Search
DRC
Strengthening of community prevention mechanisms with vigilance committees; sensitization of the military and police on their role in civil protection. Action to repress the perpetrators of sexual violence with emblematic trials of certain senior military officers. Actions carried out by the office of the Personal Representative of the Head of State in charge of combating sexual violence with the support of partners, in particular UN Women and UNFPA.
CAMEROON
UNW CAMEROON sept up women cohesion space to provide holistance assistance to GBV survivors. In humanitarian settings, awareness raising activities in different forms reached a great number of women, men, girls and boys including traditional and religious leaders who maintain significant influence over social norms and behaviours at the community level, on gender-based violence, girls' education, importance of women's economic empowerment, early/forced marriage and other relevant issues. These community outreach activities were not only prevention measures but also served as a first step to inform the population on available GBV services and to encourage them to report cases in the social environment that traditionally silences the survivors of violence.
LIBERIA
Liberia is not in a conflict situation at the moment. However, measures are available as part of disaster response strategy.
NIGER
The Diffa region is prey to the interventions of the boko Haram nebula. To support displaced, returned and refugee women, high-impact activities were implemented, including three hundred and fifty income-generating activities in the camps, the provision of more than 1,000 domestic gas kits to enable women not to leave the camps to search for firewood, Equipping health centres in three camps to care for survivors of violence, the three cohesion spaces, gender training for the FDS, GBV and gender mainstreaming in security activities, and the five gender units within the law enforcement services. All these activities benefited more than 5,000 people.
NIGERIA
UN Women supported the state ministries of women affairs and social development in the focus states to commemorate the 16 days of activism on violence against women;
The National Advisory Committee on the implementation of the National Action Plan was inaugurated by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development with support from Un Women and the State Action Plans on UNSCR 1325 was launched n Adamawa Gombe and Plateau state in the period
The HeforShe campaign was launched in three state and male traditional and community leaders were recognized for integrating women in traditional councils and local community leadership committees.
A simplified NAP has been developed to facilitate uptake by the public and the costing for the implementation is underway
Plateau Peacebuilding Agency’s Strategic Plan has been drafted with support from UN Women and state partners
Lebanon PP
In 2017, UN Women Lebanon in consultation with the Ministry of Social Affairs, supported 13 centers within 5 regions (Akkar, Tripoli, Beirut, Maten and Bekaa) to conduct GBV awareness sessions. 4 of these centersl also provided access to GBV multi-sectoral services to women and girls including legal, health and psycho-social support advisory services. Furthermroe, UN Women in partnerhsip with UN-Habitat & UNICEF finalized the establishment of a Referral Center in Bab Tibaneh/Tripoli, which will be providing PSS and multi-sectoral services center for GBV victims. The Referral Center will be luanched in June 2018.
UN Women Palestine office supported MA’AN to provide legal aid and psychosocial support to Westbanker and Gazan women living in the negev. Those women face challenging issues related to their legal status with the Israeli authorities (they hold a palestinian ID and live in Israel) and many of them suffer from family and intimate partner violence. During the reporting period UN Women Palestine office supported Maan center to provide legal aid to 110 women from the West bank and Gaza who live in the Negev (inside Israel). The cases evolved around issues related to personal status matters : (divorce, child custody, alimonies), issues related to their legal status inside Israel (citizenship and family reunification), residency, eligibility to social and health services, national insurance and cases of VAW. Additionally, 79 women from the Bedouin community in the Negev were provided with psychosocial support throughout Ma’an hotline, 30% of them are from the West Bank and Gaza. Topics covered included legal status inside Israel (citizenship related issues and family unification, residency, eligibility to social and health services, national insurance, etc… ) and on VAW cases. UNW Palestine in collaobration with the PBA- West Bank provided legal aid support and counselling to more than 100 female inmates in 3 CRCs in the West Bank . As a result of this support, many women have their cases proceeded in courts and some received mitigative sentences. On the other hand, through the support that lawyers provided to inmates, some cases witnessed progress in their relaiton with families, including spouses, as some cases managed to reach agreements with their families and spouses, particularly regarding children visitation matters.
