United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women

UN Women integrated the key performance indicators for the prevention of sexual misconduct from the 2020 QCPR monitoring framework into the Integrated Results and Resources Framework (IRRF) of its Strategic Plan 2022-2025. Using those indicators, UN Women will provide regular updates on its continued efforts on preventing SEA and SH within the Strategic Plan reporting framework.

Following the recommendations of the EGM on Data and VAWP held in December 2019, UN-Women has embarked on developing harmonized survey-based data collection tools that can be used across countries to generate comparable data. As a first step, in 2020, country projects on measuring violence against women office holders (members in parliament and local government) and election candidates were developed in Georgia and Nepal. The fieldwork, data sets, and methodological lessons learned in the two countries, as well as surveys in the Arab Region are expected by the end of 2021.

In Chile, within the framework of the constitutional reform process, and to support mitigation of negative perceptions of women’s political leaders, UN-Women has embarked on a systematic analysis and monitoring of hate speech and online violence against women in politics within the framework of the constitutional process. Initial efforts included real-time monitoring and analysis of 100 million websites and more than 1 billion public data publications through Big Data (Brandwatch Consumer Research). Additionally, UN-Women focused on identifying negative social media content and raise awareness on its negative impact not only on women with an active role in politics but also on the advancement of a public agenda with a gender perspective. The data generated will continue informing policy-oriented advocacy strategies to position gender equality issues in the new constitution (report available here: Link).

In Ecuador, UN Women in partnership with Fundación ESQUEL published a qualitative study on cyber violence experience by women in politics during the 2019 elections ( Available here). This study complements study on Study Violence Against Women in Politics Ecuador  conducted  with Fundación ESQUEL and published in 2019 (available here).

UN Women ESARO in partnership with UNW HQ organized a training on “VAW Prevalence Data” was organized for UN Women, Government Ministries of Gender and Statistics, UNFPA and WHO participants in Mombasa, Kenya.  A total of 38 participants attended from 11 countries in the region.  Following the training at least 4 country offices initiated the “VAW Prevalence Data” program in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania.  Having focused data on VAW will help the policy makers and development partners in having targeted interventions in creating a safe VAW free environment for women and girls.

In Tanzania, UN Women played a key role in conducting the Social Institution and Gender Index (SIGI) Tanzania survey by providing technical support on sampling, budgeting, conducting the main survey and reporting writing. The survey will produce the gender data related to discriminatory laws through the collection of consistent, high quality data. One such study is a gender analysis of customary justice systems to ensure that evidence is generated for advocacy at national level to support advocacy calling for the review of customary laws. The findings of the survey will be available in 2020.

In Kenya, UN Women supported in the establishment of the county-based network of S/GBV survivors and through the launch of the S/GBV case data collection mobile application. KCO piloted the use of the mobile application to test its efficacy as a response to the challenges of S/GBV data collection at community level.

2018 Public Perceptions of Gender Equality and Violence Against Women in the Western Balkans and Turkey

The infosheets present the key findings of a baseline survey conducted in selected communities of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo (Under UNSCR 1244), North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey. The infosheets provide insight of current and dominant attitudes and perceptions (and the factors that influence them) toward gender equality and violence against women at community level.

https://eca.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2019/05/2018-public-perceptions-of-ge-and-vaw-in-the-western-balkans-and-turkey

Sexual Harassment and other Forms of Gender based Violence in Urban Spaces in Albania

This study looks at the different dimensions of sexual harassment and other forms of gender based violence against Albanian women and girls in urban public spaces particularly in the cities of Shkodra and Korça. It focuses primarily on women and girls’ perceptions of safety and the impact this issue has on their lives, as well as the forms of violence they experience and what strategies they have at their disposal to cope with the violence. The report also contains general and specific recommendations for each of the municipalities involved in the study in order to improve the conditions and take the necessary measures and actions to turn the studied areas into safe areas for women, girls, boys and men. All findings presented in this report are a result of: 500 survey interviews in the two municipalities (Shkodra and Korça), two Focus Group Discussions with 16 participants and two Structured Observations.

https://eca.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2019/05/sexual-harassment-gender-based-violence-in-albania

Analysis of the Cost of Domestic Violence: Estimating the Cost of Multi-sectoral Response at the Local Level in Bosnia and Herzegovina

With the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention), Bosnia and Herzegovina committed to establishing, developing or enhancing a wide range of general and specialist services for survivors of domestic violence. While the country has a satisfactory legislative framework, which prescribes the obligation to prevent and protect women from different forms of violence, survivors are still faced with various obstacles to accessing a number of services including health, social, and legal support.  With this analysis, UN Women seeks to support national efforts in informed planning and decision-making by providing an estimate of current allocations of existing services that are rendered in response to domestic violence at the local level. Furthermore, the analysis defines recommendations for enhanced financing of basic and specialized services and multi-sectoral approach in line with the requirements of the Istanbul Convention. The significance of the first such analysis in the country is the estimated value of survivors' direct and opportunity costs of domestic violence. The study employed qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis, and included data collected from questionnaires targeting relevant institutions and beneficiaries.

