Measures

Through a partnership with UN Women and Justice Rapid Response, OHCHR has deployed gender experts to United Nations investigation bodies and mechanisms such as Commissions of Inquiry (COI) and Fact-Finding Missions (FFM). Their role is instrumental to integrate a gender perspective into their methodologies and analyses, enhancing the visibility of the impact of human rights violations on women and girls, especially conflict-related sexual violence, and providing reliable data to inform legal advocacy and policy. 

OHCHR offers technical assistance to strengthen national legal and policy frameworks by aligning them with international human rights standards. Support includes guidance on translating human rights mechanisms’ recommendations in concrete laws and policies, in building institutional capacities and ensuring multidisciplinary systems are in place to address the root causes and risk factors for femicide, including domestic violence. During the 57th session of the Human Rights Council in September 2024, OHCHR provided technical support in the drafting of resolution on domestic violence (A/HRC/RES/57/18). 

In July 2024, OHCHR published a report on the solutions to promote digital education for young people and to ensure their protection from online threats (A/HRC/57/28) promoting a gender-responsive response in view of the gender digital divide and the gendered dimensions of online attacks. OHCHR was also mandated to produce a report on “a human rights approach to meaningful connectivity and to overcoming digital divides, including by addressing threats to individuals’ access to the Internet,” presenting an opportunity to analyse how women and girls’ access to internet is impeded by TF GBV. 

OHCHR has developed an office-wide strategy on gender-based violence, which includes the prevention of sexual violence in conflict, to ensure all our operations adopt a comprehensive approach to eradicating and redressing it. The strategy, embedded in the current Office Management Plan, ensures that dedicated resources are used efficiently and with maximum impact. It focuses on the root causes of gender-based violence, including harmful gender and social norms, by addressing gaps in the protection of civil and political rights as well as economic, social and cultural rights. 

UNODC conducted an assessment in Bosnia and Herzegovina to identify gaps in legal frameworks, victim support services, and access to justice for technology-facilitated gender-based violence.  

UNODC developed a Training Handbook for Criminal Justice Practitioners on Cyberviolence against Women and Girls for Southern Africa and conducted a webinar and trainings based on this and related UNODC tools. 

In Pakistan, UNODC integrated digital services for real-time case tracking and secure complaint registration at police facilitation desks. The Office also partnered with the Balochistan Police to establish a women and juvenile facilitation centre, which offers specialized victim support services, and 10 gender facilitation desks at smart police stations.  

In Southern Africa and South America, two regional consultations on femicide reviews gathered experts to explore the application of multi-stakeholder in-depth review methodologies. UNODC also briefed 40 judges from 19 European countries during a study visit, enhancing their understanding of femicide review practices and improving efforts to address violence against women and girls. 

In collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Women, and with support from the Centre of Excellence for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CoE-CRVS) and kNOwVAWdata, UNODC co-hosted the global expert meeting “Addressing Femicide: Measurement and Accountability”.

Under the framework of the Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) project in Ukraine, UNODC is working to improve conflict-related sexual violence responses at the national and local level. UNODC is working to ensure that the Ukrainian legislative and regulatory framework is survivor friendly. This includes, for example, the set-up of a Survivor Advisory Board that will advise Ukraine on integrating survivor perspectives and survivors’ lived experiences into the national response to prevent and respond to CRSV. UNODC is also working with other stakeholders in Ukraine including the National and Migration Police and the Offices of the Prosecutor General to put in place institutional mechanisms to ensure rights-based and effective investigations and prosecutions of Trafficking in Persons with a focus on victims of sexual exploitation. 

UNODC, in partnership with the UN Team of Experts on Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict, leads the UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict network. Together, they are working to enhance collaboration in preventing and addressing sexual violence within the context of terrorism and violent extremism. In 2022, the network hosted two expert-led discussions and webinars to better understand the challenges and good practices in judicial response, and in improve support and services for survivors of CRSV committed in the context of terrorism and violent extremism.

During the reporting period, UNODC provided training and capacity building on crime prevention and criminal justice responses to gender-based violence against women for criminal justice professionals in Colombia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritania, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, State of Palestine, Somalia and Viet Nam. 

For instance, in Kyrgyzstan, 200 police officers and 50 prosecutors received gender-responsive training to support victims of violence, and the Office assisted the Government in establishing a “one-window centre” in Bishkek where victims of gender-based violence against women can access essential multisectoral services.  

UNODC also strengthened justice sector responses to violence against women by enhancing judicial capacities through workshops. In the Dominican Republic, the Office conducted a technical needs assessment on access to justice for women in cases of gender-based violence and trained 103 criminal justice professionals through a capacity-building workshop for judges, prosecutors and police officers.  

In Egypt, UNODC organized nine training workshops for 178 judges on facilitating access to justice for women victims of violence and two workshops for 40 administrative prosecution judges focused on violence against women. 

UNODC, in cooperation with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), provided updated global estimates of intimate partner/family member femicides through annual publications on femicides (in 2022, 2023 and 2024).  

In addition, in cooperation with UN-Women, UNODC published the Statistical framework for measuring the gender-related killing of women and girls (also referred to as “femicide/feminicide”), which identifies a typology of gender-related killings of women and girls and the list of variables that can be used to identify and count the various types of such killings. 

In Egypt, the UNODC established the first secure area for female victims of violence at the East Alexandria Court.  

In the State of Palestine, UNODC supported the HAYA Joint Programme, providing comprehensive care for survivors, including psychological counselling and legal assistance.  

In Kyrgyzstan, UNODC developed a one-stop service centre to improve victim assistance strategies and streamline support services.