United Nations Children’s Fund

In May 2011, UNICEF and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) jointly published “Advancing the Field: Caring for Child Survivors of Sexual Abuse in Emergency Settings, A Review of Promising Practices to Improve Case Management, Psychosocial & Mental Health Interventions, and Clinical Care for Child Survivors of Sexual Abuse.” Hide

UNICEF developed in partnership with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) a 5-day curriculum “Protecting Women and Child Survivors of Gender Based Violence in Emergencies through Improved Coordination.” This course is unique in its attention to the gender-based violence (GBV) coordinators’ role in effectively prioritizing specialized response for children, and its consideration of how GBV coordinators can effectively work with other clusters, especially Child Protection Working Groups, to mitigate risk to women and girls in diverse emergency response settings. Hide

UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) supported passage of laws criminalizing FGM/C in Kenya and Guinea-Bissau. Hide

UNICEF supported government and civil society efforts to prevent and respond to sexual abuse and exploitation of girls and boys in more than 70 countries (including development and emergency contexts). UNICEF also held its third annual learning course “Advances in Social Norms” at the University of Pennsylvania in July, with 51 participants coming from all regions, the majority from West Africa and South Asia, as well as Headquarters; disseminated the ‘Compendium to the Training Manual to Fight Trafficking in Children’ to all of its regional and country offices; and organized a regional Training of Trainers for UNICEF staff and government counterparts form the MENA region in Cairo, Egypt. Hide

UNICEF supported the Second Latin American and Caribbean Conference on the Right to Identity and Universal Birth/Civil Registration of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Organization of American States (OAS), and a similar high-level conference in Africa, under the umbrella of the African Union (AU), to continue its advocacy against child marriage and child trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Hide

UNICEF Country Offices continued to implement programmes to promote awareness and abandonment of harmful traditional practices in 15 countries covered by the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on awareness and abandonment of child marriage. Hide

UNICEF contributed to the organization of the discussion and resolution of the Human Rights Council on sexual violence against children.In collaboration with partners - the Special Representatives of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children and for Children and Armed Conflict, the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography – UNICEF continued to promote the two-year global campaign to promote universal ratification of the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (OPSC) and on the involvement of children in armed conflict (OPAC) by 2012. The total number of State Parties to OPSC is 142 and the number of signatories is 118. The total number of State Parties to OPAC is 139 and the number of signatories is 128.UNICEF has provided support to the development of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women-Committee on the Rights of the Child joint general comment/recommendation on harmful practices. Hide

UNICEF has provided support to awareness-raising and advocacy addressing violence against girls, including through the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme to Accelerate the Abandonment of FGM/C. Hide

UNICEF and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) launched a joint initiative to improve programs to address gender-based violence in emergencies and support child survivors. A course “Protecting Women and Child Survivors of Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies through Improved Coordination” has been developed and the first one will be provided in February, in New York. This course focuses on GBV coordinators’ role in their response for children, and in their work with other clusters, especially Child Protection Working Groups/Sub-clusters, to mitigate risk to women and girls in diverse emergency response settings. Hide

UNICEF - including through the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme to Accelerate the Abandonment of FGM/C - has provided support to development of legislation addressing violence against girls at country level. Hide