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In 2019, UNRWA continued the roll out of the Training Manual on Understanding GBV and 600 staff were trained in all fields of operations of which an average of 85% demonstrated increased capability to address GBV. The e-learning course on GBV risk mitigation in emergencies has been launched in November 2018. It has subsequently been piloted in all five fields of operation and so far, 600 staff have completed the e-Learning course. While continuing to work on increasing knowledge on GBV for all staff, UNRWA put emphasis on respective changes in attitudes and practices, building on the already achieved positive changes in knowledge of many employees. To achieve this UNRWA focused on three core competencies (the survivor-centred approach; communication and counselling; and supervision skills) related to four categories of staff addressing GBV (case identifiers, case managers, case supervisors, and GBV coordinators) and rolled out 199 on-the-job coaching sessions to staff in all fields of operations.
A project in Cambodia is being implemented by ADD International in partnership with local organizations to empower disabled women’s networks and strengthen their capacity to lead primary prevention efforts in six districts in which domestic violence is reported to be high. The target of the project is violence committed by relatives and caregivers against women and girls with disabilities. The aim of the project is to strengthen the capacity of women-led organizations that work for people with disabilities so that they may more effectively support women and girls through prevention interventions. Also under that programme, women and girls with disabilities will be trained to become volunteer role models and a methodology will be developed to analyse the incidence and causes of gender-based violence. The methodology will be disseminated in Cambodia and internationally.
ESCWA, in partnership with UNFPA, supported the Lebanese Ministry of State for Women’s Affairs to develop a national strategy on violence against women. This consultative national strategy, included interviews and focus group discussions with line ministries; several national and sub national validation workshops; and a high-level meeting to discuss the draft strategy.
ESCWA, in partnership with UNFPA, UN Women, OHCHR and UNDP in Lebanon, is providing technical support to the National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW) to develop a National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security.
ESCWA, in partnership with UNFPA, supported the Lebanese Ministry of State for Women’s Affairs to develop a project on costing violence against women. This included developing a project proposal, conducting field work, holding national consultations, developing an operational model for Lebanon, holding a second national consultation, developing a national survey to measure the prevalence of violence against women, analysing the government budget, and developing a national survey for services.
ESCWA conducted three field visits to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a national consultation to discuss elements of an operational model on estimating the cost of marital violence. This involved engaging with the National Family Affairs Council, in addition to other stakeholders such as governmental entities and civil society members providing services for survivors of family violence.
ESCWA conducted a field mission to Iraq to prepare for the implementation of a project on costing violence against women in Iraq.
ESCWA participated in a consultation with the Egyptian National Council for Women and the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) to discuss practical steps towards carrying out a national study on violence against women with disabilities. This meeting was the second such consultation facilitated by ESCWA to determine the parameters and methodology of the study.
ESCWA facilitated a Regional Workshop on the Measurement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on Violence against Women and Time Use Statistics Indicators with senior gender experts/statisticians from national statistical offices, ministries of gender equality and women’s affairs. The workshop addressed selected SDG indicators, focusing on the following gender concerns: physical, sexual, psychological violence against women perpetrated by an intimate partner and sexual violence against women perpetrated by a person other than an intimate partner.
ESCWA supported the Ministry of Women, Family, Childhood and Elderly in Tunisia to better understand the availability and quality of data needed to carry out an estimation of the cost of violence in Tunisia.
ESCWA, the League of Arab States and UN Women, in partnership with the Swedish Institute in Alexandria and UNDP held a workshop on the different pillars of reporting when preparing National Voluntary Reports (VNR). Discussion included the tools available at the regional level to report on SDG 5, and the role of national stakeholders in preparing the VNR.
ESCWA and UNFPA Regional Office in Beirut organized a workshop on monitoring, control and protection of human rights including sexual and reproductive health and rights. This workshop targeted national human rights institutions and National Women’s Machineries in the Arab region, as well as in some countries of the Horn of Africa. The workshop sought to strengthen collaboration between National Women’s Machineries and national human rights institutions, especially in documenting the status of women and women’s sexual and reproductive health within the framework of international conventions.
During the reporting period UNRWA trained 2,278 staff in all its fields of operations as part of the roll out of the capacity building plans. The trainings focused on anchoring the survivor centred approach in the UNRWA response to GBV and on rolling out the tools for GBV risk mitigation in emergencies.
Cuba Country Office : While carrying out sensitization workshops in the field on various gender issues (i.e. masculinities and gender stereotypes), WFP always included a section to advocate on the importance of preventing gender-based violence and on the organization’s commitment in this area. WFP is also supporting small initiatives for women’s empowerment in selected cooperatives (i.e. a vegetable garden and poultry farming), which ultimately will also contribute to reduce...
View MoreCuba Country Office:
- While carrying out sensitization workshops in the field on various gender issues (i.e. masculinities and gender stereotypes), WFP always included a section to advocate on the importance of preventing gender-based violence and on the organization’s commitment in this area.
