United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, facilitates the strengthening of knowledge bases by supporting efforts to improve the generation and use of data, including through supporting research studies and the creation of databases on violence against women, to build more effective institutions and improve the access of women survivors to services. Hide

DAW, now part of UN Women, convenes training activities and workshops on women’s human rights for government officials, judicial officers and representatives of civil society, at national and regional level. For example, DAW has convened judicial colloquia on the application of international human rights law at the domestic level in Santiago, Chile, 2005, Nassau, The Bahamas, 2004, Arusha, Tanzania, 2003, Bangkok, Thailand, 2002 and Vienna, Austria, 1999, which have also addressed the issue of violence against women. Events such as the foregoing serve to highlight legislative and judicial approaches in addressing violence against women, provide opportunities for exchanging experiences and enhancing cooperation among different stakeholders in efforts to eliminate violence against women. Hide

DAW, now part of UN Women, was responsible for the preparation, and now supports the follow-up to the 2006 Secretary-General’s in-depth study on all forms of violence against women (A/61/122/Add. 1 and Corr.1). Hide

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, facilitates the creation and/or strengthening of strategic partnerships among governmental and civil society stakeholders and provides support to build the capacity of women’s organizations to spearhead innovative responses to violence against women at the country level.UNIFEM supports advocacy and communication strategies to stimulate awareness and commitment to end violence against women, including support to coordinated efforts by a wide range of stakeholders during the annual campaign of 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence. In a number of countries, UNIFEM has also cooperated with partners in the White Ribbon Campaign. Hide

In every sub-region, UNIFEM (now part of UN Women) supports efforts to introduce and strengthen legislation against gender-based violence, including domestic and sexual violence, trafficking in women and forced marriage, and to ensure that all forms of violence against women are criminalized. UNIFEM also assists efforts to implement these instruments, including through the allocation of sufficient budgetary resources to end violence against women.UNIFEM facilitates the efforts of gender advocates, including women parliamentarians, for the creation and implementation of laws and policies to end violence against women. Hide

In its programming to end violence against women, UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, works to support and build the capacity of duty bearers to fulfil their responsibilities to promote and protect women’s human rights, including the right to be free from violence, with primary focus on the judiciary, law enforcement officials, parliamentarians, government ministries, legal practitioners, and departments of statistics. Hide

DAW, now part of UN Women, conducts research and analysis and regularly prepares reports of the Secretary-General, in response to inter-governmental mandates, seeking inputs from governments and other stakeholders on progress made and obstacles encountered, and on good practices and lessons learned. Reports cover all forms of violence against women, as well as particular aspects such as trafficking in women, traditional practices harmful to women and girls, and violence against women migrant workers. DAW was responsible for the preparation, and now supports the follow-up to the Secretary-General’s in-depth study on all forms of violence against women (A/61/122/Add. 1 and Corr.1). These reports, including policy recommendations, serve as basis for discussion and action by Governments, in particular the Commission on the Status of Women and the General Assembly.DAW organizes expert group meetings on violence against women. Examples include:- Expert Group Meeting on “Elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child”, Florence, Italy, September 2006 (in collaboration with UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre);- Expert Group Meeting on “Violence against women: a statistical overview, challenges and gaps in data collection and methodology and approaches for overcoming them”, Geneva, Switzerland, April 2005 (in collaboration with ECE and WHO);- Expert Group Meeting on “Good practices in combating and eliminating violence against women”, Vienna, Austria, May 2005 (in collaboration with UNODC);- Expert Group Meeting on “Trafficking in women and girls”, Glen Cove, USA November 2002 (in collaboration with UNODC). Hide