World Health Organization

A consultation was held to develop the WHO ethical and safety recommendations for researching, documenting and monitoring sexual violence in emergencies. This is now available in English and French, and translation into Arabic is under way. Hide

WHO has continued to provide technical support to Member States on request, including on health sector response, and primary prevention. Within the framework of violence prevention, WHO emphasizes the role of public health in the prevention and response to violence against women. WHO is actively advocating against the medicalization of female genital mutilation. Hide

WHO is continuing the analysis from the database of the WHO Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence against Women. Results of research on the obstetric complications of female genital mutilation from 6 African countries were published.. WHO has continued to provide technical support to Member States on request, including on data collection and violence against women surveys, health sector response, and primary prevention. Hide

In May 2007 WHO convened an international Expert Meeting on Primary Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence to inform WHO's future work in this area. The purpose of the meeting was to review the effectiveness of current approaches for preventing new occurrences of intimate partner and sexual violence; to identify WHO's role on primary prevention; and to identify potential activities and products for WHO. Participants discussed strategies, implementation in resource-constrained settings, and obstacles and opportunities for scaling up. The group agreed that WHO should issue guidance on how to implement primary prevention strategies and monitor their impact, process and guiding principles. Hide

WHO has carried out groundbreaking research on the obstetric sequelae of female genital mutilation and continues to support Member States in their efforts to end FGM as well as research on community interventions, decision-making, FGM and sexuality, with the aim of informing policies and community action. Hide

WHO, with other partners, is developing a framework of interventions for prevention of intimate partner violence and sexual violence that can be integrated into HIV prevention activities. A consultation on addressing violence against women in HIV testing and counselling took place in January 2006 and a meeting report with recommendations and good practices is available.WHO convenes the working group on violence against women of the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS to promote advocacy and communication activities on the intersections of violence against women and HIV/AIDS. WHO has undertaken advocacy and awareness-raising initiatives on violence against women, including sensitization of multidisciplinary groups. Hide

The Global Forum for Health Research and WHO supported the development of the Sexual Violence Research Initiative. This Initiative aims to build a network of researchers, policy-makers, activists and other stakeholders to ensure that sexual violence is addressed from the perspective of different disciplines. A research agenda for sexual violence has been developed and reviews of evidence have been done on women’s and medico-legal responses to sexual violence. Hide

WHO’s guidelines for medico-legal care for victims of sexual violence have been pilot-tested in Jordan, Nicaragua and the Philippines. Hide

WHO has carried out a multi-country study on women’s health and domestic violence against women, aimed at enhancing availability of reliable data on the root causes, magnitude, and consequences of violence against women and facilitating the search for solutions. A report summarizing initial data from Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, Japan, Namibia, Peru, Samoa, Serbia & Montenegro, Thailand and the United Republic of Tanzania was published in 2005; other countries are replicating the methodology (Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Maldives and New Zealand). WHO has also published ‘Putting women first: ethical and safety recommendations for research on domestic violence against women’ (2001), as well as a package of study materials, including the protocol, survey instruments and training manuals for implementing the Study. Based on the experience gained with the Study, WHO is contributing to the development of indicators and survey methodology on violence against women. Hide

Follow-up activities to the WHO World report on violence and health, 2002, and the multi-country study, include launches in over 50 countries; national reports on violence and health; the appointment of focal points on violence in ministries of health in almost 100 countries; and the development of policies on violence against women in collaboration with regional and national partners. The Pan-American Health Organization has developed a model of laws and policies on domestic violence against women that has been validated by four countries in the region and will be implemented in 8 countries. WHO is working closely with UNICEF and other partners to follow up on the Secretary-General's study on violence against children. Hide