Prevention and Advocacy

In 2008/2009, UNICRI is implementing a second programme to counter trafficking in human beings from Nigeria to Italy, which also includes awareness-raising campaigns and education activities. Towards this end, an agreement was signed in February 2008 between Nigerian Government and UNICRI.

In May 2008, UNESCO’s Division for Gender Equality chaired a side event on female genital mutilation, organized by the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (IAC), in the context of the WHO World Health Assembly.

Through the UNFPA and UNICEF Trust Fund and Joint Programme on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), achievements included: launch in Djibouti and Guinea Bissau, where a forum was created for advocacy and policy dialogue towards accelerated abandonment of FGM/C within a generation, with a wide range of stakeholders; policy discussions were held in four Country Offices of UNFPA and UNICEF and with partners, in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Guinea Bissau, Sudan, and Egypt aimed at clarifying issues related to the operation of the Joint Programme and Trust Fund.

Many UNICEF country offices in 2008 have utilized television and radio campaigns and capitalized on international awareness days to publicize violence against women and girls.

UNRWA held weekly discussion groups for women, men, girls and families on how to deal with domestic violence and awareness sessions at WPCs on human rights and domestic violence for refugee women and volunteers. In Gaza, the Agency held a discussion group for girls, women and families, and a discussion group for men, on domestic violence. In Lebanon, the Agency led awareness sessions in camps. Approximately 5000 refugee women attended awareness-raising sessions on domestic violence by UNHCR.

In 2008, UNHCR allocated an additional USD 1.5 million for prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence. Projects include raising awareness through home visits in Bangladesh; sports and cultural activities in Uganda, Panama and Venezuela. In relation to the safe school initiative, UNHCR has conducted assessment missions with Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS) to Malawi, Namibia and Rwanda, to ensure safe learning environments and addressing sexual and gender-based violence in schools.

The Say NO to violence campaign (www.sayNOtoviolence.org) continued with a significant expansion in signatures from individuals, public figures, state officials, private sector entities and governments.

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, and DFID supported a conference organized by the Rwandan Defense Forces in Kigali in March 2008 on women’s participation in peacekeeping missions, as part of prevention of gender-based violence.

In March 2008, OHCHR facilitated interactive expert panel discussions on the question of violence against women, and on maternal mortality as a human rights issue, respectively.

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, collaborated with several agencies to support “Women on the Frontline”, a seven-part series of the BBC aired in April 2008 that profiled forms of violence against women around the globe.