Mar 2011 - Feb 2012

Gender-based violence prevention has been integrated into urban upgrading through the Barrios de Verdad (Real Neighborhoods) World Bank project in Bolivia. The project operates in collaboration with UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, and DFID in sixteen poor neighborhoods in La Paz. Along with other activities the project built indoor sanitation facilities and street lighting to improve pedestrian mobility and women’s security, which are said to have decreased outdoor violence against women.

The UN Women Safe Cities Free of Violence against Women and Girls Global Programme has continued to support national partners in five countries (Ecuador, Egypt, India, Papua New Guinea and Rwanda) to produce, test and offer for wide application and upscaling by local governments, a set of model approaches for preventing and reducing sexual violence against women and girls in public spaces in cities, and to expand its full impact potential for strengthening women’s empowerment, and enhance the quality of city life for all.

UNICEF supported the Second Latin American and Caribbean Conference on the Right to Identity and Universal Birth/Civil Registration of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Organization of American States (OAS), and a similar high-level conference in Africa, under the umbrella of the African Union (AU), to continue its advocacy against child marriage and child trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

UNHCR offices organized numerous activities to raise awareness on SGBV as part of the annual 16 Days of Activism campaign. UNHCR also developed multimedia training and awareness raising materials, including a series of video clips on the Five Commitments to Refugee Women, which include SGBV.

In WHO, the 16-days of activism campaign was accompanied by joint efforts of several departments through a web feature with 16 facts on violence against women, a poster exhibition and facts on violence against women disseminated via facebook and twitter throughout the 16 days of the campaign. More information on the campaign is available at: http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/global_campaign/16_days/en/index.html

During the 16 Days of Activism Campaign, UN Volunteers carried out a series of initiatives in Bangladesh refugee camps, a reproductive health assistance was set up and worked with medical teams from partner organizations; in Cambodia, more than 28 UN Volunteers have been trained to be able to carry out activities during the campaign; in Sudan, UNV collaborated with UNFPA, civil society organizations, universities, governments and volunteers and joined efforts to fight gender-based violence (GBV).

As part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence Campaign, the Working Group on discrimination against women in law and in practice and the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences issued a joint press statement highlighting how political transitions are unique opportunities to ensure that women participate equally in public life and that their rights in legal and social systems, including the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence in law and in practice are addressed.

As part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence Campaign, UN entities supported and/or organized several initiatives, in partnership with multiple stakeholders. In Gaza, Jordan, Syria and the West Bank, UNRWA organized interactive theatrical performances, puppet shows, athletic activities, awareness sessions and lectures, as well as speeches by Imams at mosques – all highlighting the need to end gender based violence.

UN Women launched an initiative to celebrate the International Day on Violence against Women (25th November) directed to UN Staff in Algeria with the active involvement of all UN resident agencies, in particular UNHCR, UNFPA, UNIC.

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, UNESCO HQ organized a workshop on policies to prevent VAW. The workshop brought together different stakeholders who engaged in a dialogue on new ways to combat and prevent VAW and enabled them to make recommendations on concrete and realisable policies.