United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, supported: a gender-based violence observatory in Guanajuato, Mexico; integrated domestic violence data collection and monitoring systems in the Caribbean, with PAHO and UNFPA; and studies on domestic violence among Romany women (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), violence against women and HIV policies (Mercosur countries) and survivor services (Sierra Leone), with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs and International Rescue Committee. Hide

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, contributed to policy development on gender-based violence in Cambodia, Egypt, Moldova, Morocco, Tanzania and Tunisia. Efforts by UNIFEM on gender-responsive budgeting led to national and municipal budget allocations for violence against women programmes in Bulgaria and Brazil. In October 2009, UNAIDS held a technical consultation of leading experts, practitioners, and researchers to review evidence on programme interventions to address violence against women through HIV-related entry points. Hide

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, contributed to government funds for Tajikistan’s Girls’ Support Centre and supported advocacy and survivor support networks in Algeria, Argentina, Morocco and Uruguay. Hide

UNIFEM’s, (now part of UN Women) continued support for advancing legislation on violence against women, in collaboration with national institutions, included: domestic violence legislation in Kazakhstan, Mozambique and Nepal; law reform and harmonization in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Georgia, Mexico, Senegal and the Solomon Islands; legal measures against sexual harassment in Bolivia and Pakistan. Hide

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, continued to provide technical and other support, in the context of joint United Nations efforts, to service provision initiatives. Hide

UNIFEM’s (now part of UN Women) efforts to strengthen programming and institutional responses included support for: the establishment of a domestic violence office in Argentina’s Supreme Court, with UNDP and UNICEF; judicial guidelines on in-camera hearings (Nepal), on domestic violence (China) and on traditional justice in indigenous communities (Ecuador); a reference guide for Albanian magistrates; a legal assistance guide for Haitian SGBV survivors; technical assistance for the International Commission of Inquiry for Guinea Conakry; training for justice sector personnel in the Great Lakes Region, Kenya, Paraguay and Thailand; South-South study tours for Ugandan police to Liberia and Sierra Leone; and specialized police units in South Sudan and Tanzania. Support to national institutions contributed to: India’s Integrated Women's Protection Scheme; and national coordination of Moldova’s Stakeholders Council on Violence against Women. UNIFEM also provided support to civil society and women’s organizations for initiatives, including: advocacy for the first special court on trafficking in Mumbai; using CEDAW to reform domestic violence redress in the Philippines. Hide

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, continued advocacy related to Security Council resolutions 1888 and 1889. UNIFEM participated in UNCT programmes and other inter-agency initiatives in many countries, such as in the development of the UN Action-supported strategy on sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Hide

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, continued to support the use of gender-responsive budgeting to secure budget lines for violence prevention, survivor assistance and access to justice in Mexico City and Burundi. Hide

In collaboration with the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), DAW, now part of UN Women, organized an expert group meeting on legislation on harmful practices, which took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 26 to 28 May 2009. The report of the meeting will supplement the model framework for legislation with specific recommendations and commentaries in relation to legislation on the forms of violence against women referred to as “harmful practices”, including child and forced marriage, female genital mutilation, and so-called “honour” crimes.DAW released the Handbook for legislation on violence against women (2009). The Handbook, intends to provide all stakeholders with detailed guidance to support the adoption and effective implementation of legislation which prevents violence against women, punishes perpetrators, and ensures the rights of survivors everywhere. It is hoped that the Handbook will be of use to government officials, parliamentarians, civil society, staff of United Nations entities and other actors in their efforts at ensuring that a solid legal basis is in place for tackling the scourge of violence against women. DAW also uploaded three videos on its website containing discussions on legislation on violence against women.On 4 March 2009, during the fifty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women, DAW organized a joint dialogue of the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice on “Addressing violence against women through legal reform”. Hide

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, continued to provide technical and other support in the context of joint United Nations efforts in the Asia-Pacific region, engaging men and boys to prevent violence against women. Hide