https://eca.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2019/05/analysis-of-the-cost-of-domestic-violence-bosnia-herzegovina

Review of the Multi-sector Approach to Domestic Violence at the Local Level in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Coordination is a central element of the response to domestic violence and violence against women and is crucial both to the victims or survivors and the institutions that respond. This report reviews the viability of applying this approach to the establishment and functioning of multi-sector referral mechanisms at the local level in Bosnia and Herzegovina as the central element of the multi-sector response. The review includes the analysis of the most relevant international and domestic legislation, guidelines and standards on applying a multi-sector response to domestic violence and violence against women in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Furthermore, in-depth information on the multi-sector referral mechanisms was collected in six selected locations through semi-structured interviews conducted with the relevant representatives of the multi-sector teams, gender mechanisms and non-governmental organizations. The gathered information highlighted the three main aspects of an effective and coordinated multi-sector response:

1) The capacities of the multi-sector referral mechanisms,

2) The quality of the service provided by the multi-sector referral mechanisms and

3) Their sustainability beyond the duration of the projects through which they were established.

https://eca.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2019/05/review-of-the-multi-sector-approach

Data collection ‘by and for’ minoritized women

Collecting data and conducting research on all forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG) is critical in order to design relevant policies and measures needed to protect and support women and to eliminate VAWG. This policy brief examines the lack of data on violence against minoritized women and highlights the importance of utilizing an intersectional approach to data collection and engaging ‘by and for’ in the data collection process.

https://eca.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2019/10/data-collection-by-and-for-minoritized-women

Regional report on discrimination of Roma women in the area of healthcare, child marriages and support and protection in cases of domestic violence

The Regional Report examines the violence and discrimination faced by Roma women in the areas of health care, child marriage, and institutional protection and support in cases of domestic violence. Based on survey findings in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. The report reveals shocking levels of violence against Roma women, as well as the prevalence of discrimination that prevents Roma women from accessing services and institutional protection in cases of violence. These patterns of violence and discrimination are examined vis-à-vis states' obligations to comply with anti-discrimination and anti-violence frameworks, such as national legislation, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention). This report was developed under the EU-UN Women regional programme 'Ending violence against women in the Western Balkans and Turkey: Implementing Norms, Changing Minds'.

https://eca.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2019/10/regional-report-on-discrimination-of-roma-women

Making Progress in Prevention Possible

Developed by UN Women and the Equality Institute, this regional framework to monitor progress on VAW prevention responds to the increasing recognition of the importance of gender sensitive data to guide and monitor evidence-based policies and to the need for a prevention monitoring framework contextualized to the Asia-Pacific region. The purpose of this framework is to guide policymakers and practitioners through the key components for building a prevention framework, and to illustrate how to measure change in the short, medium and long term, using an intersectional and whole-of-population approach.

Big Data Study

In COVID-19 and Violence Against Women: The evidence behind the talk, UN Women, in partnership with UNFPA and Quilt AI, conducted analysis of social media big data in eight countries: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore. The analysis explored COVID-19 and online perceptions and concerns on violence against women across Asia and the Pacific. It identified trends from discourse data generated across social media platforms and search engines to inform programming and campaigns on EVAW.

ICT-related VAWG

With the growing reach of the Internet, the rapid spread of information and communications technologies (ICTs) and the wide diffusion of social media, new forms of violence against women and girls have emerged online. UN Women’s multi-country study on Online violence against women in Asia focused on five Asian countries – India, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines and the Republic of Korea – and investigated forms of online violence, legislation and policies governing digital spaces, and how to prevent and respond to this type of violence. The study found that ICT-related violence is common in all five countries and that women and girls are at higher risks of violence in digital spaces: offline violence against women and girls is replicated online.

VAW VAC Study

UN Women, in partnership with UNFPA and UNICEF, undertook a study on the intersections of Violence against Women and Violence against Children in Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Viet Nam. Based on the country studies, the regional report explores opportunities and challenges for collaborative and integrative approaches that meet the specific needs and rights of both women and children.

Decision tree: Data collection on Violence Against Women Migrant Workers

This decision tree helps organizations working on violence against women migrant workers decide when and how to best collect data on women migrant worker’s experiences of violence and their access and use of relevant services. These organizations include service providers, policymakers, national statistical offices, and development partner agencies. This decision tree guides data collectors through the various considerations, viable options, and alternative data sources for obtaining information without jeopardizing participants’ safety or the data’s integrity. The decision tree explores three types of data: prevalence data, administrative data and qualitative data. It was adapted from the Decision Tree: Data collection on violence against women and COVID-19, by UN Women, UNFPA/kNOwVAWdata and WHO.

UN Women Albania supported an analysis of the Albanian legislation in the area of violence against women and girls in politics and a media monitoring of the 2021 parliamentary elections, which identifies possible areas/provisions that could be amended to address VAWE.

UN Women Bosnia and Herzegovina supported development of a first ever Baseline Study on Criminal Justice Protection, Legal and Social Position of Victims of Sexual Violence in BiH. Findings and policy recommendations from the Study provides clear directions for further engagement in improving social and institutional response to sexual violence. The scoping study on sexual harassment in public spaces in Banja Luka was conducted. The findings on the gaps and challenges in legal and institutional frameworks as well the attitudes around SH against women and girls were used for development of a 5-year strategy for addressing SH in public space in Banja Luka.

