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UNESCO continues to build capacity within the education sector to prevent and respond to school related gender-based violence (SRGBV). Orientation and training workshops on education sector responses to SRGBV, utilizing resources such as the UNESCO/UN Women Global Guidance on Addressing School-Related Gender-Based Violence (English, French), were conducted with education personnel and partners in 2017 in the African region (West and Central Africa and Eastern and Southern Africa), the Caribbean and the Russian Federation. Parallel capacity building to enhance classroom learning on respectful relationships and promote violence-free learning environments, using curriculum tools, was also carried out in the Asia Pacific and Eastern and Southern Africa regions.
Gender-Sensitive Indicators for Media (GSIM): GSIM intends to gauge gender-sensitivity in media operations and editorial content. It is addressed to the media in general (radio, TV and press), and Broadcasting organizations and media associations or unions, and allows them to effectively assess themselves. These evaluations can be done by applying UNESCO's Gender-Sensitive Indicators for Media (GSIM) and serve as a baseline against which policy can subsequently be created, modified or implemented. Their application can therefore open the road to positive change. For instance, representatives from 25 French-speaking national broadcasters from Africa participated from 21 to 24 October 2016 to a training on the application of UNESCO’s Gender-Sensitive Indicators for Media. Through this event, the organization sought to strengthen media pluralism and the adoption of gender-sensitive policies in African broadcasting organizations.
Empowering Local Radio with ICTs: UNESCO’s “Empowering Local Radio with ICTs” project strengthens the capacity of local radio staff to help them broadcast quality, relevant and reliable programming. An important component of these workshops is gender-sensitive training, which helps reporters identify and remove harmful biases and stereotypes from their coverage. Sensitivity is essential when covering gender-specific matters to promote healthy and equitable portrayals of men and women in the media and society. This training additionally helps radio stations take stock of and confront gender issues in their community, such as violence against women. As an example from this period, UNESCO gender-sensitivity training of reporters from Radio Ijwi ry’Umukenyezi (Women’s Voice) in Burundi contributed to the creation of a dedicated gender cell in their station. This team investigates gender-related issues, monitors the station’s broadcasts and hosts awareness programs. They specifically advocate positive behaviour among men and women to promote intolerance for violence against women – an activity that has been very well-received in the community.
UNHCR continues successful capacity building of staff, partners, government and people of concern. In 2017, 41 staff from the Africa and Middle East and North Africa regions completed an SGBV learning program, which certified trainers on SGBV prevention and response.
UNHCR’s focus on online training and multiple gender-related modules, including on Preventing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, and Prevention of Harassment, Sexual Harassment, and Abuse of Authority in the Workplace, has seen more than 7200 staff capacitated.
In addition, UNHCR has been systematically mainstreaming SGBV prevention and response into all UNHCR operations. This involves thematic and cross-sectoral responsibilities to more effectively integrate and address SGBV prevention, risk mitigation and response. This effort is an operationalization of the IASC Guidelines for Integrating Gender-based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Action.
In UNHCR operations, capacity building and sensitization of communities on SGBV prevention and response were carried out using mass sensitization and awareness campaigns, and targeted trainings of community leaders and influential groups, including youth and male activists against SGBV. Communities have in turn mobilized community-based structures to lead on prevention and response and advocate for action against SGBV.
In 2017, UNRWA carried out 135 trainings which engaged 2709 staff members across the Agency (Lebanon, Jordan, Gaza, West Bank, and Syria). Trainings focused on GBV and GBV in emergencies targeted staff in UNRWA’s different programmes.
Egypt CO
UN Women Egypt in close collaboration with the National Council for Women (NCW) supported the comprehensive review of the Personal Status Laws (family laws) and Penal Code to analyze the impact of such laws on women's ability to access justice for all forms of violence. The process brought together multiple actors in the justice chain, including members of the judiciary, prosecution, police, social affairs, in addition to specialized councils to develop draft laws and/or amend existing ones to prevent violence against women, punish perpetrators, and ensure the rights of survivors. As a result of several rounds of consultations by national stakeholders, a draft comprehensive law on violence against women, that aims to support a comprehensive response to survivors of violence, including the provision of support and protection services, was developed and will be submitted to parliament by the NCW.
