This report, developed with expert practitioners, researchers and policy analysts on the EVAW Prevention Network, England, sets out why we need a targeted and long term approach to preventing violence against women and girls. This report largely calls on schools and other educational institutions to play their part in creating a safer world for women and girls.
This issue brief brings to light important differences between bullying and harassment and speaks to the priorities and responsibilities of school districts in understanding these differences.
Combating Acid Violence in Bangladesh, India, and Cambodia (pdf)
Acid violence is the “intentional act of violence in which perpetrators throw, spray, or pour acid onto victims' faces and bodies.” The report finds that acid violence is a form of gender-based violence because it disproportionately affects women, which is prohibited by the Convention on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
Bangladesh, India, and Cambodia are all parties to CEDAW and are under a legal obligation to undertake measures to prevent acid violence.
The report calls for the governments of Bangladesh, India, and Cambodia to fulfill their obligation to CEDAW in a number of ways. This includes the adoption of legislation to prevent attacks, provide punishment of perpetrators, and compensate victims. In all three countries, survivors face immense challenges in obtaining adequate healthcare.
Effective Police Responses to Violence Against Women (pdf)
This Handbook is designed to assist and guide police officers in the prevention of,
and response to, violence against women. While it has global applications, it is
designed primarily for use by police in transitional and developing countries where
institutional means to protect women from violence have not yet been created or
implemented.
This handbook was also created in conjunction with a Training Curriculum
The project - “Engaging Young Men through Social Media for the Prevention of Violence against Women” – aims to connect and inspire young people to take action to end gender-based violence and will be carried out in China, Indonesia, and India. The “Social media for social change” meeting brought together the organizations selected to work on this project to share and learn from each other, and to take part in a ‘social media clinic’ with a global expert on social media. Participants explored what social media tools are available and how they can be used creatively to reach out to boys and men to take action to violence against women in Asia and the Pacific.
Envisioning a Regional Curriculum: Working with Boys and Men for Gender-based Violence Prevention (pdf)
This consultation brought together 21 participants from 11 countries in East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific. The overall objective was to discuss a coordinated regional approach to capacity development for the region with the following goals:
-Explore the body of knowledge and training materials on masculinity, gender and violence prevention
-Discuss an outline of an adaptable training curriculum to be used for subsequent capacity development activities in the region
-Define a regional approach to training /capacity development and outline next steps
Exploring the Intersections between Empowerment, HIV, and Violence against Women in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Forced Marriage in Immigrant Communities in the United States: 2011 National Survey Results (pdf)
This resource was developed from information gained through a national survey on the state of forced marriage in the United States. The survey was the first of its kind conducted in the United States and was designed to understand the scope and nature of forced marriage among immigrant communities.
Injustice on Our Plates: Immigrant Women in the U.S. Food Industry (pdf)
This report documents the workplace experiences of immigrant women who have come to the United States to escape poverty. It describes how the laws that are in place to protect them from exploitation are grossly inadequate. Section three talks specifically about sexual violence experienced in the workplace. Results are from interviews with approximately 150 women who are either currently undocumented or have spent time in the U.S. as undocumented immigrants.
The primary objective of this study is to analyze interventions where volunteerism has played or is playing a significant role in the prevention of and response to gender-based violence (GBV) in Cambodia. Drawing on consultations with all stakeholders, including volunteers, survivors and representatives of organizations, this study aims to inform and strengthen future volunteer interventions to respond to and prevent gender-based violence.
Men and the Prevention of Gender-based Violence: A Conceptual Framework for Policy Change
This discussion paper was produced for Partners for Prevention. One goal of this interagency collaboration is to produce a holistic, evidence-based set of policy recommendations for more effective gender based violence prevention. Endorsement of these policy recommendations by leading UN agencies will deepen our collaboration with partners in government across the region to implement policy enhancements for effective violence prevention.
Partners for Prevention Annual Report 2010: Working to Prevent Violence against Women (pdf)
This report covers Partners for Prevention's progress and key programmatic milestones from 2010. Through valued partnerships across the Asia-Pacific region, Partners for Prevention moved from a take-off phase in 2009 to full implementation of their three projects in 2010 - Evidence-based Policy Advocacy, Capacity Development and Networking and Communications for Social Change.
PHENG THAO: Pushing Boundaries to Affect Systems Change (pdf)
This article profiles Pheng Thao, a Minnesota leader engaging men in primary prevention efforts to end sexual and domestic violence. While Pheng focuses on the Hmong community in this article, the issues he identifies are familiar in every community in Minnesota. Pheng is a great example of what men can do and the impact we can have as we speak up and organize to end men’s violence and support gender equality.
Preventing Violence Against Women and Children: Workshop Summary
"The Institute of Medicine, Forum on Global Violence Prevention held its first workshop January 27-28, 2011 to explore the prevention of violence against women and children. The workshop was designed to examine approaches to violence prevention from multiple perspectives and diverse levels of society. The workshop brought together stakeholders to discuss intervention strategies to prevent violence before it starts, prevent the recurrence of violence, prevent violence-related trauma, and stop the spread of violence to the next generation or social level. Speakers suggested a need to advance research on the co-occurrence of abuse on both child and partner, changing social norms, and the state of violence prevention research in low- and middle-income countries. This document is a summary of the workshop."
Security Council Resolution 1820 on Women, Peace, and Security (pdf)
This is the text of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1820 which confronts sexual violence in situations of armed conflict. Recognized by this resolution is that the maintenance of international peace and security is not possible with the widespread and systematic use of sexual violence as an instrument of conflict. With this resolution the SC is committed to considering appropriate steps to end such atrocities, punishing perpetrators, and requesting a report from the Secretary General on situations in which sexual violence is being widely or systematically employed against civilians and on strategies for ending the practice.
The link above is to the English version of the resolution. Over 100 other translations can be found here.
This study is based on qualitative research undertaken in a small community in the province of Punjab in Pakistan. The research aims to deepen understanding of male attitudes and perceptions on gender based violence and their link to masculine identity.
VAWNet Special Collections: Disaster and Emergency Preparedness and Response
This collection highlights the disproportionate vulnerability of women and children to domestic and sexual violence in disaster and emergency situations. Included in this collection are selected materials and resources -- many gender-informed -- that can be used by domestic and sexual violence organizations to increase their preparedness for and response to major disasters and emergencies. Also included is information developed for victims/survivors of domestic and sexual violence who are concurrently coping with trauma and stress after a natural disaster or major crisis. Special attention has been given to the issues faced by children in these situations.
The consultation brought together approximately 65 participants from East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific and focused three objectives:
-Explore the concepts of masculinities, gender relations, and gender-based violence (GBV) – and how they are connected.
-Share promising practices and lessons learned in the region on the engagement of boys and men in gender equality and GBV prevention.
-Explore next steps to for collaboration across the region to engage boys and men in work towards gender equality and GBV prevention.
The consultation brought together participants from across South Asia and focused on three key objectives:
1. Deepen our understanding of gender, masculinities and gender-based violence in the South Asian context
2. Discuss an approach and process for working together regionally to engage boys and men in work towards gender equality and prevention of Gender-based Violence (GBV)
3. Reach agreement on next steps, roles and responsibilities for working together regionally.
World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development
This report details types of disparities and practical solutions for all countries facing gender inequality. The main messages of this report focus around how gender equality affects development, how global development has closed some gender gaps while others persist, understanding progress and persistence, priorities for domestic policy action, and the role of the international community.
Whole report available as a pdf, or see the website to download individual chapters.