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A number of initiatives were undertaken by UN Women country offices through the support of RO and other partner agencies in undertaking advocacy and awareness on addressing sexual violence in conflict situations.
Through the ICGLR Program support and as part of the Domestication of the Protocol on the Prevention and Punishment of Sexual Violence Against Women and Children in the ICGLR member states, a total of 9 countries out of the 12 ICGLR Member States that have established the special court, special sessions and special procedures as mechanisms to fast track SGBV cases within the region. For example, in 2018 Uganda established a special session as a strategy to clear SGBV case back log and they were able to clear a total of 788 cases surpassing the target of 650 set for one month. Countries that do not have any mechanisms to fast track SGBV cases are Tanzania, Central African Republic and Angola. Sudan however implemented special procedures for cases involving children for the period between 2014- 2016.
UN Women also participated and provided briefing to the HQ DPA high level missions and advocacy initiatives towards developing strategies for addressing PVE, CVE with focus on prevention of sexual violence in conflict situations.
The Strategy for Prevention of and Response to the Conflict Related Sexual Violence in Ukraine
The present strategy provides guidance and recommendations on how governmental institutions of Ukraine, civil society organizations, international organizations and UN system can join efforts to effectively prevent and respond to CRSV. The document has a narrative part, which sets out the general context, mandate and scope of the strategy, implementation mechanism, coordination mechanism and tools. Second part of the document is a roadmap matrix that suggests specific objectives, actions for specific actors to carry out to accomplish those objectives, leading to a more targeted approach. The strategy is currently being developed at the initiative of government of Ukraine, applicable to whole of Ukraine.
On 20 May 2021, the Parliament of Ukraine adopted the Draft Law No. 2689 “On Amendments to Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Implementation of Provisions of International Criminal Law and Humanitarian Law” updating Ukraine’s Criminal Code with a full catalogue of war crimes and crimes against humanity, which include, inter alia, sexual violence.
The Second National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325 (NAP 1325) was developed and adopted on 28 October 2020. UN Women provided expert support to ensure the alignment of the NAP 1325 with UNSCR Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security and with UN SG Call to Action – Women Transforming Peace and Security, issued on the 20th anniversary of UN SCR 1325.
To implement the first and the second NAP 1325, the List of Early Warning Indicators (EWI) in Ukraine has been drafted based on the UN Matrix and in consultations with the Government Commissioner of Gender Equality Policy, national and local authorities, CSOs and OHCHR, and with expert support of UN Women Ukraine. In September 2021, the List of EWI is expected to be validated by relevant stakeholders to be further institutionalized by the Government for effective prevention and combatting CRSV.
A training module for district police officers on the concept and prevention of Conflict Related Sexual Violence through community policing was developed by UN Women. The training module will be further piloted through the organization of 4 trainings for police from the conflict-affected Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
In Tajikistan, the WPS agenda, especially role and needs of young women and girls, were discussed by participants of the UN Women supported National Forum “Modern approaches to PVE among youth” in February 2020. Over 250 young people (30% of them- women and girls) and 50 officials discussed emerging PVE risks and policies and programmes to reduce them. As a result, young women and girls enhanced their participation for networking and collaboration between young people across the country and youth they learnt innovative forms of youth empowerment in decision-making. The Forum opened new avenues for dialog between youth and decision-makers on WPS and empowered young women girls to contribute to the PVE processes.
As a part of celebration of 20th anniversary of SCR 1325, UN Women conducted special information campaign for pos. pulation. In the frames of the campaign UN Women jointly with CoWFA developed and broadcasted on the National TV a video Women in Peace Processes. The video dedicated to the 20th anniversary of SCR 1325 and brought various views and opinions on the importance of the SCR 1325 and NAPs in Tajikistan’s peacebuilding and development processes. Partnership with UN Women and UN Women’s projects on the topic have been reflected in the video. Additionally, UN Women interviewed Ms. Bozgul Dodkhudoeva, the only women in the National Reconciliation Commission (1997-2000). M Dodkhudoeva’s extended interview on the civil war and post-war processes was posted in local press; the part of the interview on Beijing conference and other important global women’s processes - on the ECA website. Three thematic articles (on SCR1325, women’s role in peacebuilding, and on Tajik-Kyrgyz cross-border cooperation on peace between women) were published in AsiaPlus – the most popular media-resource in Tajikistan and among Tajik citizens abroad.
Women-peacemakers of the Tajikistan’s civil war were vocal in the Generation Equality campaign. One of the UN Women events with the Embassy of France highlighted the WPS agenda.
UNDP is participating in the Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Arrangements (MARA) Working Group whereby the UN System as a whole works together to combat Conflict-related Sexual Violence (CRSV).
The purpose of MARA is to ensure the systematic gathering of reliable and objective information on CRSV that will be used to promote action to prevent and respond to incidents of sexual violence. The information collected should inform strategic advocacy, enhance prevention and programmatic responses for survivors and serve as the basis for Security Council action, including imposing sanctions and other targeted measures. UNDP as part of the MARA working group, contributes inputs for the quarterly reports that are sent to the OSRSG and other relevant stakeholders on CRSV. UNDP also contributes to the SG thematic reports on CRSV.Additionally, UNDP Pakistan, through its Community Stabilization Programme, has established referral mechanisms for women in post-conflict (Swat) and fragile situations (Multan). In both locations, a mobile Gender Desk Officer reached out to community women to collect their grievances and link them with existing social services – including to medical or psycho-social support as well to protection mechanisms in cases of sexual violence and more broadly gender-based violence.
