United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women

In collaboration with the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), DAW, now part of UN Women, organized an expert group meeting on legislation on harmful practices, which took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 26 to 28 May 2009. The report of the meeting will supplement the model framework for legislation with specific recommendations and commentaries in relation to legislation on the forms of violence against women referred to as “harmful practices”, including child and forced marriage, female genital mutilation, and so-called “honour” crimes.DAW released the Handbook for legislation on violence against women (2009). The Handbook, intends to provide all stakeholders with detailed guidance to support the adoption and effective implementation of legislation which prevents violence against women, punishes perpetrators, and ensures the rights of survivors everywhere. It is hoped that the Handbook will be of use to government officials, parliamentarians, civil society, staff of United Nations entities and other actors in their efforts at ensuring that a solid legal basis is in place for tackling the scourge of violence against women. DAW also uploaded three videos on its website containing discussions on legislation on violence against women.On 4 March 2009, during the fifty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women, DAW organized a joint dialogue of the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice on “Addressing violence against women through legal reform”. Hide

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, continued to provide technical and other support in the context of joint United Nations efforts in the Asia-Pacific region, engaging men and boys to prevent violence against women. Hide

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, supported the establishment of the Kacyriu Police Hospital One Stop Centre for survivors in Rwanda (with UNFPA and UNICEF) and the national mapping of organizations providing services for survivors of gender-based violence in Kenya. UNIFEM also continued to provide technical and other support in the context of joint United Nations efforts, including: in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, developing capacity of non-governmental organizations to provide legal services to survivors of domestic violence; in the Asia-Pacific region, engaging men and boys to prevent violence against women; and in Venezuela, strengthening referral networks, increasing access to services, and conducting psychological care and legal workshops. UNIFEM supported the development of an integrated protection plan for victims and witnesses of human rights violations in Colombia (with the Swiss Program for the Promotion of Peace). Hide

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, supported public events and information dissemination on ending violence against women through various mediums, including: International Women’s Day in India, Nigeria and Viet Nam; youth conferences on sexual harassment in Egypt and on support to sexual and gender-based violence survivors in Tanzania; a Zimbabwe television series to highlight trafficking issues; a documentary on good practices in ancestral justice for indigenous women in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador; and a youth rock concert in Colombia. Within an interagency programme in Haiti, UNIFEM supported the dissemination of information regarding especially to sexual and gender-based violence protection measures through media and schools (in collaboration with the Ministry for the Status of Women and Women's Rights). Hide

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, continued to support the incorporation of violence against women in the National Development Plan of Cape Verde (within the UN programme); the development of specific national action plans on violence against women in Pakistan, in collaboration with Pakistan’ s Ministry of Women’s Development, and in Mozambique, through an inter-agency programme with national partners; the development of a strategy on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Burundi, in collaboration with the Government of Burundi; the drafting of a Declaration on Sexual Violence against Women in Huehuetenango, Guatemala; the inclusion of a regional Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target on addressing gender-based violence by the Carribean Community Secretariat. Hide

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, continued to support the use of gender-responsive budgeting to secure budget lines for violence prevention, survivor assistance and access to justice in Mexico City and Burundi. Hide

DAW, now part of UN Women, prepared reports of the Secretary-General to the sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly on intensification of efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women (A/64/151) and violence against women migrant workers (A/64/152).In its General Recommendation No. 26 on Women Migrant Workers, adopted at the forty-second session, the Committee on the Elimination of Violence against Women (CEDAW) urged States parties to closely monitor recruiting agencies and prosecute them for acts of violence, coercion, ptiodecen or exploitation (article 2 (e)). Hide

In support of the Secretary-General’s Campaign, UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, coordinated inter-agency efforts towards the launch of the UNiTE in Africa and UNiTE Latin America and the Caribbean regional components of the Campaign. It organized with OSAGI and the Center for Women's Global Leadership a civil society consultation in relation to the Campaign. Hide

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, as part of UN Action, contributed to the organization of a high-level colloquium on conflict-related sexual violence and peace negotiations, which shared its conclusions at a United Kingdom-hosted Security Council Arria formula meeting related to the Secretary-General’s report on Security Council Resolution 1820. UNIFEM continued to support activities to improve government and community police responses to sexual and gender-based violence in Darfur (with UNAMID). Hide

In collaboration with the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), OSAGI , now part of UN Women, organized a virtual dialogue on best practices in national implementation of resolution 1325, in regard to violence against women in conflict and post-conflict situations. As part of its effort to create an online training course on development of national action plans on resolution 1325 for Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa, OSAGI carried out research and analysis of gender-based violence in the relevant regions. Hide