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UNICEF continued its global advocacy for free and universal birth registration which supports the implementation of national legislation on minimum ages, including for child labour, child recruitment, child marriage and trafficking for the purpose of exploitation. Hide

The Supplement to the Handbook for Legislation on Violence Against Women: “Harmful Practices” Against Women was published, and its final version is available on the website of UN Women in all UN official languages, at: https://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/vaw/v-handbook.htm#handbook_supp. This Supplement should be read and used together with the Handbook for legislation on violence against women. Hard copies were also produced. Hide

The OHCHR Regional Office for Central America provided in El Salvador technical advice to the Salvadorian Institute for the Advancement of Women (Instituto Salvadoreño para el desarrollo de la Mujer, ISDEMU), the Prosecutors’ Office and the Parliamentary Group on a new legislative act on the elimination of violence against women, which was adopted on November 25th 2010. Hide

In December 2010, UNODC launched the "Model Law against the Smuggling of Migrants", a tool to assist States to implement the Smuggling of Migrants Protocol by introducing relevant provisions of the Protocol in their domestic legislation. The Model Law addresses, inter alia, the protection of migrants against violence and assistance to migrants whose lives or safety are in danger. Hide

In the ECIS region, legislative development support was provided by UNDP in Kosovo, where the Law on Domestic Violence was adopted. In Serbia, UNDP assisted with drafting recommendations for legislative changes related to sexual gender-based violence. In Nepal, UNDP, in cooperation with UN Women, facilitated the establishment of a witness protection task force which will work on the elaboration of witness protection legislation.In Argentina, UNDP worked with national women´s organizations to plan workshops and create a toolkit to guide stakeholders,on the adoption of laws that ensure a woman’s right to a life free of violence. In El Salvador, UNDP, UNIFEM, and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID) supported the Women’s Parliamentary Group (GPM), consisted of parliamentarians from all political parties, to incorporate a gender perspective in the parliamentary agenda. UNDP, UNIFEM, AECID, and the Salvadoran Institute for the Development of Women (ISDEMU) provided technical assistance to the Family, Women, and Childhood Committee of the Legislative Assembly in relation to a law entitled “Special and Integrated Law for a Life for Women Free of Violence”, which was approved in November 2010.In the Pacific, UNDP continued its support to the Government of the Cook Islands to draft its first comprehensive civil family law, also with provisions on domestic violence, including consultations with national stakeholders. Hide

Former UNIFEM now part of UN Women provided technical support to stakeholders who contributed to the enactment of the Domestic Violence Bill in Grenada, the Ley Especial Integral para una Vida libre de Violencia para las Mujeres in El Salvador, the development of the Domestic Violence (Crime and Punishment) Regulation in Nepal and the adoption of new provisions in the Law on Protection against Domestic Violence in Albania. Hide

UNODC is currently working at developing a gender approach in the criminal justice system of Panama, including the effective application of the law on the prevention of violence against women. Hide

UNICEF - including through the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme to Accelerate the Abandonment of FGM/C - has provided support to development of legislation addressing violence against girls at country level. Hide

In Egypt, UNDP’s support has resulted in the enactment of a law under the Egyptian Penal Code which criminalizes female genital mutilation. In Lebanon, UNDP promoted a law on violence against women. In the ECIS region, UNDP Kosovo supported the drafting of a law on domestic violence, which is currently under discussion. Studies are currently underway on “The Prosecution of Violence Against Women in the Arab Region” which will describe the status of relevant laws in pilot countries from a reform perspective, identify the challenges associated with combating this type of crimes, in particular with regards to the issue of honor crimes, and propose solutions on how to deal with them concretely. The study will provide guidelines and recommendations for policy changes and legislative reform to enhance/modernize the Arab women’s rights protection systems. Hide

The OHCHR/Human Rights and Transitional Justice Section in the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste provided a human rights commentary on the draft law against domestic violence. Hide