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Protection and assistance for victims of trafficking in persons are cross-cutting issues addressed in all training and capacity building work concerning trafficking in persons that UNODC undertakes.
UNODC manages the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking, that financially supports grass-roots NGO who provide direct assistance to victims/survivors of human trafficking. During the reporting period the Trust Fund provided grants to 21 projects across the globe, mainly focusing on women and girls, particularly those trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Further, in 2017, the Trust Fund launched a call for proposals for its third grant cycle starting in 2018, prioritising projects assisting women and girl victims coming out of a context of armed conflict, as well as refugee and migration flows.
In the State of Palestine, UNODC supported six doctors in completing their four-year training programme in foresing medicine, which helped them to examine cases of sexual and gender based violence in West Bank forensic medicine clinics.
UNODC is working together with UN Women, UNFPA, UNDP and WHO to implement the UN Joint Global Programme on Essential Services for Women and Girls subject to Violence in pilot countries, including Egypt, Guatemala, Peru, Pakistan, Tunisia and Viet Nam.
In 2017, the WG Discrimination against women and the Special Rapporteur on VAW sent out at least 71 communications on individual cases and legislation/policies not complying with international human rights law.
In Honduras, OHCHR has been monitoring cases of domestic violence, and the protection mechanisms for victims, including through protection shelters for women and girl’s victims or survivors of gender-based violence in several cities.
In CAR, OHCHR developed protection measures for victims of sexual violence and through engagement with key GBV actors.
In Haiti, OHCHR provided life skills trainings, psychosocial and rehabilitation activities for about 150 women in detention.
In Guatemala, 2017 OHCHR carried out monitoring on the human rights situation of women working in Guatemala’s two larges employment sectors - the textile industry (sweatshops) and agriculture – including with respect to situations of violence and a violation of labour rights. The Office also worked closely with the Ministry of Labour to address these issues, such as through joint labour inspections and the development of action protocols.
In Mali, OHCHR managed to fully establish the Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Arrangements (MARA) technical working group and strategic group that provides systematic, timely, reliable, and objective information on conflict-related sexual violence (which in Mali affects essentially women).
OCHA fully supports the implementation of the crisis component the Minimum Initial Services for Reproductive Health (MISP). Among other activities, CERF funds the deployment of GBV experts, the procurement and distribution of dignity kits, the procurement of the Inter-Agency Reproductive Kits including the kits #3 and #9 dedicated to the Prevention of Sexual Violence and the Assistance to Survivors of GBV, the establishment of Women’s Safe Places, the training on GBV of field staff and service providers, the awareness activities on GBV, and the community-based interventions to prevent GBV.
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.
In DRC, the UNJHRO (United Nations Joint Human Rights Office) facilitated access to justice to victims, through free legal aid in judicial procedure and judgment execution process, referral to medical, psychosocial and economic services. 22 legal clinics were funded by UNJHRO in order to provide free legal information to population and legal aid to victims for regular and mobile trials supported by UNJHRO, and enhance referral mechanisms for services to victims and bridge with prosecution special cells.
In 2016, Serbia continued to make significant improvements in multi-sector coordination and monitoring of violence against women, with substantial support from UN Women. Twenty municipalities in Serbia achieved high levels of multi-sector cooperation in response to cases of violence against women. Professionals from the Centers for Social Work, health and educational institutions, judiciary and police participated at the case conferences on individual cases of violence and in line with the local level protocols responded to the specific needs of women victims of violence. The women victims of violence benefited from the services and protection measures provided by the local institutions in a timely, complementary and coordinated manner. The Results of the case conferences are captured in reports and published by the Provincial Secretariat for Demography, Social Welfare and Gender Equality (PSEEGE). PSEEGE and UN Women piloted a model for monitoring violence in Vojvodina Province and initiated discussions to implement the model at the national level.
In various countries (e.g. DRC, Burundi, Colombia, Ecuador) WFP supported GBV survivors during their temporary stay in shelters and during their reintegration into their wider community. Food assistance contributes to women's full nutritional and psycho-social recovery and subsequently supports their livelihoods, thus increasing the resilience of survivors, their self reliance and, ultimately, their capacity of disengaging from an abusive situation and rebuilding a safer life. The WFP-sponsored Safe Access to Fuel and Energy (SAFE) initiative decreases women’s vulnerability to risks associated with firewood collection through the dissemination of fuel-efficient stoves, and the promotion of alternative livelihoods.
Together with UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, UN Women Regional Office for the Arab States launched the “Essential Services Package for Women and Girls Subject to Violence” in October 2016 in the United Arab Emirates. The package of services was introduced to the Arab States for the first time as the launch took place on the side of the second “Investing in the Future” conference organized in the UAE by UN Women and the UAE’s “The Big Heart Foundation” under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. The launch was an opportunity to emphasize the importance of coordination among various multi-sectoral responses for women and girls subject to violence and offered the space for over 100 participants from civil society, academia and governmental institutions to exchange experiences about violence against women in the region.
UNHCR and a partner organisation have opened a women’s only internet café in Herat, Afghanistan. The café, which is the first of its kind within UNHCR operations, was devised as a response to the harassment and intimidation experienced by many women who used traditional internet cafes in Herat. The café provides a safe environment to use the internet, participate in free trainings and report SGBV cases through a confidential questionnaire. The project also explores how to connect participants to skills training relevant to the local job market.