims, inter alia, at translating the forthcoming DPKO-DFS Policy on Prevention and Response to CRSV into day-to-day operations and activities; assisting Senior Mission Leadership, Women’s Protection Advisers and civilian, police and military components in UN peace operations in leveraging resources within and outside the mission; better utilizing the unique, comparative advantage of respective mission components and other partners in enhancing prevention and response to CRSV; and strengthen the synergy and complementarity with the implementation of the other key mandates and strategic priorities of respective missions.
Senior Women’s Protection Advisers implemented a significant number of CRSV capacity-building activities with key partners, including national security forces as well as parties to the conflict. The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Mali(MINUSMA) engagement with the Coordination des Mouvements de l’Azawad (CMA) culminated in the signing of a Unilateral Communique on preventing and combatting CRSV supported by a plan of action drafted by CRSV focal points. In South Sudan, although little to no progress was achieved by both parties to the conflict to implement the commitments made to address CRSV in 2014, following the outbreak of the conflict in July 2016, the Joint Technical Working Group, the joint UN- government mechanism set up in 2015 to oversee the implementation of the Joint Communique, resumed its activities after the 2016 outbreak of violence and with the support of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), is currently assisting the Government with the validation of the final implementation plan of the Joint Communique. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, MONUSCO supported the Government to prosecute two emblematic cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 2017. Firstly, a colonel of the FARDC was convicted for the war crimes of rape and pillage affecting 150 civilians in Musenyi, South Kivu; secondly, a Member of Parliament in South Kivu was convicted for his role in the abduction and rape of 39 children in Kavumu as a crime against humanity.
The Department of Peacekeeping Operations is also developing the capability to include Female Engagement Teams in community patrols, so peacekeepers can better interact with all of the local population to target our assistance to help protect the community from conflict- related sexual violence.
Justice and Corrections Support:
- In the Central African Republic (CAR), MINUSCA supports the Special Criminal Court, a national court composed of both national and international magistrates, to investigate and prosecute atrocity crimes. The operationalization of the Court reached a new milestone this year with the appointment of nine of the 11 international and national magistrates, including the international Special Prosecutor and the Deputy Prosecutor. A witness protection strategy has also been adopted. In a further effort to reduce the threat of spoilers and armed groups, MINUSCA is supporting the investigation and prosecution of serious crimes, including SGBV, by other national courts. As a result, to date, 73 high profile individuals from various armed groups are being prosecuted for crimes including war crimes, rebellion and conspiracy, 61 of whom have been detained and are awaiting trial.
- In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), MONUSCO established Prosecution Support Cells to support military justice authorities to investigate and prosecute members of the Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo (FARDC) and armed groups for serious crimes committed against civilians, including crimes of sexual violence. This initiative, which has included joint projects with UNDP, the European Union and other partners, has resulted in the conviction of 832 perpetrators, including 22 command level officers, in the eastern DRC where courts scarcely function or exist.
- In Darfur, with UNAMID assistance, the Office of the Special Prosecutor has tripled its capacity to 16 prosecutors, resulting in increased prosecutions and convictions of serious crimes committed by members of armed groups, including crimes of sexual violence.
ESCWA, in partnership with UNFPA, UNHCR, OCHA, and the International Committee for the Red Cross, participated in a Consultation Meeting for the Committee on Protection of Arab Women during Armed Conflicts organized by the League of Arab States and UN Women. During the meeting, participants agreed on establishing an Arab Emergency Committee. ESCWA discussed the role of institutions working for women’s rights in times of stability and conflict and advocated for a wider adoption of a National Action Plan on women, peace and security in the Arab region.
1. The ILO report “Care work and care jobs for the future of work” gathers diverse data on the presence of violence and harassment in care work and acknowledges that, “on occasion, care workers experience violence and harassment” and that “health-care workers report some of the highest levels of violence compared to other industries or sectors”. See: ILO. 2018. Care Work and Care Jobs for the Future of Decent Work (Geneva).
2. A national questionnaire and a paper was developed in Egypt in early 2018 to better understand the dimension of violence at work. The paper is under finalization.
FAO facilitates the preparation of Country Gender Assessments for agriculture and food security, as part of the implementation of its Gender Equality Policy. During 2017 and 2018 several CGAs were finalized with GBV analysis forming a part of the assessment.
The December 2017 UNECE Work Session on Gender Statistics ( http://www.unece.org/index.php?id=45133) included seven contributions dealing with statistics on violence against women. Experts from national statistical offices and international organizations exchanged knowledge and ideas about survey methodology, harmonization, garnering political support for conducting specialized surveys, and other topics in the measurement of violence against women.
ESCWA provided technical support on estimating the cost marital violence through a national consultation with the State of Palestine and a training with the Palestinian Central Bureau for Statistics on developing relevant questions on costing marital violence for a forthcoming prevalence survey on violence. The data gathered within the survey will assist the State of Palestine in developing a comprehensive response to marital violence.
ESCWA, in partnership with UN Women and the Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World (IWSAW) at the Lebanese American University, published the study “Status of Arab Women Report 2017: Violence Against Women: What Is at Stake?” The study focuses on intimate partner violence and its economic costs to Arab states, and advocates for costing as an innovative approach and advocacy tool to assess the full impact of such violence on women, families, communities and the state.
ESCWA, in partnership with UN Women, published the technical paper, “Estimating the Costs of Marital Violence in the Arab Region: Operational Model,” which was informed by the earlier study on the “Status of Arab Women Report 2017: Violence Against Women: What Is at Stake?” The paper proposes three different entry points for costing marital violence in the region in an effort to encourage member states to strengthen their socio-economic and legal responses to such violence.
ESCWA published the study "Women, Peace and Security: The Role of Institutions at Times of Peace and War." This study explores the women, peace and security agenda and the response in the Arab region, including an analysis of national women’s machineries, national human rights institutions, the security sector, and civil society institutions during times of stability and conflict and includes case studies on Libya and Yemen.
ESCWA published the study “The State of Gender Justice in the Arab Region,” which maps the barriers and opportunities to achieving gender justice in the Arab region, including formal and informal mechanisms for addressing violence against women. The study calls on Member States to create a more enabling legislative environment, enhance the capabilities of accountability institutions, and foster an empowering socio-economic environment for true gender justice.