In 2017, UN Women has contributed to enhance the capacity of the providers of essential services to Women Survivors of Violence to be able to effectively prevent and respond to VAW. It has been successfully done through Justice stakeholders training, South-South cooperation and the fostering of coordination. In partnership with the Ministry of Justice, a cycle of three workshops aimed at developing the capacities of a group of magistrates has been finalized. In fact, a third, and final, workshop has been organized and saw the participation of 14 magistrates on andragogy. Also in partnership with the Ministry of Justice, over 70 social workers from 56 cities participated in a week-long training on the implementation of the Family Code. Various topics were addressed, such as divorce procedures, the Family Support Fund, models and practical cases in the Family Code, and general skills management for social workers. Finally, both South-South cooperation and coordination were fostered thanks to a regional workshop organized in Cairo in December with the attendance of representatives of the relevant sectors (Justice, Police, Health, Civil society) to present the Essential Services Package and to engage the attendees’ departments towards the qualitative upgrading of services and their coordination.
By building the capacity of long term service providers, UN Women works to institutionalize efforts to respond to and prevent SGBV. This is done through service provision and awareness raising. In 2017 UN Women directly supported 4 centres in Amman, Ramtha, Khaldeya and Zarqa to provide service and referral options to meet the needs of both local vulnerable Jordanian women and Syrian refugees (alltogether the joint programme supports 11 centers). In the four centers UN Women supports directly, 1,515 beneficiaries have been able to reach safe spaces and receive quality services. 91 women survivors of violence were offered quality safe and confidential access to shelter through the Jordanian Women's Union's shelter for women. Throughout this reporting period, 36 women survivors of violence were offered quality safe and confidential access to shelter through the Jordanian Women's Union's shelter for women and rehabilitation of their facilities was undertaken. Through UN Women Oases in Zaatari Camp UN Women worked with UNHCR and all camp partners to provide referrals to women survivors of violence for legal and medical and other protection services. UN Women also accepted referrals in from other camp partners for vulnerable women in need of livelihoods opportunities. On average UN WOmen supports 10 refugee women protection cases per month per Oasis.
Regional Office for Arab States
"The Regional Workshop to Roll Out the Essential Services Package for Women and Girls Subject to Violence in Arab States was organized by UN Women Regional Office for Arab States (ROAS) and UNFPA ROAS on 11-12 December 2017 in Cairo, Egypt. The two-day workshop aimed at orienting country teams to the ESP and engaging them in a participatory development of a road map to roll out the ESP in their countries.
Tunisia PP
With the support by UN Women Tunisia, three new shelters in Jendouba, Kairouan and Gafsa and 2 daycare centers ( Zarzis and Sfax) for women victims of violence were opened in 2017 in different governorates bringing the total number of such specialized centers to six in Tunisia. Also, the hotline (1899) managed by the Ministry of women, family and childhood was reinforced and to date offers orientation during the administrative working hours.
Iraq CO
UN Women has been providing services to vulnerable women and survivors of sexual violence, including phsycosocial support and legal asssistance, as well as referals to health and social services. UN Women has supported 1328 women, including survivors of GBV, in livelihoods activities, empowering them to earn income, and in some cases return to their homes with their businesses, enabling them to restart their lives quickly, or build a more stable life in their new homes. In collarboration with UNDP, provided 935 survivors of gender based violence and conflict related sexual violence with psychosocial support, legal assistance, and referrals as part of the Stop Rape Now United Nations Against Sexual Violence and Conflict fund. Many of these women were survivors of violence perpetrated by ISIS, and were able to register their cases with the Genocide Committee based in Dohuk, Iraq, contributing to documentaion of ISIS's crimes and providing them with access to justice.
The UNTF and UN Women Egypt supported a local civil society organization to implement the first project in Egypt that addresses the intersection of violence against women and girls and HIV/AIDS. A Drop-In Center was established in the targeted low-income community that provides a comprehensive package of services for women and girls who are vulnerable to SGBV and STDs in an environment free of stigma and discrimination. The project has positively impacted over 1600 women and girls who accessed and benefited from free-of-charge legal, psychological, health, and listening services. Project interventions also engaged over 2100 men and boys to change their perceptions of gender roles and gender stereotypes and encourage positive behavioral change that is based on mutual respect. The project also produced a policy brief on the nexus between SGBV and HIV, with the aim of informing the design of national programmes and interventions in this important area.