To generate data on the sexual harassment (SH) and other forms of sexual violence against women and girls (SVAWG) in public spaces UN Women conducted a comprehensive assessment of the risks and experiences of sexual violence encountered by women in conflict-affected Novoaydar and Zolote, Luhansk oblast and Soledar and Toretsk, Donetsk oblasts. This UN Women Multi-site Scoping Study on sexual harassment and other forms of sexual violence against women and girls in public spaces in Eastern Ukraine includes the findings of the Safety Audits of public spaces, as well as the results of online surveys and focus group discussions conducted with women from these communities.

With the expert support provided by UN Women Ukraine 11 Safety Audits of public spaces were conducted by grass root women’s groups in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, generating data for the ongoing policymaking aimed at strengthening the investment in gender-responsive urban planning and public infrastructure.

To assess the access of victims/survivors of domestic violence to civil court protection measures and generate evidence for the need to build the capacity of local authorities, law enforcement and judiciary on enhancing the access to justice of victims/survivors of domestic violence through survivor-centred planning, budgeting and coordination UN Women Ukraine conducted an “Assessment of civil court decisions on the issuance of protection orders against domestic violence perpetrators.”

To measure progress on transforming the beliefs and attitudes of women and men on gender norms, power relations and gender-based discrimination and violence in three Ukrainian conflict-affected regions UN Women conducted the “Interim survey of public perceptions and attitudes towards gender-based violence against women in Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia  oblasts..”

UN Women Ukraine in partnership with Internews Ukraine has conducted a content analysis of the regional and local media in 7 target regions based on quantitative and qualitative analysis of gender-sensitive stories produced by local and regional media.

In Moldova, UN Women CO supported capacity building activities so that over 73 specialists, including two men and 70 women from 35 social assistance territorial units have enhanced skills and are fully equipped on collecting administrative data on EVAW, by applying improved Annual Statistical Survey n.9 “Domestic Violence”.

An integrated and unified database for cases of domestic violence was developed with UN Women, Kosovo office support. The database in hosted and managed by the Office of the National Coordinator against Domestic Violence/Deputy Minister of Justice and enable the monitoring and prosecution of domestic violence cases in Kosovo, and ensure accountability, by obliging relevant institutions to feed the database with the necessary information from central and local levels.

In Tajikistan: The publication Men and Women in Tajikistan has most up-to-date, sex-disaggregated and comparable data (over time and across the major regions of the country), particularly important for measuring differences in the situation of women and men (i.e. gender gaps), in line with Beijing PoA priority areas and 14 SDGs identified as relevant to Tajikistan. As stated in the National Statistics Development Strategy (2019), “CEDAW convention, Beijing Platform for Action, and SDGs are major catalysts for the collection, analysis and use of sex-disaggregated data and gender statistics”; gender and other variables become a priority in order to fully measure and address gender inequalities, and ensure gender equality by 2030. 

UN Women contributed to this provision technical assistance and support in data collection, analysis, and presentation in the publication.

The major partner was the State Statistical Agency under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan and Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, who lead the process from the GoT side.

UN-Women highlighted the importance of preventing SH during COVID-19 in multiple settings, including on health, care and domestic work as well as on public spaces and cyber harassment, through webinars with a total of 1820 participants from within and outside of the UN system.

#HeForShe at home campaign

To creatively address concerns about rising violence at home during COVID-19, and the increased burden of unpaid care work, UN Women in Asia and the Pacific joined forces with a community of influencers, activists and celebrities in Thailand to involve the public in the #HeForSheAtHome campaign. The campaign was designed to ease tensions at home using humor, and advocated for shared caring responsibilities to prevent family violence. The campaign reached approximately 46 million viewers and engaged more than 140 content producers across various social media platforms, with the core message that men can be more involved in caring roles at home. 

Political Engagement Strategy in Asia and the Pacific

UN Women’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific has been instrumental in implementing the Secretary General's Political Engagement Strategy on Gender Based Violence (GBV), helping to highlight EVAW as a significant political issue on government agendas in the region. Along with country offices in Asia and the Pacific, the Regional Office supported states in the region include EVAW within their essential services. With leadership from the UN Resident Coordinators (RCs) and support from other UN agencies, ROAP has supported efforts in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and other countries in the region to adopt short- and long-term action areas identified within the Political Engagement Strategy.

Safety planning for violence against women during the COVID-19 pandemic

The Safety Plan was developed under the COVID-19 pandemic context when the ‘isolation measures’ could put women at further risk of violence. The Safety Plan provides a way to think about how to stay safe at home, in community and in workplace regardless of the migratory status of women. This is designed in a way to help women, especially women migrant workers, prepare for dangers if they are in an abusive situation of fear of violence or harassment. The Safety Plan is available in 9 languages.

Action Brief: A Guide for Action to Stem Increasing Violence Against Women amid the COVID-19 Pandemic in Asia and the Pacific

This is a guide for governments, aid agencies, service providers, businesses and other groups on what to do to protect women from violence during the pandemic and its associated array of lockdowns, movement restrictions, services closures, and other disease control measures.

