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Progress has been made in recent years in relation to the widespread grassroots abandonment of the practice of FGM/C. Several individuals have been gradually been arrested and convicted in 2013, while since the inception of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme and Trust Fund on Female Genital Mutilation in 2008, more than 10,000 communities in 15 countries, representing more than 8 million people have denounced the practice. UNFPA and UNICEF published the 2012 annual report and concluded phase one of their Joint Programme on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) in 15 countries of Africa and the Middle East and conducted a joint final evaluation of the five years of work. UNFPA and UNICEF organized an international conference in Rome in October 2013, attended by over 30 governments, UN agencies and civil society to consolidate lessons learned from phase one and build political and technical consensus for phase two. Phase two will run from 2014-2017 and will cover 17 countries in Africa and the Middle East and will pursue a holistic approach in line with United Nations General Assembly Resolution 67/146. UNHCR carried out activities to raise awareness on VAW, including on FGM in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti.

UNICEF has provided support to awareness-raising and advocacy addressing violence against girls, including through the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme to Accelerate the Abandonment of FGM/C.

The World Congress III against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents, which took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in November 2008, was organized jointly by UNICEF, the Government of Brazil, ECPAT and the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child., resulting in the “Rio de Janeiro Pact to Prevent and Stop Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents”. UNICEF continued to support social mobilization efforts at all levels to change attitudes and behaviour on violence against women and girls, including sexual violence and exploitation, trafficking and female genital mutilation.

As part of UN Women’s collaboration with Phase II of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on FGM/C, to strengthen the inter-linkages between VAWG and harmful practices such as FGM/C, and address the root causes of such form of violence, UN Women has finalized and published the policy paper titled “Female genital mutilation/cutting and violence against women and girls: Strengthening the policy linkages between different forms of violence”, with the support of a technical advisory group in February 2017. The paper – which is accompanied by an also published background paper -  explores policy and programming interlinkages and considers entry points in the areas of (i) national legislation, (ii) prevention strategies, (iii) response for survivors, and (iv) data and evidence, for increased coordination and collaboration to advance the objectives of ending FGM/C and other forms of VAWG, in particular intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence. It is intended for multiple audiences, including those directly involved in policy development, planning and implementing initiatives, those providing technical support, and advocates for ending all forms of VAWG, including FGM/C. A training module on gender and FGM/C, to accompany the UNFPA-UNICEF Manual on Social Norms and Change will be finished in March 2017.

At the global level, UNICEF contributed extensively to the work of the General Assembly on a comprehensive policy and strategy for victims of abuse and exploitation by United Nations staff and partners. The policy, which was adopted by the General Assembly in resolution A/RES/62/214 in December 2007, explicitly notes the vulnerabilities of women and girls and seeks remedy for harm done to them.

UNICEF contributed to the organization of the discussion and resolution of the Human Rights Council on sexual violence against children. In collaboration with partners - the Special Representatives of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children and for Children and Armed Conflict, the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography – UNICEF continued to promote the two-year global campaign to promote universal ratification of the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (OPSC) and on the involvement of children in armed conflict (OPAC) by 2012. The total number of State Parties to OPSC is 142 and the number of signatories is 118. The total number of State Parties to OPAC is 139 and the number of signatories is 128. UNICEF has provided support to the development of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women-Committee on the Rights of the Child joint general comment/recommendation on harmful practices.

UNICEF chaired the Inter-agency Coordination Group Against Trafficking in Persons during 2012, during which a discussion paper was commissioned on “The International Legal Frameworks concerning Trafficking in Persons.” UNICEF also provided inputs and support to various other international instruments and processes, including: the UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/67/146 on “Intensification of Efforts to Eliminate Female Genital Mutilations”; the CRC and CEDAW committee’s development of a joint general comment/general recommendation; a specific section on the impact of small arms and light weapons on women within the UN Coordinated Action on Small Arms paper on the Impact of Poorly Regulated Arms Transfers (as part of the Arms Trade Treaty negotiations); and the drafting and adoption of the Human Rights Council Resolution on birth registration.

Data Collection, Analysis and Research Under the Spotlight Initiative, UNICEF worked on Outcome 5 (Data) in 4 African countries. For instance, UNICEF Nigeria supported the roll-out of the CP IMS Primiero to ensure interface of the GBV IMS and CP IMS. 

As a follow up to the Secretary-General’s Study on Violence Against Children, in December 2007, UNICEF supported the development of a new publication on violence against girls, entitled ” From Invisible to Indivisible” highlighting the recommendations of the Secretary-General’s study on violence against children and the study on violence against women.

In follow up to the recommendations of the UN Study on Violence against Children, and in preparation or the World Congress III, UNICEF continued to support research, studies and data collection on different forms of violence against girls, including in collaboration with other stakeholders, such as ILO-IPEC, IOM, ECPAT, and Save the Children.