GBV is increasingly a characteristic of conflict and is often perpetrated against women and girls; and, in some instances, has been used as a tactic of war, UNFPA collaborates with the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and is a member of the Steering Committee as well as the Expert Advisory Group. UNFPA contributions are to ensure the particular needs of adolescent girls and women as a result of sexual violence are factored in efforts of the Special Representative to address reintegration. UNFPA contributed to the development of high-level papers and to the SG Reports.
In the framework of the EU-funded GLO.ACT project, UNODC launched the UNODC Toolkit for Mainstreaming Human Rights and Gender Equality into Criminal Justice Interventions to Address Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants.
In Iraq, UNODC supported the Women’s Network Advisory Board and a webinar on the ‘control methods of traffickers', which discussed how perpetrators engage in sexual violence and exploitation.
UNODC continued providing capacity building support to Nigeria and launched support to Mozambique to address sexual and gender-based violence committed by terrorist groups, providing training during the period to Nigerian and Mozambican investigators, prosecutors, and judges to support them to bring perpetrators to justice while respecting human rights. These activities were carried out in cooperation with the UN Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict.
UNFPA leads the GBV Area of responsibility under the global protection cluster which is part of the IASC established coordination mechanism/architecture in humanitarian settings. As of 2021, UNFPA coordinates GBV response and prevention programmes in 35 humanitarian settings.
UNFPA contributed to Inter-Agency Humanitarian Evaluation (IAHE) Steering Group Review of Progress on Mainstreaming Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls into the Humanitarian, Development, and Peace Nexus Agenda and in the work going forward to promote strengthened mainstreaming in the triple nexus process.
UNFPA actively engages with the 16 Days of Activism with concerted efforts to move from activism to accountability. To reinforce accountability frameworks, we support training for health workers, police and judges to help them respond sensitively and appropriately to GBV survivors; and support the creation of laws and protocols that ensure the protection of survivors.
Since 2008 UNFPA, jointly with UNICEF, leads the largest global programme to accelerate the elimination of female genital mutilation (FGM) in 17 countries.
Since 2016 UNFPA, jointly with UNICEF, has been implementing the Global Programme to End Child Marriage across Africa, the Middle East and South Asia in 12 of the highest-prevalence and/or high-burden countries.
UNFPA is implementing with the The European Union and other UN Agencies the Spotlight initiative, focused on eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls in 26 countries. UNFPA leads or co-leads a number of programmes related to prevention, strengthened provision of comprehensive GBV and SRHR services,collection and use of data, as well as contributing to interventions across all pillars of the initiative.
On 12 March 2021, as part of the 65th session on the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), UNFPA, in collaboration with the European Commission and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), held a virtual inter-ministerial dialogue that resulted in countries committing to 10 points to action towards ending GBSS.
As part of efforts to further build the capacity of staff and senior mediation practitioners to implement the WPS agenda, including on issues of conflict-related sexual violence, DPPA in 2019 conducted the 10th UN High Level Seminar on Gender Inclusive Mediation Strategies, one Gender/WPS Staff Training and a pilot workshop on Gender Conflict Analysis. DPPA continues to mainstream gender and WPS into thematic trainings, including in the UN Ceasefire Mediation and Management training. DPPA also continues to disseminate the Guidance launched in 2012 on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in Ceasefires and Peace Agreements. These aim to further build the capacity of staff and senior mediation practitioners to implement the WPS agenda, including addressing issues of conflict-related sexual violence.
ESCWA in partnership with the Center for Social Protection and Rehabilitation in the State of Qatar (AMAN) organized a workshop to increase the participants’ awareness of pertinent good practices emanating from international standards and norms, and therefore methods and mechanisms to address violence against women on the national level. This workshop comes as part of Qatar's efforts to promote the advancement and protection of women from all forms of violence and the State's commitment to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Sustainable Development Goals, with the aim of introducing international frameworks on combating violence against women and relevant national machineries
ESCWA in partnership with the Syrian Commission for Family Affairs and Population (July 2019) organized a national workshop which discussed international instruments and best practices to address violence against women in Syria, in in cooperation with the Syrian Commission for Family Affairs and Population. The workshop focused on relevant national mechanisms, including legislations, policies, strategies or services, and role of the various stakeholders, both governmental and non-governmental, and service providers involved in this issue. The workshop brought together representatives of government agencies (concerned ministries such as social affairs, labor, health, interior, justice, and the Syrian Commission for Family Affairs) and non-governmental organizations (civil society).
ESCWA, the Council of Europe (CoE), OHCHR, UNFPA, UN Women, ESCWA, and UNODC contributed to a national conference on the Preventing and combating violence against women: One year after the promulgation of Organic Law 2017-58 on the elimination of violence against women: Implementation challenges and recommendations (Tunisia, March 2019). The conference addressed the status of Law 2017-58, examining interventions in the security, justice, health and psycho-social sectors and developing a way forward. To initiate the discussion, ESCWA provided an overview of the implementation of violence against women laws across the Arab region and discussed Arab States’ international legal obligation to combat all forms of violence against women and conform to the due diligence standard. ESCWA also contributed to a panel on ways to counter gender stereotypes in the media, raise awareness of violence against women, and prevent recidivism amongst perpetrators. The conference closed with a commitment to fully implement Law 2017-58 in a holistic manner.
In its efforts to build the capacities of Arab countries to cost VAW, ESCWA facilitated a national consultation in Iraq and Lebanon with representatives from governmental and non-governmental organisations providing services for women survivors of violence, to share with participants the key findings of the field mission and agree on key elements relating to estimating the cost of violence. The findings of the workshop were used as a basis for the related national operational model to be used for costing VAW.
ESCWA in partnership with Westminster Foundation for Democracy organized a capacity building workshop focused on the role of parliamentarians and the experience in Iraq. Parallel to this, a draft guideline for the role of parliamentarians in costing violence against women is being produced.