In response to COVID-19, UN Women Albania:

1. Supported the Ministry of Health and Social Protection in the adoption of Protocol “On the operation of public and non-public residential centres, providing shelter services to victims of domestic violence and human trafficking during the COVID-19 pandemic”, followed by a video broadcast on public TV and on social media to encourage reporting VAWG during the lockdown period, which reached 400,000 views. 
2. Supported the Sub-Parliamentary Committee on Gender Equality to identify interventions in the area of gender equality during COVID-19 pandemic and maintained ongoing communications with local and national institutions for managing the situation of violence against women and other groups, who were at higher risk of facing domestic violence due to the lockdown.
3. Supported women’s rights CSOs to conduct monitoring of referral mechanisms in 11 municipalities, including a special reporting during COVID-19 health crisis. 
4. Trained 37 public and non-public service providers on provision of sheltering services during COVID-19 based on the approved protocol.
5. Conducted 2 Rapid Gender Assessments to (i) measure the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on women and men, including in the area of GBV; (ii) assess challenges and gaps of 6 women’s CSOs in offering services to survivors during COVID-19, resulting in adaptation of support to CSOs based on the situation.
6. Supported 12 CSOs with 1,100 protective equipment units to continue service provision including accommodation in shelters during COVID-19
7. Supported CSO service providers to offer direct services to approximately 400 women survivors of VAWG. 

In response to the COVID 19, UN Women Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) provided immediate support to 8 Safe Houses in BiH covering their running costs, basic needs of survivors and children placed in the safe houses, and basic personal protection equipment. As a result, immediate support in the first months of the COVID 19 outbreak was provided to survivors of different forms of violence through more than 1500 SOS calls and 1300 persons through phone and online counselling. Comprehensive specialized support services within Safe Houses were provided to 176 women and children. In the months after initial response UN Women BiH has provided more structural support for improved accessibility and availability of specialized services to survivors of violence in all 8 Safe Houses in BiH. Safe Houses were able to provide additional 950 SOS calls, admit 380 women and children and provide 155 different services survivors of domestic.

Ukraine: Aimed at preventing gender-based violence against women and girls 1,200 brochures for perpetrators of domestic violence comprising information on criminalization of domestic violence, as well as educational information on increased domestic work imposed on women, especially during the Covid 19 pandemic lockdowns, promoting respectful relationships between intimate partners and household members were disseminated to men from 13 target communities in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

53 staff (22 women, 31 men) of the National Police of Ukraine Departments in eastern oblasts of Ukraine, increased their knowledge on gender mainstreaming as a tool for effective integration of gender equality priorities into their work and on prevention and respond to GBV during COVID-19 pandemic. 

In the response to the COVID-19, UN Women Moldova CO has conducted a rapid assessment of women’s needs, affected by gender-based violence and of the systemic response to cases of violence in the context of the Covid-19 crisis through a national NGO. Based on the needs highlighted by partner organizations, UN Women Moldova has provided essential online services through several national NGOs, to around 353 women and girls affected by violence, women's survivors of violence, 156 women migrants (including those affected by violence, or in substantial risk) for a 4-month period. In addition to this, essential products have been provided to 250 women survivors of violence beneficiaries of 15 institutions (shelters, organizations, etc.) and to 3,279 social assistants and social workers, from 36 Territorial structures of social assistance across the country, including the Transnistrian region. They have been assisted during emergency lockdown conditions and equipped with necessary items (food and hygiene products) and personal protection equipment (PPE) during COVID-19 outbreak. 

In the context of Joint UN Programme „Strengthening the Republic of Moldova’s National Response to the COVID-19 Crisis”, funded by UN COVID-19 Response and Recovery Multi-Partner Trust Fund (UN COVID-19 MPTF), under UN Women CO component, 295 women survivors of violence, 41 indirect beneficiaries’ members of their families and 500 members of multidisciplinary teams in different regions of the country have been provided with essential products. 

As part of COVID-19 Response and Recovery Window of the Moldova 2030 SDGs Partnership Fund (SDGPF) in 2021, over 3,000 women in vulnerable situations or part of vulnerable groups (unemployed due to COVID-19 pandemic, living with HIV, from vulnerable families, with disabilities, with more than 4 children, older people within extreme poverty, etc) from both banks of the Nistru river have been supported with essential products (food, hygienic products, PPEs).

PPE items were offered to multidisciplinary teams from Cahul and Ungheni districts to maintain their work/interventions to respond to violence against women and children in times of crisis. Around 1,200 social workers from 70 localities were enabled to provide continuous social assistance to the local population. More than 3,400 vulnerable women and children from Cahul and Ungheni were better able to maintain their well-being and increase their personal protection from COVID-19 by receiving direct support (food, hygiene packages, and PPE items). 

