United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute

A new Report on “The Impacts of the Crisis on Gender Equality and Women’s Wellbeing in European Union (EU) Mediterranean Countries” was prepared by the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) with the involvement of researchers from France, Greece, Italy and Spain. The report included the findings of the gendered impact of the crisis and its consequences for women in the EU Mediterranean Basin. This study intended to address the gap in the research about gendered impacts of the economic crisis at national and regional levels and to contribute to the Post-2015 development framework.
The report was based on economic indicators of gender equality and focuses on domestic violence, discrimination, access to justice and welfare services, and covered the four countries from the Mediterranean Basin: France, Spain, Italy and Greece. These countries were chosen because of their similar population numbers and location, in the effort of gathering comparable data. Coping responses of the countries respective governments were analysed from a gender perspective. This new Report provided insights on the impact of economic downturn on women’s well-being and to support the future strategy for promoting women’s rights and gender equality, with a view of attaining the MDGs for 2015. It explored possible strategies, which can help to minimize risks and alleviate vulnerable situations. The presentation of the report, attended by Permanent Representatives of the EU and outside EU countries to the United Nations and representatives of the United Nations Institutions based in Geneva, was launched at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on 18 September 2014.

In June 2015, UNICRI published a good practice handbook: “Promoting a gender responsive approach to addiction”, which provides practical examples of gender mainstreaming in addiction services, as well analyses the most relevant factors influencing the development of addiction in women and girls, including the role of previous abuse and violence. The handbook also discusses protective and resilience factors, as well as the  role of trauma from previous violence experiences and the specific characteristic of female recovery processes.