UN Women Egypt in collaboration with the National Council for Women (NCW) and the Egyptian Ministry of Social Solidarity expanded the protection and support services for women victims/survivors of violence. In collaboration with the Women’s Complaints office of the NCW, over 3,700 women victims/survivors of violence and/or who had suffered from discrimination gained access to free-of-charge legal advice and legal assistance, through a lawyer, as well as referrals to credible organizations providing quality essential services, each based on their respective area of expertise. Furthermore, support was provided to strengthen the capacities of staff of 8 government-run women’s shelters, upgrade the physical infrastructure of two main shelters, and reform the by-laws of the shelter, to enhance women’s access to protection and support services. Over 3,700 women victims/survivors of violence were referred to essential support services at the shelters, ranging from psycho-social support, legal and health, and vocational training.
DRC
After the promulgation of the revised Family Code, United Nations agencies mobilized to disseminate texts and laws favorable to women's rights (the Family Code, the Parity Act, the Child Protection Act, the Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence and the Act on the Protection of Persons Living with HIV), The Maputo Protocol on Gender and Development, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UN Security Council resolutions (notably Resolution 1325) during the 16 Days of Activism campaigns in November 2017, Amani Festival in February 2018 and Women's Month in March 2018. A draft bill on the reparation and compensation mechanism for victims of sexual violence has been submitted to the Senate. The agencies support the government in the process of reviewing the national strategy to combat sexual and gender-based violence and the national action plan 1325.
SENEGAL
Senegal has a legal framework favorable to the elimination of gender-based violence through the law against excision, the law on parity, the law for nationality, the Senegal Emerging Plan, the National Strategy for Equity and Gender Equality, the National Strategy for the Promotion of Rights and Protection of Children.
CABO VERDE
In the continued efforts to support the implementation of the CEDAW and other international and regional normative frameworks on women’s human rights, in 2017 the UN Women supported the evaluation of the 6-years implementation of the law. The evaluation has provided several insights and evidences of the best practices and lesson learnt that informed the Government in how to improve the procedures and promote new responses to face the challenges of the implementation of the GBV law. This analysis has provided key elements for the monitoring of the national goals for eliminating GBV in alignment with international human rights and gender frameworks and provided guidance’s to where the actors responsible for the application of the law should improve to better tackle this phenomenon in Cabo Verde. The Evaluation of the Implementation of GBV Law has been a powerful instrument of discussion and analyses, UNW supported the government by presenting the final results to public and stakeholders. The conducted evaluation has shown, that, even so, challenges persist, including with the moroseness of judicial responses and in the institutionalization of victim support services, geared toward their sustainability thereof.
MALI
Thanks to the support of development partners including UN Women and a draft law against female circumcision submitted to the National Assembly (NA) of Mali by the PACTE Group, the idea of a law against GBV was formed on the initiative of a working commission composed of national and international organizations under the aegis of the NGO ACORD Mali supported by UN Women. The Government of Mali through the Ministry of Women has taken the lead through the National Programme to Combat the Practice of Excision (PNLE). A committee to monitor the law was set up by ministerial order and this committee delegated a technical team of five national and international experts (two lawyers and an anthropologist from Mali and two volunteer Canadian legal advisors) to draft a bill against GBV in Mali. The Ministry of Gender and the Ministry of Justice will bring this draft bill before the Government and the National Assembly.
CAMEROON
In humanitarian settings, the capacity and the level of ownership of police forces as a primary protection actor on violence against women issues has significantly increased in 2017. Their increased commitment and actions in the field translating the humanitarian principles and national standards in coordination with other humanitarian actors resulted in gender-based violence cases received by gender desk officers at police stations. UNWOMEN also started to work with judicial actors on VAW in 2017 through magistrat training, and it is expected that further collaborative work with Ministry of Justice will continue in 2018 to strengthen their capacity to treat cases with sensitivity and full understanding of the VAW issues
LIBERIA
Except for the 2014 Amendment of the Elections Law of Liberia which calls for the list of candidates from political party or coalition to have no less than 30% of its members/candidates from each gender, there are 3 key laws still before the National Legislature for passage; Domestic Violence Law, Land Rights Law and the CRC.
NIGER
The Constitution of 25 November 2011 and all subsequent texts support the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls, including the quota law which grants a certain number of elective and nominative places to women the 1325 decree 2017 on the retention of girls in school. All these texts exist but the effectiveness of their application remains problematic.
GUINEA CONAKRY, TOGO, CHAD
Knowledge production and advocacy on violence and maternal health
In Guinea Conakry, about 100 health workers have been trained on GBV and its consequences.
