Document Abstract
Published:
2012
Report of the Expert Group Meeting on Prevention of Violence against Women and Girls
The elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls is the priority theme of the 57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women to be held 4-15 March 2013. In order to contribute to a deeper understanding of the issue and to assist the Commission in its deliberations, UN Women in collaboration with other UN agencies and the WHO convened an expert group meeting (EGM) on ‘Prevention of violence against women and girls’ in September 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand. This report reflects the shared discussion and analysis of the major issues, gaps and challenges identified at the EGM and presents key findings and recommendations which provided inputs for the reports of the Secretary-General to the CSW. Experts pointed out that, in order for violence prevention programmes to be effective, national, provincial and local governments, communities, civil society groups, donors, the private sector and other non-state actors must work in partnerships with women’s
organisations. Also efforts to prevent violence against women and girls must be long-term and grounded in communities so that work to change unequal power relations between women and men is carried out consistently. Civil society organisations (CSOS) have often driven efforts to change social norms that have implicitly perpetuated violence against women and girls but governments have a key role to support and create an environment where CSOs can develop innovative and sustainable programmes and work safely from discrimination and violence themselves. It was also found that involving men and boys in violence prevention programmes has been very successful because they can lead to a decrease in men’s violence against women and a change of attitudes towards gender equality.
Recommendations were offered to work on different initiatives, including:
• a global implementation plan to end violence against women and girls;
• a global advocacy campaign for prevention;
• integrated measures to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls;
• more research on the causes and consequences of violence against women and girls and the effectiveness of prevention measures;
• mass and new media.
And in the following areas:
• urban youth and armed gang violence;
• conflict and natural disasters;
• girls, adolescent girls and young women.
Experts noted that prevention of violence against women and girls remains a poorly understood concept across sectors and stakeholders and that there is a need to build not only evidence, but shared understandings of the complexity and causes of violence against women and girls, and of how it can be effectively prevented. This transformative agenda engages all levels of the socio-political system, from policy and legislative development, to the development and delivery of programmes and services ‘on the ground’, and the capacity building of the institutions responsible for implementation. As well as effective response mechanisms, specific actions to address the foundations of violence – discriminatory and violence-supportive practices, laws, norms, behaviours and attitudes – are also necessary in order to prevent violence against women and girls from happening in the first place, within and across all settings.
This report built on the individual papers on specific issues provided by experts prior to the meeting, and the Background Paper prepared by the rapporteur, which are available at http://www.unwomen.org/events/59/expert-group-meeting-prevention-of-violence-against-women-and-girls/.
Recommendations were offered to work on different initiatives, including:
• a global implementation plan to end violence against women and girls;
• a global advocacy campaign for prevention;
• integrated measures to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls;
• more research on the causes and consequences of violence against women and girls and the effectiveness of prevention measures;
• mass and new media.
And in the following areas:
• urban youth and armed gang violence;
• conflict and natural disasters;
• girls, adolescent girls and young women.
Experts noted that prevention of violence against women and girls remains a poorly understood concept across sectors and stakeholders and that there is a need to build not only evidence, but shared understandings of the complexity and causes of violence against women and girls, and of how it can be effectively prevented. This transformative agenda engages all levels of the socio-political system, from policy and legislative development, to the development and delivery of programmes and services ‘on the ground’, and the capacity building of the institutions responsible for implementation. As well as effective response mechanisms, specific actions to address the foundations of violence – discriminatory and violence-supportive practices, laws, norms, behaviours and attitudes – are also necessary in order to prevent violence against women and girls from happening in the first place, within and across all settings.
This report built on the individual papers on specific issues provided by experts prior to the meeting, and the Background Paper prepared by the rapporteur, which are available at http://www.unwomen.org/events/59/expert-group-meeting-prevention-of-violence-against-women-and-girls/.