UN Women has been advocating for the passage of The Anti-Domestic Violence Law, introduced to parliament in 2015 and still under review. In January 2017, the law was presented to discussion in front of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, however it failed to pass the committees. The strengths of the draft bill include provisions for services for domestic violence survivors, protection orders (restraining orders) and penalties for their breach, and the establishment of a cross-ministerial committee to combat domestic violence. However, the law does not set penalties for committing the crime of domestic violence, does not repeal provisions in the Iraqi Penal Code that condone domestic violence (such as weaker penalties for ‘honor crimes’), and prioritizes reconciliation over justice.
In November, an amendment to the Personal Status Law (No. 188 of 1959) was proposed that would allow men to marry girls as young as 9 years old. The bill indicates that when issuing decisions on personal status issues, the court should follow the rulings of religious scholars for Sunni or Shiite sects, depending on the husband's faith (i.e. the Scholars' Congregation at the Shiite Endowment Diwan or Scholars' Fatwa Council which represents Sunni jurisprudence). The efforts of CSO’s, women activists, women committee in the parliament and UN agencies including UN Women led to the withdraw of the draft law from the parliament agenda by mid-November.Morocco MCO
UN Women first acted through supporting the civil society in its advocacy efforts to align draft law no 103.13 with international norms and standards, and more especially through supporting the memorandums of the coalition Printemps de la Dignité composed of 25 NGOs throughout the national territory. The coalition is specialized in advocating to the government and to the Parliament on laws and public policies related to EVAW, and has developed a Memorandum on each of the expected reforms and defended their arguments before the Ministry of Justice. UN Women has supported the coalition providing it with tools and guidance on international norms, laws and strategies to EVAW.
UN WomenPalestine supported national counterparts to develop a Family Protection Bill (FPB) in line with international human rights standards. UNW's support included technical advice to the technical committee that was formed by the Council of Ministries to work on the FPB. UNW also facilitated the engagement of the CSOs in this process through sensitizing partners on the rights of CSOs to take part in this process and supporting CSOs simultaneously by providing them with technical and financial support to advocate for the adoption of a responsive bill. UNW has also supported the justice sector strategy to identify legislative priorities for the years 2017- 2022 , which included the penal code, the personal status law, the family protection bill, cybercrime law and others.
Lebanon PP
UN Women Lebanon, in cooperation with several activist civil society organizations, supported a campiagn in 2016 to repeal article 522 of the Penal Code related to rape-marriage, which releases the perpetrator in case he marries the victim. In June 2017, the campaing efforts were materialized with the approval of the Parliament to repeal the article.
1. WHO together with UNFPA and UN Women published a clinical handbook for health providers titled "Health care for women subjected to intimate partner violence or sexual violence". Adaptation workshops and trainings based on the handbook have been held in multiple settings in 2017, including: Pakistan, Botswana, Namibia, Uruguay, and Zambia and in regional settings (e.g. Caribbean and East and southern Africa). 2. Technical support is being provided to countries and in-country partners who want to conduct national prevalence surveys on violence against women using the WHO multi-country study on women’s health and domestic violence methodology. 3. WHO is finalising the development of curricula for use in in-service and pre-service training to strengthen the knowledge, skills and attitudes of health-care professionals and ensure they can respond effectively to women suffering abuse and its consequences.
In reference to trainings and capacity building of WFP employees, a good example related to PSEA could be the online e-learning, made compulsory for all WFP employees, on Prevention of Fraud, Corruption and SEA.