In Togo, the same study generated strong interest from partners. The United Nations system and UNFPA are taking a closer look at this phenomenon.
In Guinea, the capacities of 100 health providers were sensitized on violence in delivery rooms with the contribution of several local NGOs.
Chad has organized advocacy for the dissemination of the penal code through the training of community leaders on the provisions of the penal code and Law 029 prohibiting child marriage.
DRC
Strengthening of the capacities of several sectoral ministry officials (gender, health, justice, interior, defense) and NGOs in several areas, especially results-based management, protocols for dealing with sexual violence, forensic expertise, etc.
SENEGAL
In Senegal, sector ministry staff benefited from capacity building on GBV. Women leaders, young people through cultural and sports associations and local communities through committees to combat violence.
CABO VERDE
The continuous support provided in training capacities resulted in an increased capacity of key players, namely the police, the justice sector and the civil society organizations in implementing specific activities and actions in alignment with the recommendations of the conducted evaluation of the law implementation, namely spread awareness activities, assessment of the Rehabilitation Program of Men Offenders of GBV and the integration of GBV data and information in the information system of the operational management of the Ministry of Internal Administration.
MALI
UN Women trained 17 young Slam artists, who in turn reinforced the knowledge of 180 young students, girls and boys, who wrote and proclaimed poetic texts on GBV prevention and prevention during a slam contest in Bamako. A pool of 48 police officers was trained on the prevention and management of GBV survivors. 30 men from the media, the written and spoken press benefited from capacity building to raise awareness for prevention and report GBV cases to raise awareness among the population.
The support of the national police in the fight against GBV has been strengthened through a validated action plan that clearly defines the intervention strategy and results by 2020.
CAMEROON
UNW Cameroon training police officers. The capacity and the level of ownership of police forces as a primary protection actor on violence against women issues has significantly increased in 2017. Ministry of gender staff working in the call center/GBV mobile Units had also been trained while magistrate of the ministry of justice had also been trained on GBV principles.
LIBERIA
Liberia: Capacity building for national institutions with training conducted for 83 Women and Children Protection Officers, 65 prosecutors, city solicitors and court officials and 81 health workers.
NIGER
Representatives of sectoral ministries, state institutions, men and women in the media (even a declaration of commitment for the promotion of women's rights in Niger), local authorities have benefited from capacity building of the UN WOMEN office on GBV, gender and the promotion of women's rights.
DRC
Establishment and strengthening of community mechanisms for the prevention of sexual violence. Support for "Break the Silence" and "HeForShe" campaigns, thousands of people have been reached by awareness messages on the fight against sexual violence, mainly through the involvement of community radio stations.
SENEGAL
Senegal benefits from the commitment of communities and state institutions in the fight against gender-based violence. This community dynamic, supported by territorial and administrative authorities and elected officials at local level, strengthens the efforts of sectoral ministries to put an end to violence.
CABO VERDE
Men’s Alliance has increased on fighting GBV in Cabo Verde thanks to UNW’ support. During White Ribbon Association – Cabo Verde’s second GA, organized in partnership with UNW, a new board and President has been elected the event there was also a renewing of its members and provide a moment of reflection on the future of the Association. The opening ceremony was attended by the President of the Republic of Cabo Verde Mr. Jorge Carlos Fonseca, in his capacity of the national champion of the HeForShe campaign, who emphasized the importance of the men’s role in achieving gender equality in the country and in the world. Other individualities, such as the President of the National Assembly, representatives of political parties, Presidents and representatives of Civil society organizations, the Minister of Family and Social Inclusion, the UN Resident Coordinator, the Attorney General of the Republic, USA Ambassador and media, have attended to the event. Aligned with the HeforShe, the main lines of intervention of the Network are focused on the challenge that strives for everyone not to remain silent about gender-based violence, to assess men attitudes, language and actions, the education of young people, especially young men. UNW supported also the elaboration and presentation of the new 4 Years Strategic Plan of the Laço Branco Cabo Verde.
MALI
UN Women has adopted a systematic strategy to involve men and boys in GBV projects to have both a significant impact on prevention and repression and to encourage men and boys to be allies to support advocacy for the adoption of the draft law against GBV. A network of young girls operating throughout the territory from North to South, bringing together educated and uneducated young people, is committed to acting as a relay at the community level to inform, raise awareness and encourage their peers to disclose acts of violence but also to refer and accompany survivors to available rescue services. This network has a website with courses on GBV in French and national languages to inform and raise awareness among young people.