Supported by UN Women Kosovo, around 550 women/DV survivors in the shelters were provided with supplies such as food and hygienic kits, bed linen and clothes to shelters. Technical equipment to shelters around Kosovo was also delivered ensuring that the attendance of online learning classes by children in the shelters is not disrupted. Women sheltered in quarantine facility were also provided hygiene packages, clothes, PPE prior to admission. UN Women directly contributed to these results through procuring and delivering these items jointly with UNFPA. Women business owners will be able to benefit from a 2 million Euro worth of grants for allocated by the government as part of its economic recovery package. UN Women contributed to these results by collecting operative data and evidence on the gendered impact of the pandemic in the Rapid Gender Assessment of the Situation and Needs of Women in the Context of COVID-19(RGA), conducted in March-April 2020 and Rapid assessment of the socio-economic impact of the crisis on Kosovan households conducted in April-June 2020. Needs of survivors from non-majority communities were addressed through support to the shelter in North Mitrovica in receiving essential services in North Mitrovica. All DV shelters in Kosovo received working tools including beehives, tailoring and hairdressing tools, baking ovens for the large-scale production of bread and other food items as well as technical equipment. The main aim of this undertaking was to enable income generation for the shelters, in order to foster their economic empowerment and independence in a sustainable fashion. At the same time, provision of these tools offers the opportunity for capacity building for survivors residing in these shelters, who by utilizing these tools gain the ability to use those skills for possible employment opportunities or business start-ups once they leave the shelter. With the average annual turn-over of women in shelters being approximately 600, it can be estimated that up to 600 women will directly and sustainably benefit from the provided equipment Kosovo public at large was informed about:

1. The pandemic and key prevention measures;
2. The impact of the pandemic on women and women economies;
3. DV and GBV through the 16 days of activism campaign; and
4. Promotion of Kosovo Police app which can be used to report cases of DV and GBV as well as other incidents and crimes (and which now allows the easy reporting of domestic violence through an updated direct button).

The total reach of the cumulative campaigns was over 300 000 people through UN Women Kosovo social media alone. UN Women contribution to all these results was provided through technical and advocacy support.

In Tajikistan, Under UN Women technical guidance, the UNCT members jointly with the Governmental structures (health/ women empowerment/ social protection/ emergency) created joint plans, including on awareness raising and prevention. The final SPT COVID-19 Action Plan’s measures and activities were presented and well aligned with the Government’s position and the COVID-19 request issued by state authorities (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of RT, CoWFA, MoH, CoES, CYA). The activities were incorporated, along with monitoring indicators ad targets, in the Integrated Socio-Economic Response Framework. The plan also covered awareness raising elements: Dissemination of information about COVID-19, VAWG, VAC, supporting awareness raising campaigns on TV, social media networks, radio broadcasting on COVID-19 and including on the impact on women and girls, general and user-friendly information (videos, leaflets) developed for dissemination among the population. Within the Spotlight Initiative UN Women developed gender-sensitive recommendations for preparedness to and during quarantine period. Recommendations included specific measures to address GBV, protect women health workers, etc. Recommendation were handed over to MFA and other GoT bodies. In this process, the Spotlight Initiative team participated in several meetings with Government officials and various coordination platforms to advocate for the rights of women and girls in the context of COVID-19. 

Rapid Gender Assessment

The report on “What Rapid Gender Assessment data says about the impact of COVID-19 on women’s and men’s lives and livelihood in Tajikistan” was prepared and published in three languages by UN Women in cooperation with Z-Analytics.  The overall objective of the assessment was to assess COVID-19 impact on women, girls, men, and boys, and to compare gender issues and social norms during the outbreak period. Furthermore, the assessment aimed to increase preparedness and response efforts to the emergency created by COVID-19 and to provide a gendered insight on how the situation has affected women and men differently. The RGA assessment captured 1,500 respondents in total, both women and men above the age of 18 years. The assessment covered all regions of Tajikistan with total population 9,126.6 people. RGA data shows that, overall, 61 percent respondents received information through traditional media sources, such as television, radio, and newspapers. Furthermore, RGA data disaggregated by target regions demonstrate that in Dushanbe, a considerable number of respondents also received information through internet and social media (22 per cent) and from public announcements (3 percent). In GBAO, 19 percent of respondents received information from health workers which is high by 5–7 percentage points then DRS, Sogd and Khatlon and 11 percentage points higher than Dushanbe. Compared to other regions, more users in DRS, Sogd and Khatlon found mobile phones to be an efficient tool in getting information on COVID-19. In Sogd – where people were dependent on traditional media sources was still utilized by a considerable number of people compared to Dushanbe and DRS. Finally, in Khatlon, most respondents (62 per cent) received information on COVID-19 through traditional media sources, followed equally by internet and social media and health centers and family doctors. As indicated by RGA data in this report, the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected both women and men from urban and rural areas and among all age groups. Based on RGA results, several conclusions are drawn that summarize the results of the COVID-19 outbreak. Based on these conclusions, several recommendations for various stakeholders, including national authorities and international organizations, as well as the local civil society organizations (CSO) are forwarded. 

