Sexual Violence in Conflict

UNDP has developed gender equality and crisis prevention and recovery training materials for technical staff of its Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery. UNDP has trained 13 UNDP offices in conflict and post-conflict situations on gender mainstreaming for country programming.

In 2008, technical consultations were conducted to support the roll-out of gender-based violence information management system (GBVIMS) in Kenya and Northern Uganda. GBVIMS is a joint effort of UNHCR, UNFPA and IRC.

WHO developed in collaboration with UNHCR, UNFPA and the International Committee of the Red Cross “The Clinical management of rape survivors: developing protocols for use with refugees and internally displaced persons (updated, 2005)’. These guidelines provide guidance on setting up rape services in emergency settings. Following an expert consultation in December 2006, WHO is finalizing Safety and ethical recommendations for data collection, monitoring and research on sexual violence in conflict.

In the context of armed conflict and the ongoing crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory, UNRWA supports women with the provision of temporary employment, with psycho-social support to family members, provision of shelter and emergency food and cash support. This emergency support is critical considering the drastic economic and social decline being experienced by Palestinians in the occupied territory, which has contributed to increased levels of social violence, including gender-based violence.

The Third Session of the Committee on Women of ESCWA was convened in Abu Dhabi, in March 2007, and focused on women and armed conflict in the Arab region, including violence against women. ESCWA also convened an expert group meeting in March 2007 on the impact of armed conflict on women, and the advancement of women living under conflict conditions. Topics included gender-based violence during armed conflict.

The ESCWA Centre for Women devoted the first issue of its newsletter on women and armed conflict. The newsletter examined gender-based violence against women in conflict settings in the Arab world. The March 2007 issue was devoted on violence against women in the ESCWA region and was distributed on International Women’s Day 2007, as part of the global effort to call attention to this important issue.

OCHA’s Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) has produced a number of publications and videos on violence against women in war, and on female genital mutilation. OCHA contributes to awareness-raising and outreach by informing communities about the availability and value of support services for victims of gender-based violence, including sexual violence. It disseminates information on international humanitarian law to arms bearers.

ESCAP produced a publication on women, violence, human rights and armed conflict (2000).

OHCHR continues to cooperate with various agencies such as UNICEF, UNIFEM and WHO on the development of particular tools, such as “Manual on Caring for Survivors of Sexual Violence in Conflict-Affected Areas” (with UNICEF) and “Ethical and Safety Recommendations for Researching, Documenting and Monitoring Sexual Violence in Emergencies”.

The project “Building capacity to enhance humanitarian protection in the context of food assistance in emergencies, 2005-2006” is part of WFP’s ongoing effort to address violence against women. The project aims to enhance WFP staff’s understanding of gender issues and how to address them adequately.