Another notable development around prevention is the review of the Police Code of Conduct. Indeed, GBV is common in the security forces. These acts are characterized by harassment, abuse of authority either on fellow police officers or civilian women. The country programme, in partnership with the national police authorities, has begun the process of revising the police code of conduct to include a GBV prevention and control dimension.
CAMEROON
UWN Cameroon worked in the humanitarian settings, awareness raising activities in different forms reached a great number of women, men, girls and boys including traditional and religious leaders who maintain significant influence over social norms and behaviours at the community level, on gender-based violence, girls' education, importance of women's economic empowerment, early/forced marriage and other relevant issues. These community outreach activities were not only prevention measures but also served as a first step to inform the population on available GBV services and to encourage them to report cases in the social environment that traditionally silences the survivors of violence.
LIBERIA
UN Women Liberia continue to conduct series of community engagement including community dialogues, the conduct of the socio-cultural audit consultative session in 6 counties with high prevalence of SGBV cases, and capacity building training for about 83 Women and Children Protection Officers, 65 prosecutors, city solicitors and court officials and 81 health workers. A total of 905 persons (478 women and 427 Males) have been reached in 2017 with targeted SGBV Messages) 2,700 youths were also reached through awareness raising and sensitization information.
NIGER
In recognition of the high impact activities implemented by UN WOMEN's Niger office in recent years, it enjoys the commitment of communities (men's clubs, multidimensional clubs), institutions such as CENI (National Independent Electoral Commission), social nets, National Assembly, sectoral ministries (Gender, Hygiene and Sanitation) in the fight against gender-based violence. The results achieved by the men's and multidimensional clubs (men, women, religious and local leaders) to raise awareness among more than 10,000 people about GBV, gender, and the promotion of women's rights is a successful community model imitated by several actors
CHAD, BENIN, GUINEA, TOGO
The Community Response
In Chad, hundreds of community leaders were trained and oriented on their roles and responsibilities in the fight against GBV, maternal and child mortality through the committees to combat maternal, newborn and child morbidity and mortality. Thanks to the commitment of mayors.
"He for Her", Mobilizing Men to Promote Women's Rights
In Benin, Chad, community radios support the activities of men's clubs for training on violence prevention, promotion of the SSRAJ and the rights of girls and women.
In Togo, the "Papas Champions" continue their activities to prevent violence.
In Chad, Guinea, Benin and Togo, 464 women and adolescent girls were taken in charge
Sexual and Reproductive Health for Adolescents and Youth and the fight against violence in schools and in the informal sector
In Togo and Benin, 568 girls and boys in schools and in the non-formal education system, 200 parents were sensitized. Conferences and debates are organized through the production of teaching materials. Apprentices have also benefitted from this awareness targeting the improvement of their SRH, prevention and management of violence and the prevention of early pregnancies.
A VAWG reporting watchdog committee system has been set up in the Dantokpa market (the largest market in West Africa). They are made of groups of 5 men and women per sector in the market for a more effective fight against violence. At the end of the year, 20 cases of violence, rape, with or without sequestration are denounced by these committees and legally prosecuted
The safety of the girls working in the market, often between the ages of 14 and 24, is ensured throughout the year at the "House of Hope" (ME), built a Christian Association. 1458 girls are benefitting from it. Among them are sex workers and sexually Active girls in the Marketplace who After a psychological support are also referred to Saint Luc hospital for complete health care.
Jordan CO
On 16 February 2017, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women considered the sixth periodic report of Jordan on its implementation of the CEDAW provisions. Ahead of the CEDAW Committee session, UN Women presented the UNCT CEDAW shadow report to the Committee developed in 2016. The development of Jordan’s 6th Periodic Report is also the result of the technical support provided by UN Women, in partnership with UNICEF and UNFPA, to JNCW through a dedicated joint programme which allowed extensive national consultations. Following the issuing of the Committee’s concluding observations, the CO continues to engage UN partners, donor and the civil society in the discussion over Jordan’s international commitments, with a particular focus on issues related to patriarchal attitudes and stereotypes. A new pilot programme has been launched in November 2017 funded by the Government of the Netherlands.