Video messages

UN Women, UNICEF, UNFPA and UNDP jointly with the Committee on women and family affairs and the EU delegation developed positive transformative messages to the population: The messages in informational videos on promoting positive masculinity and challenging traditional norms among young people, men and women, which were part of the programmatic activities, were adopted to be more focused on men's involvement with care work at home in order to reduce the domestic burden on women, taking into account the increase in self-isolation during COVID-19 and its negative impact of GBV. The COVID-19 response video was also produced by UN Women in cooperation with CoWFA and spread among partners and Gender Thematic Group for further dissemination. The UN Women video on the social media page of the Gender Thematic Group (Facebook) had been viewed more than 18,000.  

Informational leaflets

UN Women in consultation with STP RUNOS and Committee of Women and Family Affairs developed the content for the leaflet on COVID19 impact on women and girls. Family resilience during the pandemic (81,400 copies), which has been disseminated among 596,000 people to promote harmonious and non-violent environment in the families. In addition, UN Women produced COVID-19 related leaflets (COVID-19 and women's vulnerability). These leaflets were aimed to women from vulnerable groups and contained information on help centers and hotlines as well as statistics. Teenage volunteers shared brochures and DVDs (developed by UNICEF and the Ministry of Health and Human Services) on COVID-19 prevention in their communities.

Outreach campaigns

According to the report from the Red Crescent Society, a 5-month COVID-19 and EVAWG outreach campaign challenged gender stereotypes and the notion of equality and fair distribution of the housework during the pandemic through the leaflet on Impact of COVID19 on Women and Girls. How to sustain family Resilience During the Pandemic. A progress has been made in the framework of SPT COVID-19 Response Plan and 5-month outreach campaign, which increased awareness of 596,000 in 6 SPT target districts (Isfara, B. Gafurov, Rudaki, Vose, Hissar and Yovon) on COVID-19 safety measures, prevention on violence against women and girls, available VAWG service for SGBV survivors and promoting gender equality relations. Project staff of the Red Crescent Society held several meetings with the local authorities in 6 target districts to inform about the project initiatives and obtain their support in organizing outreach campaigns to remote communities and disseminated the information materials via 120 community volunteers.

Youth Involvement

UNICEF, UNDP and UN Women jointly with Youth Committee invested in awareness among youth and children, parenting and prevention of violence against a girl-child through the Peer Education Center of the Committee. WHO and UNCT cooperated with the state ministries on development and publishing the infographics and information for the population in multi-media (WHO website). 130,000 young people  benefitted from online gender-sensitive awareness-raising and community mobilisation activities led by the newly established Communication Centre at the Committee on Youth and Sport Affairs.  The Communication Centre engaged young volunteers  in prevention and awareness-raising activities as part of its COVID-19 response measure. UN Women provided logistical support and several informational and educational materials  for dissemination. Other partners included UNDP and UNICEF, who equipped the Center with furniture and other items.

Hotline

Rendering psychological and legal consultations from PSS hub and national hotline was done through the investment on ensuring a 24/7 support, so that women and girls across Tajikistan, both those at risk and those experiencing violence, could have wider access to this service. UN Women provided the hotline with the relevant information on location and availability of services.

COVID 19 and Women living with HIV

People with HIV were also central in planning the activities. 241,058 people reached by non-stigma and discrimination messages towards women living with HIV through a social media campaign designed with the support of 12 women living with HIV.

According to the monitoring report from the official campaign website, accounts on Instagram, Facebook and Odnoklassniki the campaign created a great interest from general population. Messages of the campaign urge peoples to commit to helping create and sustain communities that promote awareness, understanding, and acceptance of people with HIV and generated over 100840 people in Instagram, 111789 people on Facebook and 28429 people on Odnoklassniki.

Women living with HIV got aware on consequences of COVID-19 impact on women living with HIV and supported by UN Women by distributing 7000 items of the leaflets on “What people living with HIV should know about COVID-19” that provided information to women on how to protect themselves, and how to respond to stigma and discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic. 300 women living with HIV from Dushanbe, Sughd and Districts under Central Government Jurisdiction were equipped with key protective gear and sanitizers.

The Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, Development partners, Donors, International organizations, UN Agencies, and civil society organizations have been better informed and make evidence-based decisions to address the needs of women living with HIV on COVID-19 context.

According to the multi-stakeholder group consist of active NGOs working in the field of HIV and AIDS, representatives of National Aids Center, representatives of the development agencies, international organizations, HIV networks, including women leaders, gender experts and Tajikistan Network of women living with HIV members, developed recommendations which have been incorporated in National Response plan and addressed immediate needs of WLWH.

UN Women made a significant contribution through identifying the key actors, members of the group and coordination of the multi stakeholder group further activities. UN Women contributed to this through hiring a National Consultant to serve as Senior peer counsellor and monitor and advise other peer counsellors. The consultant engaged with the government and other key stakeholders and monitored the progress of COVID-19 prevention and response actions, especially for women living with HIV. This virtual network of peer counsellors, consisted of 10 members, eight of them have been trained in psychosocial support and peer-counselling in individual and group consultations.

A new Viber group of peer counselors has been created that enables members to pose questions and receive immediate support from others. According to the final report of the local consultant, over 486 consultations on various issues in the context of COVID-19 and DV have been provided by the peer counsellors to WLWH from different regions. Voice notes and videos are regularly shared on sanitation techniques, social distancing, health care facilities contact details such as doctors, hotlines, and more.

