Measures

UN Women continues to lead a global knowledge management initiative to address violence against women and girls, reaching 1,428,563 visitors from 232 countries and territories in four years. By the end of 2013, the Virtual Knowledge Centre (http://www.endvawnow.org) provided 11 programming modules in English, French and Spanish covering various sectors (Health, Justice and Security); settings (Safe Cities and Conflict/Post-conflict/Emergency); and interventions (Shelter, Legislative Development and Reform; Working with Men and Boys; Monitoring and Evaluation), with a tools database of over 950 tools in more than 65 languages. Hide

The largest-ever cross-country study on men and violence in Asia and the Pacific11 was launched by P4P, in September 2013, providing critical new evidence on men’s use of violence in the region. A UN Women, UK Aid and UNFPA-supported study on individual, institutional, legal and policy responses to VAWG in Nepal, was launched on 10 December. Hide

UN Women in Vietnam commissioned, jointly with UNODC, a research on the gender responsiveness of the criminal justice system aimed at strengthening the government response to VAW and contributed to the preparation of the "UN GBV Issues paper kit" that brings together five issue papers on GBV, based on research undertaken in 2012 and 2013 in Viet Nam by UN agencies. Hide

Leveraging existing accountability mechanisms for legal and policy action, UNAIDS, UNDP, UN Women and OHCHR jointly organized a briefing of the CEDAW committee on the link between HIV and violence against women. Hide

UN Women, UN ECLAC and UNFPA held a sub-regional capacity development workshop in Paraguay – targeting mainly defense forces and civil society - on SCR 1325, with a focus on GVC and sexual and reproductive health. The workshop was based on the curriculum that was developed on the issues for the Latin American and Caribbean region in 2012.

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In 2013, twenty-one countries, with the support of UN Women, took the critical step in adopting laws, policies and plans that provide the authorizing environment for concrete action to be taken to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls. For example, in Bolivia, after 10 years of advocacy by the women’s movement and with the support of UN Women, the Comprehensive Law to Guarantee Women a Life Free of Violence was enacted, recognizing 16 forms of abuse, establishing new criminal offenses and making provision for comprehensive prevention and response measures. Hide

The joint UNDP-UN Women regional study "The States’commitment: Plans and policies to end violence against women in Latin America and the Caribbean" analyzes in depth the national plans of action of 32 countries in the region, their links to the existing legislative framework and lessons learned. Hide

In commemoration of International Women’s Day, ESCAP and UN Women organized an event on “Ending Violence against Women - Our Shared Responsibility” during which new research findings on men’s use of violence against women and girls in Asia and the Pacific were presented. The ILO Director General along government, workers' and employers' representatives participated in a panel debate with the theme “STOP Violence at work” (http://www.ilo.org/gender/Events/international-women-day/lang--en/index.htm). ESCWA hosted a roundtable discussion on GBV, during which the ESCWA Regional Appeal on GBV -- signed by 58 prominent Arab figures– was launched stressing the need for the active engagement of several segments of society in ending VAW. Hide

UN Women’s Safe Cities Global Initiative includes: the “Safe Cities Free of Violence against Women and Girls” Global Programme (2011-2017), in partnership with UN Habitat, and 50 other local and global partners operating in 9 countries to develop models to prevent sexual harassment and other forms of sexual violence against women and girls in public spaces. Five pilot cities of the programme (Cairo, Delhi, Kigali, Port Moresby and Quito) are applying an impact evaluation methodology to contribute a solid evidence basis for what works. Some city level results in 2013 include: in Kigali, the city created a toll free line to increase reporting of incidents of sexual violence and harassment in public spaces. In Port Moresby,vendors established associations in the markets – two in Gordons and one in Gerehu, with 50% representation of women in executive positions. In New Delhi, with technical support from UN Women and partners such as Jagori, Mission Convergence and Department of Women and Child Development, Government of NCT of New Delhi, the Safe City Programme conducted over 100 women safety audits in 25 areas in New Delhi. The safety audit tool was also piloted in two new cities – Mumbai and Bengaluru.The Global Initiative also includes the UN Women, UNICEF and UN Habitat Joint Programme “Safe and Sustainable Cities for All”(2012-2017), which is currently being implemented in 8 additional cites: Greater Beirut (Lebanon), Dushanbe (Tajikistan), Metro Manila (Philippines),Marrakesh (Morocco), Nairobi (Kenya), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), San José (Costa Rica) and Tegucigalpa (Honduras). Some city-level results of the programme include: In Manila, a ‘Safety Scan Instrument’ was developed to identify and assess violence risks in the neighbourhoods of Mandaluyong, Quezon and Pasay to inform strategies for structural improvements. In Marrakech, a participatory Scoping Study was completed in 2013 to inform the design of the programme.For more information: https://www.unwomen.org/ru/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/creating-safe-public-spaces Hide

In December 2010, OHCHR and UN Women were tasked by the Secretary-General’s Policy Committee to develop a Guidance Note on reparations for victims of conflict-related sexual violence. The Guidance Note, which was informed by a study jointly commissioned by OHCHR and UN Women, provides policy and operational guidance for Member States, UN agencies, development actors, and civil society organizations on the topic, and will be finalized in the first quarter of 2014. Hide