2017 was a UPR reporting year for Morocco, UN Women’s support to the coalition focused this year to the civil society advocacy on Member States recommendations and the National Report. In this respect, UN Women supported the Moroccan civil society coalition for the defense of women’s human rights in intergovernmental human rights processes and bodies. The coalition is composed of 32 civil society organizations based throughout the whole national territory and works following a participatory approach and inclusive processes. UN Women has supported three consultations related to the UPR process were convened with the civil society: (i) the first one between four representatives of the coalition and four UN Women staff on the coalition advocacy strategy, (ii) the second one with the UN system through the Gender thematic group to which 13 UN staff and 6 members of the coalition participated, (iii) the third one with bilateral and multilateral cooperation agencies with the European Union Delegation, with about 30 representatives of cooperation agencies.
As part of the internal “Take a Stand to end violence initiative” UN Women has a range of internal mechanisms available to protect, support and provide service to victims/survivors focused on the UN Women internal workforce.
Support and Emergency Services
- Financial support in terms of flexible salary advances or staff association loan programmes are considered a source of fast extra funds on a case by case basis, by HR and Finance;
- Flexible leave and advance leave requests; reduce and re-assign workload to avoid additional stress and give them time to concentrate on their case;
- Information in an aide memoir which has available country resources and support services and it is provided to all UN Women personnel;
- Counselling, UN Women personnel can contact UN Staff Counsellor or the Critical Incident Stress Management Unit for psychosocial support and assistance. UN Women also assists personnel in gaining access to psychosocial support. Further information on support can be accessed here: https://hr.un.org/page/how-contact-your-staff-counsellor or https://hr.un.org/page/mental-wellbeing-psychosocial-support.
- Dedicated service provider at UN Women HQ: In cases in which UN Women personnel or dependents at Headquarters are affected by violence outside the workplace, affected person/s can contact a confidential and appropriate external specialized service provider directly. The service provider will arrange for referrals, as appropriate, to NYC-based services, including local hospitals that conduct sexual assault forensic examinations. Colleagues may also send an email to takeastand@unwomen.org.
- Awareness: UN Women has information briefs on gender based violence and support for personnel here. These briefs are shared with all UN Women personnel, spouses and dependents to raise awareness of internal support and response mechanisms available for personnel who may be affected by gender-based security incidents.
For NY HQ Colleagues
- In 2017, UN Women and Safe Horizon piloted a Gender Based Violence Hotline for its personnel which was available 24/7. After one year this pilot was discontinued, but UN women continues to inform the workforce on Safe Horizon’s general hotline number
- Dedicated intranet pages for personnel on Employee information and Understanding Violence: reporting internal misconduct; Guidance for Managers; Types of Violence; Recognizing the signs of Violence; and Supporting friends family and colleagues
- Multiple resources ranging from posters, cards and guidance materials for personnel.
Morocco MCO
In 2017, through its chair of the Gender Thematic Group, UN Women Morocco organized several thematic sessions on EVAW issues for gender focal points of the UN System. A session was dedicated to the presentation and analysis of the recently-adopted law on human traffiking, and was animated by UN Women's partner from the Ministry of Justice, the Magistrate in charge of criminal cases involving children and women. Another session was co-organized with UNFPA and the Ministry of Health to present its annual report on State of the World Population and the Ministry's sectoral programme on EVAW. Finally, the GTG served as a coordination platform for the 16 Days campaign and all agencies were invited by UN Women to commemorate together the International Day to End Violence Against Women and Girls that was organized on November 24, 2017, with a release of hundreds of ecofriendly orange balloons and with the presence of the Resident Coordiantor and the Ministry of Women's Affairs.
Egypt CO
UN Women Egypt in partnership with UN HABITAT carried out a gender analysis of transport patterns in Greater Cairo with the aim of informing the planning, design and tendering of the Bus Rapid Transit national project. A survey was conducted at public transport terminals to gather quantitative and qualitative sex-disaggregated data on passengers’ characteristics, travel patterns, travel costs, security and safety feelings, etc. Sex-disaggregated data proved to be useful to understand public transport usage and access by both women and men, their preferred transport modes, their experiences of harassment, threats to safety, cost of transport, etc. Then, to obtain in-depth information on women’s specific issues in relation to accessibility, affordability and safety in public transport, women-only focus groups were held in three different districts, where women’s mobility patterns were discussed, as well as issues related to their safety and security. In addition, train operators were asked a series of questions on transport, choice of routes, issues related to female passengers’ safety, including some questions on their perception and attitudes towards sexual harassment. The aim of this exercise was also to identify potential economic opportunities for women in the transport sector.