This group of peer counsellors revealed that the number of cases of domestic violence has significantly increased among women living with HIV in Tajikistan during the pandemic. Women received online information on HIV treatment or how to access VAW services and support centers they received a comprehensive advice and guidance on services, made available by SPT in Tajikistan.

Due to the significant increase in the number of cases of domestic violence among women living with HIV, as revealed by the group of peer counselors, a mobile application has been developed for people living with HIV to simplify medical information and treatment, to address the urgent needs and connect women to VAW services.

According to the feedback of women engaged in the testing, the application allows people living with HIV to access timely and necessary medical services. The interactive map shows location of medical centers and nongovernmental organizations supporting people living with HIV.

UN Women provided technical guidance and IT support through the local company. The application design is based on the experiences of its developers and HIV activists. For people living with HIV, the app will act as a personal electronic patient card. It will allow the users to stay in touch with doctors online, setting up reminders about when to take medication and schedule appointments. A help button contains links to hotlines on HIV treatment and prevention and psychological and legal support for women.

In Bolivia with UN-Women’s technical assistance, the Office of the Ombudsman commissioned an analysis of the level of compliance with the legislation on VAWP at sub-national levels. The research findings concluded that only 19% of Municipal Autonomous Governments and 5 out of 9 Departmental Autonomous Governments have internal regulations in line with Law 243. The publication titled "Regulatory Package, for the Prevention and Sanctioning of Harassment and Political Violence against Women, in Departmental Autonomous Governments and Municipal Autonomous Governments",[1] aims to assist Municipal and Departmental Autonomous Governments to tackle key barriers to address VAWP providing tools to develop and implement regulations and procedures in line with the national law including: i) a model proposal for General Rules of Procedures of the Departmental Assembly or the Municipal Council; ii) draft Rules of Procedure of Ethics Commissions; iii) internal staff regulations and iv) a model proposal for the disciplinary regime

An institutional protocol to monitor and address Violence Against Women in Elections was developed by the National Electoral Commission in Liberia. UN Women provided technical support .

UN Women ESARO supported the development of a model law for establishment of special mechanisms to fast track SGBV cases by International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) with UN Women support. This had been one of the articles of the Kampala Declaration (2011) and provides a comprehensive framework to facilitate development of national instruments to fast track prosecution of SGBV cases.

In Kenya, UN Women provided both financial and technical support in the development of the GBV policy for Migori County. This was done through a participatory, multi-sectoral workshop attended by state and non-state GBV actors in the county.

In South Africa, UN Women as the lead UN agency has significantly made financial and technical contributions to the Coordination stream of the work of the Interim Steering Committee to ensure that the structure and legislation are drafted and the drafting of the Nation Strategic Plan. Other UN agencies have contributed in other streams of work.

Funding intersectional violence against women and girls (VAWG) services

This policy brief highlights the value that ‘by and for’ organizations bring to the fight to end violence against women and girls (VAWG) and examines how the current funding landscape jeopardizes the existence and autonomy of these organizations. It provides key recommendations on improving the nature of funding frameworks to support organizations that address the specific needs of minoritized women and girls.

https://eca.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2019/10/funding-intersectional-violence-against-women-and-girls-vawg-services

Good Practices in Responding to Domestic Violence : A Comparative Study

With the aim of assisting the Agency for Gender Equality of Bosnia and Herzegovina in supporting responsible government bodies to advance minimum standards in ensuring response and assistance to victims of gender-based violence, good practices were analyzed across four countries, two EU Member States (Austria and Spain), and two non-EU States within the Western Balkan region (Albania and Serbia). This document provides a detailed, technical description of national programmes and initiatives that have been recognized internationally as good practice. It provides comparative information from the four selected countries in order to demonstrate distinct approaches and models. The aim is to provide diverse options to assist relevant actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina in selecting the best approach tailored to their current needs and circumstances in line with international standards. For each practice, after setting forth the relevant international standards based on the Istanbul Convention, the UN Guidelines on Essential Services Package, jurisprudence from the European Court of Human Rights and Council of Europe Guidelines, the flagship best-practice initiatives are described, comparing like models, where good practice exists in more than one country. Challenges to implementing each good practice model are also noted, including deviations from international standards as well as practical barriers to implementation.

https://eca.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2019/05/good-practices-in-responding-to-domestic-violence-a-comparative-study

UN Women Analysis of the Capacities for the Implementation of Council of Europe Convention of Preventing and Combating Domestic Violence and Violence against Women in Police and Free Legal Aid Sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina

With this analysis, UN Women seeks to support the Agency for Gender Equality of the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees Bosnia and Herzegovina to establish minimum standards for service provision to survivors of gender-based violence in several sectors in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The analysis examines the two sectors' capacity to implement the standards derived from the Istanbul Convention including state obligations and due diligence, integrated policies and data collection, prevention, protection and support, substantive law, investigation, prosecution, and procedural law. In addition to the detailed assessment of legal, operational and institutional framework, the analysis further examines the capacities of responsible sectoral governmental institutions and service providers at the local level, including relevant NGOs. Detailed information from institutions and service providers were collected from interviews, representing the opportunity for identifying a new way of understanding the topic at hand. The analysis will add to the evidence-based support to the activities of institutions in the country with a view of meeting the obligations that stem from the Istanbul Convention, and ultimately providing adequate support to victims of gender-based violence and domestic violence, as well as processing of perpetrators.