WFP MYANMAR Country Office
1) For the opening of the 16 Days Campaign against GBV, WFP Myanmar closely cooperated with the National Myanmar Gender Equality Network (GEN) and supported its national campaign ‘From Peace in the home to peace in the world: Involve men to fight violence against women.” Furthermore, a brief footage in the IDP camp benefitting from the new transfer modality (e-wallet) in Myitkyina, Kachin State, was produced with statements of internally displaced women and men on the importance of understanding the root causes of intimate partner violence which might arise from changing in-kind assistance to cash based transfer modalities. WFP Field Office closely collaborated with Karuna Mission Social Solidarity (KMSS), UNFPA and UNHCR on various actions suggested to prevent GBV within the families and also in communities where strongly defined gender roles are still deeply embedded within a cultural or religious coat and gender equality neglected on the public agenda. As an example, the humanitarian community together with IDPs competed in the mini marathon organized by the GBV working group.
2) WFP male staff signed up to the WFP Men Stand for Gender Equality pledge and remained highly engaged in contributing to the country wide campaign to prevent GBV highlighted during orange days and events like the International Women’s Day.
3) WFP Myanmar reiterated its commitment to organize monthly orange days in its Field Offices. In March 2018, Myitkyina Field Office dedicated a special event to help staff understand the negative consequences of GBV against women and girls and learned about the importance of promoting a peaceful co-existence that begins at household level. WFP staff acknowledged that in their working environment, women’s voices and suggestions are still less powerful than those provided by men.
UN Volunteers support a wide-range of UN efforts worldwide to build capacity of women and girls, as well as of communities on gender-related issues. For example, UN Volunteers assigned to UN Women in Quetta, Pakistan, launched a radio project which engaged marginalized women and youth in the establishment of community-based radio programmes for entertainment, information and education.
UNODC continues to provide expert assistance through Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT). GLO.ACT assists governmental authorities and civil society organizations across 13 strategically selected countries (Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, the Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Pakistan, South Africa, and Ukraine) by supporting effective responses to trafficking and smuggling, including assisting victims of trafficking and vulnerable migrants by strengthening identification, referral, and direct support mechanisms. Between July 2016 and December 2017, more than 70 activities were delivered in 11 countries.
UNODC provided training and capacity building to promote more effective police and justice responses to VAW/GBV in Egypt (training for police officers, prosecutors, judges and forensic doctors), (Kenya (training on gender mainstreaming), Kyrgyzstan (leadership training programme for female police officers to promote gender-sensitive local police services), Mexico (training programme for 8,000 police officers and emergency call operators in 25 states), Myanmar (training workshops for police instructors and front-line officers based on a new handbook and training curriculum), Namibia (training of trainers for police, prosecutors and victim service providers).
UNREC organized a train-the-trainers inter-institutional course on small arms control as part of a capacity-building project for Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. Module 1, entitled “Human Security, Human Rights, Proliferation of SALW and Armed Violence”, addresses violence against women and girls.
UNREC organized a workshop for civil society organizations from Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria that allowed participants to develop advocacy and awareness tools to reduce women’s participation, including forced participation, in terrorism and related arms trafficking, thereby also contributing to a reduction of violence against women.
UNLIREC organized a training in Colombia on the Arms Trade Treaty that included sessions and practical exercises on how to conduct the risk assessment on gender-based violence or violence against women and children required by the treaty. In that regard, UNLIREC has developed a risk assessment tool to be used in practical exercises: http://unlirec.org/documents/HerramientaImplementacionGenero-ATT_Espannol.pdf.
More generally, all activities that contribute to better SALW control will also contribute, at least indirectly, to lowering gun violence and thus, violence against women and girls committed with guns. The gendered impact of the illicit trade in SAWL and gun violence is always addressed in relevant activities of the ODA Regional Centres such as capacity-building on the implementation of SALW control instruments.
Gender Unit: An updated Gender Equality and Women, Peace and Security Resource Package is being finalized which includes dedicated chapters on CRSV and SGBV. This comprehensive resource tool will act as the main comprehensive resource and a “how to guide” to integrate gender and WPS for all peacekeeping personnel across all components and functions of peacekeeping operations; and will provide good practices to enhance evidence based programming.