UN Women conducted two research pieces in partnership with Oxfam. A Gender and Conflict Analysis in ISIS Affected Communities of Iraq was published May 2017. A Gender Gap Analsyis is in the final review stages and is expected to be published in the second quarter of 2018.
In collaboration with the Centre for the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), UN Women Regiona Office for the Arab States published the study "Estimating Costs of Marital Violence in the Arab Region" as a part of a regional project on estimating the cost of violence against women in the Arab region. This economic model measures the costs of intimate partner violence by estimating household costs associated with violence, community level costs of service provision, and costs related to women’s loss of productivity in the labour market. https://www2.unwomen.org/-/media/field%20office%20arab%20states/attachments/2017/estimating-costs-marital-violence-operational-model-english.pdf?la=en&vs=4616
In 2017, UN Women and REACH launched a report aimed to increase the understanding of the impact of the crisis on women’s access to basic services. The report identified specific issues related to harasshment and perception of safety among women living in communities hosting a larger number of refugees, including through their experience in accessing basic services and public spaces. UN Women is currently working with the Minister of Social Development and other actors in order to address key reccomendations presented in the report through targeted programming and pilot interventions in various Governorates of Jordan.
In 2017, UN Women supported the production of 3 unprecedented reports: (i) through the regional Programme “Men and Women for Gender equality”, UN Women supported the conduct of the International Men and women for Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES), a study that provides a holistic look at the lives of men and women in the region of Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, including their experiences as children, (ii) through the same programme, UN Women supported the Center for Women's Studies in Islam (CERFI), a research center placed under the official religious institution to conduct a survey on perceptions regarding Qiwamah, i.e. the husband’s duty of providing financial support for his wife and children, (iii) in partnership with the Ministry of Justice, UN Women conducted the evaluation of the Family Mutual Aid Fund created in 2011 to support women who do not receive alimony payments.
Aiming at supporting the Palestinian police's Family Protection and Juvenile Unit (FPJU) in data collection and in effectively managing VAW cases, SAWASYA joint Program will support the developemnt of RIAM (case information management system that will support the FPJU of the Palestinian Police and the Specialized prosecutors on VAW to applying the risk assessment template for GBV cases and preparing for the automation of the risk assessment process through this system). UNW has supported the FPJU and the Specialized Public Prosecutors in applying the risk assessment template in preparation for the automation of the risk assessment process through RIAM system. A workshop took place in August 2017 for police officers and specialized public prosecutors to introduce the risk assessment template (RAT) that was piloted for 6 months in 2 districts.
UNW Palestine office conducted different researches on VAW and women's access to justice to generate, documemt and disseminate knowledge and awareness.These included a study on women's access to justice in East Jerusalem, entitled " In the absence of justice", a study on legal aid to women entitled " the impact of legal aid on womenn", women's access to formal and informal justice in Gaza, informal justice system and gender equality in the West Bank, the Situation of Access to informal and formal justice systems for women and girls with dissabilities.
Algeria PP
In Algeria, UN Women has reached an important milestone, in strenghtening the Ministry of National Solidarity, Family and Women Condition's (MSNFCF) capacities to collect data on women and girls victims of violence. A modernized and common data collection framework integrating international guidelines and indicators on WSV, with a focus on SDG 5, was developed by UN Women in partnership with the MSNFCF. The new administrative databased named "AMANE" will allow the MSNFCF and its different structures to collect comprehensive data on Survivors seeking aid from its services. All 54 professionals from the Directorates for Social Action and Solidarity (DASS) and from Women Shelter's have benefited from a specific training on how to use AMANE with a component on gender-based violence and gender issues.
UN Women has embarked on a number of prevention and awareness raising campaigns and advocacy such as “Take a Stand” initiative.
Internally, within the UN system, UN Women is coordinating closely with other UN agencies on issues related to Prevention of and Reporting on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (by UN personnel)
In addition to this, we have UN Women Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) focal points in all of our six regions whose roles within UN Women are to:
- communicate their role and raise awareness of the ST/SGB/2003/13;
- to ensure that complaints against the individuals/entities to whom the ST/SGB/2003/13 applies are reported to OIOS;
- to report to the UN Women SEA working group at HQ in order to share any issues, cases or local observations; and gather data for onward reporting;
- to educate the UN Women workforce regarding the prevention of SEA.