Data Collection, Analysis and Research

Between August and December 2013, UNHCR carried out a comprehensive review of the 2012 Participatory Assessments (PAs) in 42 different countries. This review looked at the process used in different locations to carry out PAs, the content of the assessments, and their outcomes in terms of strategic planning. With PAs being one of the elements of UNHCR’s participatory approach and AGD being a strategy to promote gender equality and respect for human rights which informs all stages of strategic planning, the review makes recommendations for addressing the identified weaknesses, mainly through a revision of the UNHCR Tool for Participatory Assessments in Operations. Hide

UNHCR, as part of the Global Team responsible for the Gender-Based Violence Information Management System (GBVIMS) provided technical support in data collection and analysis to 10 countries including missions to Jordan and Lebanon. Hide

UNESCO developed a global review of school-related gender based violence and conducted a regional review on the topic the Asia Pacific region. UNESCO also commissioned five country studies on the links between HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence in the Great Lakes Region of Africa and conducted a regional workshop on the topic in Tanzania (material available online). Hide

ESCWA’s Centre for Women (ECW) developed a comprehensive Database on National Legislations on VAW in the Arab Region drawing on close consultations with fourteen Member States. The Database is accessible to all Member States through ESCWA’s web portal, to be used and updated as a monitoring and reporting tool on any legislative developments relevant to VAW in the region. Participating countries received training on the usage of the Database supported with an analytical regional report that summarizes the findings of all collected data and proposes a framework for action oriented measures. Hide

UNDP supported the establishment of national databases on VAW and domestic violence in Iraq to ensure unified and consistent reporting as well as effective monitoring of reporting and prosecution of VAW/Domestic Violence cases, as well as on femicide, in Guatemala. It further supported, in partnership with the Huairou Commission, research by grassroots women in seven African countries (Ghana, Cameroon, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe), entitled “Engendering Bottom-up Justice Reform–A Grassroots Women’s Approach to Accessing Justice” on effective strategies and tools used to engage in cases involving women’s land tenure, inheritance and domestic violence in informal systems. It also supported numerous initiatives to enhance data collection and research including a national survey for violence against women in Albania and PNG; a report on economic costs of family violence in Kyrgyzstan, in partnership with UN Women; a Multi-Country study on Policing and Prosecution of Sexual Violence in Asia: India, Thailand and Viet Nam, in cooperation with UN Women and ONODC; a study in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan on laws that protect women from violations of their rights (including forced/coerced abortions and sterilizations) and its gaps at healthcare settings in South Asia; a study on linkages between VAW and HIV in the Asia-Pacific region; research on domestic violence in Timor-Leste, access to justice and barriers; website in Kuwait which includes studies also on VAW as well as a women’s research and studies center and a women’s digital database. Hide

UNICRI has launched a new research aimed at providing data on the consequences of the economic crisis on women’s rights and gender inequality. It focuses on domestic violence, discrimination, access to justice and welfare service and explores possible strategies to address the risks. Case studies are collected from the grassroots level from France, Spain, Italy and Greece, where the impact of the economic downturn on the women and the coping responses of their respective governments are studied from a gender perspective. The research intends to address the gap in the research about gendered impact of the economic crisis at national and regional levels and to contribute to the post-2015 development framework. Hide

In March 2013, ECLAC published the third report of the Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean, which focuses on indicators of physical, economic and decision-making autonomy as seen against the backdrop of the regional agenda shaped by the consensuses reached at the Regional Conferences on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Observatory’s indicators of physical autonomy highlight the obstacles that women in the region face in seeking to take their own decisions about their sexuality and reproduction and to exercise their right to a life free of violence. Hide

ECLAC is finalizing a regional report on violence against women, including femicide, the State responses and challenges to address it. Hide

WHO, PEPFAR, UNFPA, UN Women and the University of British Columbia convened a panel on “GBV and HIV linkages: Taking stock of the evidence and setting an implementation research agenda” at the International AIDS Conference in Washington DC in July 2012. Hide

UN Women’s flagship programme, Safe Cities for Women, is operating in 13 countries to develop models of urban spaces free from violence against women and girls. Five cities (Cairo, Delhi, Kigali, Port Moresby and Quito) are applying an impact evaluation methodology to contribute a solid evidence basis for what works. Cities are using various data collection methods, for example: multi-media and smart phone technology in Rio’s favelas; engendering of existing survey instruments in the Municipal Observatories of Quito; and institutionalization of safety audits in Cario. Hide