Jul 2007

In October 2006, together with OHCHR and WHO, UNICEF launched the UN Secretary-General’s study on violence against children. The study examined violence against children in a range of settings including: home and family, schools, workplace, institutions, and in the community. The study identifies violence against girls as a priority issue and acknowledges that girls face greater risks of neglect and sexual violence than boys.

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, facilitates the strengthening of knowledge bases by supporting efforts to improve the generation and use of data, including through supporting research studies and the creation of databases on violence against women, to build more effective institutions and improve the access of women survivors to services.

ESCWA published Social and Economic Situation of Palestinian Women 2000-2006, which analyses the close links between increased poverty and social burdens and increased domestic violence against women.

In April 2007, the Gender and Development Section of the Emerging Social Issues Division organized an expert group meeting at ESCAP addressing “Regional Strategies for Implementing the Recommendations from the Secretary-General’s Study on Violence against Women with Particular Emphasis on Harmful Traditional and Cultural Practices and the Role of National Machineries”.

ESCAP conducted regional research on South Asia (2000), and national research on violence against women in Bangladesh (1999).

The main focus of ECLAC’s activities in addressing violence against women is research. Efforts have included: development of a theoretical and methodological framework aimed at the construction of indicators; collection of available statistical data and information on existing legislation, programmes and public policies; analysis of good practices; and understanding the relationship between gender-based violence and poverty.

ESCAP helps to catalyze gender analysis and policy-making among Member States at the governmental level through ESCAP subsidiary bodies. It serves as a coordinating body and forum of discussion and policy development on gender-based violence issues through the organization of expert group meetings, intergovernmental meetings, and thematic seminars.

ECA supported 12 countries to undertake field studies using the African Gender and Development Index. The 12 pilot countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Egypt, Ghana, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda) have collected qualitative data on domestic violence, harmful practices, rape, sexual harassment and trafficking in women.

UNFPA supports and advocates for attention to the macro-economic impact of gender-based and the costs of interventions to prevent it; for the inclusion of the costs of gender-based violence in gender equality and health accounts, as well as the provision of more resources for such efforts; and for the mapping of existing programmes and projects and the sharing of good practices to address gender based violence across regions.

UNDP supports research for policy development, the collection of data disaggregated by sex and the development of databases on gender issues.