https://eca.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2019/05/bosnia-police-and-free-legal-aid

National Action Plan on Anti-Trafficking in Persons (2021-2025) in Malaysia

The National Action Plan on Anti-Trafficking in Persons (2021-2025) or “NAPTIP 3.0” was successfully launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs on 31 March. The new NAPTIP provides the policy and implementation directions for Malaysia’s anti-trafficking efforts in the next five years. The NAPTIP 3.0 was developed through a collaborative process among the Malaysian Council for Anti-Trafficking in Persons, UN Women, ILO, UNODC (as the implementing agencies of the Safe and Fair Programme) and civil society organizations. The inputs from UN Women and ILO mainly focused on enhancing the prevention of trafficking in persons by addressing risk factors, protection through legal remedies and provision of services to survivors, including increased prosecution of TIP.

A Guidance Note to Develop Migrant-Sensitive National Action Plans on Violence against Women

This guidance on inclusion of women migrant workers’ rights and realities related to VAW builds on the UN Women resource, “Handbook for National Action Plans on Violence Against Women”. The Guidance note provides specific recommendations to ensure the concerns and interests of women migrant workers are incorporated into National Action Plans on Ending Violence Against Women.

UN Women Albania:

1- Supported the Albanian State Police to develop policy and procedures against harassment and sexual harassment to protect women and men among the police forces.

2- Supported the Albanian State Police (ASP) to develop an E-Learning Course on the Policy against Harassment, including Sexual Harassment in the Workplace.

3- Supported five municipalities (Durres, Korce, Tirane, Elbasan, Lezhe) to effectively apply gender responsive planning and budgeting in the local MTBP, with a focus on budgeting in VAWG

With UN Women support, Ministry of Interior of Federation Bosnia and Herzegovina has improved standardization of police response to violence against women and domestic violence in Federation of BiH (FBiH). A Framework policy and 10 proposals for improved cantonal policies for internal division of tasks in response to cases of domestic violence was developed to standardize roles within the police force. In place are also a Manual for in-service training of police officers on the response to cases of domestic violence and recommendations for changes in the FBiH Police Academy curriculum for improved knowledge of police cadets on legal and institutional response to DV and VAW.

In Ukraine, with the aim of strengthening the local gender machinery and enabling local governments to develop, implement, monitor and coordinate gender-responsive policies, UN Women successfully advocated with local public authorities the establishment of 13 Local Gender Coordination Councils[ with an extended mandate focusing on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Safe Cities for Women and Girls. Furthermore, because of UN Women advocacy efforts 5 Deputy Heads of communities were appointed as Commissioners on Gender Equality and Prevention and Combating of Domestic and Gender-based Violence delegated with the promotion of equal rights and equal opportunities for women and men at the community level. In Ukraine, women, and girls from 12 communities in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts benefit now from socio-economic development programs and target programs inclusive of measures on preventing and combating violence against women and girls. UN Women provided expert support to local authorities and tailored capacity development for Self-Help Groups on preventing gender-based violence and participation in decision-making processes.

In Ukraine, 3 conflict-affected communities adopted Safe Cities for Women and Girls Programs using evidence generated by the UN Women Multi-site Scoping Study on the risks and experiences of sexual violence encountered by women in public spaces in conflict-affected East of Ukraine.

In Moldova, with UN Women CO support, The Ministry of Health Labor and Social Protection co-created/developed with all relevant institutions (Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, NGOs, Probation, and women's survivors of violence) the Intersectoral protocols and referral mechanisms on EVAW, which are awaiting approval by the Government in 2021. As well, UN Women CO supported the development of intermediary analysis of EVAW Strategy and as a result a new Plan for 1,5 year was developed and awaiting approval by the Government.

UN Women Kosovo, supported development of the Kosovo Programme for Gender Equality (2020-2024) and the Action Plan (2020-2022), which was approved by the Kosovo government on 23 May 2020. The decision obliges the institutions of Kosovo to implement this Programme according to the activities foreseen in the Action Plan, while the Agency for Gender Equality within the Office of the Prime Minister is obliged to monitor the implementation and to annually report on the implementation of the program. Provisions from the UNSCR 1325, gender sensitive transitional justice activities and support for mainstreaming gender into the security sector were also included in the Kosovo Gender Programme 2020-2024, with direct support of UN Women.

With UN Women Kosovo support, in November 2020, Policy against Sexual Harassment in Public Administration in Kosovo, was adopted by the government. The aim of the policy is to serve as an instrument and in creating a workplace environment free from of any form of sexual harassment and sanction such action. A new Kosovo Strategy and Action Plan on Protection from Domestic Violence (2022-2026) is currently in drafting process, with the support of UN Women.

In Tajikistan, UN Women assisted the GoT in developing localized integrated referral system for survivors of violence.