- WFP is also supporting small initiatives for women’s empowerment in selected cooperatives (i.e. a vegetable garden and poultry farming), which ultimately will also contribute to reduce gender-based violence at the local level.
WFP Headquarters
The Gender Office organized two “training of trainers” workshops on Social Norms in HQ.
These training sessions equipped field officers with skills to address discriminatory gender norms, including harmful masculinities and femininities, to create transformational changes at the individual, organisational and societal levels for gender just outcomes.
In June 2018, the workshop was attended by 18 participants from 13 Country Offices, and three participants from Dakar Regional Bureau.
In October 2018, the workshop was attended by 11 participants from 9 Country Offices, and one participant from Bangkok Regional Bureau.
Iraq Country Office:
In September 2018, WFP / Iraq / Baghdad conducted an awareness session for our cooperating partner Mercy Hands on Social Norms and the transformation of gender.
Nicaragua Country Office
- Let's Paint the World of Orange: Support Survivors of Gender-Based Violence.NICO´s efforts have focused on prevention actions through training and empowerment of members of cooperatives, women and young people, which allows greater awareness and address this problem within the organizations of producers.
- In addition, as part of this campaign, NICO makes efforts to involve men in the processes of accompaniment and learning about the construction of new masculinities, social norms and new leaderships in order to achieve the transformation of gender relations in the workplace and personal life.
- Talks: “Aprender, Involucrarse y estar Alerta para prevenir la Violencia Basada en Género”; “Introducción a la charla sobre Normas Sociales”; Aprendiendo sobre Mitos y Realidades de la Violencia Basada en Género (VBG).
Syria Country Office:
In June 2018, WFP facilitated two-days training on discriminatory social norms for 26 staff of Gender Results Network members and senior management, the training was facilitated by Ahmad Hammoud and Fatema Hammadi with support of Alan Gerieg. The training focused on interactive activates and exercises which promote great participation and better understanding of the norms and the way to address the patriarchal masculinities inside WFP workplace, social live as well as through WFP’s activities across Syria country, thus ensure that different needs for women, girls and men, boys are addressed.
In October 2018, the founder of the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denis Mukwege, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace for his work with women and girls who are survivors of sexual violence. The hospital helped to pioneer the Panzi Foundation model of integrated rights-based psychosocial, legal and socioeconomic support provision in one-stop centres. The Panzi Foundation, which was awarded a grant from the UN Trust Fund to enhance its services for sexual violence survivors, worked in partnership with Physicians for Human Rights, another Trust Fund grantee, to train medical, legal and psychosocial professionals on the principles underlying its model and on the collection of forensic evidence to bring the perpetrators of sexual violence to justice and obtain justice for survivors. Beginning in 2011, the Trust Fund has invested in the Programme on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones launched by Physicians for Human Rights and is currently funding its second generation of results. Since that time, Physicians for Human Rights has trained 1,578 health-care, legal and law enforcement professionals, who have provided services to 42,162 survivors of sexual violence throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya.
UNODC participated in a consultation meeting for a General Recommendation by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration in Geneva in December 2018. UNODC will be closely involved in the development of the General Recommendation, including a keynote statement during CEDAW’s 72nd session in Geneva in February 2019.
UNODC organized a number of side events in cooperation with relevant partners, including on essential services for women and girls subject to violence and on the importance of gender equality and human rights for victims of trafficking in persons, during the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in May 2018 and the Conference to the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Crime in October 2018.
In March 2018, CEDAW adopted General recommendation No. 37 (2018) on the gender-related dimensions of disaster risk reduction in the context of climate change. The General Recommendation provides guidance to States parties on the implementation of their obligations under the Convention in relation to disaster risk reduction and climate change. The General recommendation recognises that women and girls also face a heightened risk of gender-based violence during and following disasters. In the absence of social protection schemes and in situations in which there is food insecurity combined with impunity for gender-based violence, women and girls are often exposed to sexual violence and exploitation as they attempt to gain access to food and other basic needs for family members and themselves.
On 18 September 2018, CEDAW published its inquiry report into so-called “bride kidnapping” in Kyrgyzstan. CEDAW found that women and girls suffer grave and systematic violations of their human rights due to a culture of abduction, rape and forced marriage. In 2018 and 2019, OHCHR supported the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, in its engagement with CEDAW for the elaboration of a General Recommendation on trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration. The Special Rapporteur intervened in the context of CEDAW informal consultations in December 2018 and produced a written submission in the context of CEDAW Half-Day of General Discussion in February 2019.
1) Conducted open residential courses, focused on practical strategies to prevent and address violence and harassment at workplace level: "Violence and Harassment in the World of Work: what to do?" 19-23 Nov 2018, Turin - Language: English, French.
2) (In collaboration with Fair Wear Foudation whithin project "Safe and Equal") tailor-made trainings on prevention of Workplace Violence and Harassment for managers and/or workers' reps of garment factories in Indonesia (sept 2018), Vietnam (Oct 2018) and Myanmar (Dec 2018).