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UNDP support for data collection, analysis, and research in the ECIS region has covered topics such as: services available to survivors of sexual gender-based violence in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia, the prevalence of domestic violence in Serbia, and an analysis of the legal and policy framework related to domestic violence in Croatia. Hide

In Somalia (Somaliland), a referral system, facilitated by UNDP, was established in 2010 through which clan elders refer cases involving serious violations of gender violence to the formal courts. As a result of the new referral system, and the work of the Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Hargeisa (SARC), there has been a 44% increase of sexual violence cases referred to the formal courts, compared to 2009. Hide

In Papua New Guinea, UNDP conducted numerous training sessions on awareness-raising and advocacy on violence against women; a Training of Trainers for staff of the Office for the Development of Women (ODW), National Council of Women (NCW), and the Gender and Development Branch of the Department of Community Development, to support strengthening coordination and communication between the three organizations to address and effectively respond to violence against women at the provincial and local levels. Hide

The main objectives of the UNDP “Access to Justice Program” in the Democratic Republic of Congo are to promote legal awareness; strengthen judicial response; and increase access to justice. In 2010, 213 local and traditional leaders benefited from sensitization campaigns, and 20 military officers in charge of training and communication were trained to provide awareness-raising amongst military forces on sexual gender-based violence, command, leadership and disciplinary measures. These officers have further sensitized high-ranking officers and soldiers. Brochures and posters on “how to exercise your rights as a victim of sexual gender-based violence” were disseminated, primarily targeting victims. In Guinea Conakry, UNDP partnered with the Bar Association to organize sensitizations on sexual violence for judiciary personnel. Hide

UNDP Paraguay supported the project “Attention to the victims of inter-familial and gender violence: Citizen security”, implemented by the Department of the Interior (MDI) and financed by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID), aimed at supporting the the capacity-building of MDI, enhancing coordination with other departments and improving police interventions with victims of domestic and gender-based violence. Results of this project include the installation of three police stations specializing in violence against women, educational workshops to train personnel, proposals that increase visibility on the issue of violence against women, and the incorporation of a gender perspective in the citizen security program. Hide

In Serbia, UNDP supported the development of strategies to address sexual gender-based violence and a draft document on this topic was finalized. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, strategies to address sexual gender-based violence were also developed as a part of the transitional justice strategy, which includes a focus on survivors of sexual gender-based violence from the 1992-95 armed conflict. Hide

In October 2010, UNDP Myanmar organized a discussion forum on the advancement of women, drawing on the Asia-Pacific Human Development Report (APHDR) on Gender, including topics on gender-based violence and trafficking. The panel stressed that cultures and traditions can retain customs that are unfair to women and they need to be addressed. Hide

UNDP and UNESCO supported the Gender Studies Institute (GSI) based at the Kabul University in Afghanistan to conduct a multi-province research on the nature and forms of gender-based violence within educational institutions in Afghanistan. The research was conducted in 2009 in three Afghan Universities (Kabul, Mazar, and Herat): (http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001899/189969e.pdf).The findings and recommendations of the research were presented in October 2010 during an advocacy workshop with the Gender Studies Institute, the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health. The objective of the workshop was to raise awareness on gender-based violence among stakeholders and to adopt a Declaration with concrete recommendations to address gender-based violence. Hide

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, UNDP supported NGOs to establish eight paralegal centers at the community level; two in North Kivu and six in South Kivu. The paralegal centers have assisted with more than 183 cases by providing information and orientation to victims and ultimately positively influencing national peace processes and contributing to post-crisis recovery and peace-building. In partnership with Avocats Sans Frontieres, UNDP supported the South Kivu Bar Association to launch a pro bono office providing legal aid, now serving Bukavu. As a result of the collective efforts of the international community to support the strengthening of the rule of law in Eastern DRC to counter sexual gender-based violence and through the leading role of UNDP leading role in these efforts (training, mentoring, logistics and equipment to police, victims, paralegals and lawyers), two important investigations were conducted in Walikale territory following the large number of rapes which occurred in May and August 2010. Hide

UNDP, through Capacity Assessement Framework for Gender Mainstreaming, has engaged gender focal points in Indonesia to strengthen their knowledge and skills to raise awareness on violence against women. In Papua New Guinea, UNDP has worked with the National Council of Women, an umbrella non-governmental organisation, to strengthen their awareness-raising and advocacy capacities on violence against women at the provincial and local levels. Hide