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UN Women carried out advocacy on the situation and conditions of Palestinian women in Israeli prisons internationally, through multi-media, itinerant, and photo exhibit.In Algeria, UN Women supported the advocacy efforts carried out by the AVIFE non-government organization, which is part of the Wassila network, on domestic violence and its impacts on women and children both at national and local level: The second edition of the “Black Book” on domestic violence was published and workshops for non-government organizations were conducted in 3 regions. UN Women also supported the Ytto Foundation advocacy efforts to end forced marriage of minor girls and regularization of customary weddings in Morocco through caravans known as “Caravan of Peace, Equality and Citizenship.” In 2011, the caravan covered more than 20 villages in remote areas. A documentary film on this issue was also produced which had a powerful impact on decision-makers. As a result, the Minister of Justice has launched missions led by judges and court clerks to ensure registration of customary marriages and enrolment in vital statistics of children born out of such marriages.UN Women organized a regional seminar in Morocco with the participation of counseling centers from Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritania. Participating non-governmental organizations acquired a better understanding of the importance of working in networks and of the process of campaigning, and have exchanged best practices on ending gender-based violence. Hide

OHCHR, as Chair of Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT), organized a side event on protecting victims of trafficking during the 17th session of the Human Rights Council (June 2011). The panelists included ICAT members (i.e. OHCHR, ILO, UNHCR, UNODC, IOM, UNICEF, UNAIDS, and Interpol).A regional consultative meeting on combating trafficking was organized in Qatar, in cooperation between OHCHR and the United Nations Human Rights Training and Documentation Center for South West Asia and the Arab Region, and in partnership with the Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking. Hide

In the Dominican Republic, UN Women has printed and distributed 100 T- shirts with the UNITE logo. The Interagency Gender Group, to which UN Women is the leading agency in the Dominican Republic, organized a peer working breakfast on “role and responsibilities of the Media on ending violence against women” with Mass Media, led by the Argentinean journalist on gender Liliana Hendel. Hide

The OHCHR/Human Rights Adviser in the Russian Federation contributed to activities of the annual campaign “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” in partnership with the UN Gender Theme group.The OHCHR Regional Office in Central Africa participated in a conference/debate ("causeries éducatives"), organised by the UN Theme Group on Gender, on 8 December 2010, in Yaoundé, Cameroon, where several issues were discussed, including early and forced marriages; female genital mutilation and gender-based violence and HIV/Aids. Several stakeholders participated in the event. The Human Rights Section of MINUSTAH in Haiti, in collaboration with the MINUSTAH Multimedia Center held a session on the different types of violence against women, with representatives of the civil society (November 2010). Hide

In Nepal, UNDP and UN Women public awareness materials on gender-based violence and the Anti-Domestic Violence Act were distributed. UNDP also partnered with the Office of Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers to organize a public awareness event in support of the “16-days of Activism Campaign” against gender-based violence. Hide

ESCWA Centre for Women is a member of the Steering Committee of the project Ending Violence against women through men and boys, led by Kafa and Oxfam, in Lebanon. The chief of the Centre for Women gave several interviews to the media on the topic. Hide

As part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence campaign, UNRWA, in collaboration with various stakeholders, organised events in Gaza, Jordan, Syria, and West Bank, involving its health, education, relief and social services programmes. Activities included photograph exhibitions, mobile theatres, awareness events and poetry. UNRWA, in Gaza, held awareness-raising workshops on the role of the international instruments in fighting gender-based violence, where UNRWA teachers participated. Hide

The UN News Centre of the Department of the Department of Public Information continued its coverage of the global campaign to end violence against women, particularly in English and French. In these two languages alone, a total of 62 stories were written, covering the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and reports prepared by human rights officials and experts.Several social media platforms managed by the Department of Public Information, including the UN Twitter account (twitter.com/un) regularly featured content on violence against women. During the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence 16 tweets for 16 days were developed along with 16 Facebook updates for 16 days. The Department of Public Information was involved in the commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women under the theme “Leadership of Corporate Sector in Empowering Women and Ending Violence against Women and Girls”, through the development and dissemination of UNiTE campaign and other press materials.In Beirut, the UN Information Centre held a press conference and partnered with university students to distribute UNiTE campaign material. Social media were utilised to raise awareness of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women by several UN Information Centres, including those in Pretoria, Tunis, and Vienna.The Department’s UN Radio produced coverage of activities surrounding the International Day and the 16 days of activism against gender violence, in the Organization’s six official languages, in Portuguese and Kiswahili. UN Radio covered the use of rape and sexual violence as a tactic of war in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, featuring statements by the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights. A UN Radio programme highlighted aspects of a World Bank report on violence against women, and included interviews with members of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Hide

The former Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues (OSAGI, now part of UN Women) raised the question of violence against women and girls, including the crime of sexual violence in conflict situations, on various occasions; brought violations of women’s human rights to the attention of the Secretary-General of the United Nations; and the Special Adviser in her advocacy efforts urged various stakeholders to join the UNiTE campaign to end violence against women and to end impunity for perpetrators. Hide

Issue # 9 of Words to Action, former DAW’s (now part of UN Women) now UN Women quarterly newsletter on violence against women, was issued, with a feature article on addressing violence against women and HIV/AIDS effectively. Hide