Jul 2007

OHCHR extends legal assistance to victims of violence and members of their families. In Côte d’Ivoire, OHCHR has initiated a series of high visibility activities on the promotion of economic, social and cultural rights of women as a tool to empower them in their efforts against gender-based violence.

In 2005, IOM’s Working Group on Gender Issues at Headquarters supported the production of a series of TV public service announcements for anglo-phone Caribbean countries on HIV/AIDS prevention and a documentary for Senegalese television on trafficking of children.

The ILO Guide on Preventing Discrimination, Exploitation and Abuse of Migrant Women Workers covers the full migration cycle, from pre-departure to reintegration in the country of origin, including a specific module on trafficking. The Guide has been used extensively to build the capacity of ILO constituents in protecting migrant women workers and preventing abusive situations. It is currently available in 10 languages. ILO through its International Migration Branch has specific technical cooperation activities on trafficking.

In Central and Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States, IFAD has initiated a project to provide alternatives to migration and prevention of trafficking by developing new income generating activities, diversifying livelihood options and reducing barriers to entrepreneurship, specifically empowering high-risk vulnerable groups, with a focus on women and youth.IFAD worked on women’s empowerment in the Mahbubnagar region of Andhra Pradesh, India, in partnership with UNIFEM, The Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty and the Kovel Foundation, by organizing women into self-help groups and

UNICRI produced a website on trafficking in minors and commercial sexual exploitation of children, with a special focus on sex tourism and code of conduct for tourism operators.

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.

In the area of education, UNESCO has produced peace education kits and training in non-violent conflict resolution, which also aim to reduce violence against women (e.g: Education for a Culture of Peace in a Gender Perspective (training manual) in English (2001) and French (2003).UNESCO seeks to promote gender equality in primary and secondary education through curriculum reform.

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.

As one of its key action areas, the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS advocates for strategies to halt violence against women and to address the linkages between violence and HIV transmission and access to services; promotes the right of women to have control over and decide freely and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality, free of coercion, discrimination and violence; and calls for greater action to address gender-based and sexual violence, including in conflict and post-conflict settings.

In Bangladesh, IFAD and other partners are supporting the Government to set up “women’s sections” in major markets to ensure women’s safety and prevent sexual harassment women face from men in the marketplace.