UNFPA works with men and boys around the world to advance gender equality – with benefits for all. These programmes are encouraging men and boys to abandon harmful stereotypes, embrace respectful, healthy relationships, and support the human rights of all people, everywhere.
A workshop report prepared by Caroline Aasheim, Dale Buscher, Dean Peacock and Lynn Ngugi
Engaging men and boys has emerged as a vital strategy for ending gender based violence, including in refugee and post-conflict settings. While prevention and response activities are essential, the humanitarian community and host country service providers understand that they must move beyond simply addressing each individual case of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and begin to address the societal, cultural, economic, religious and political systems that either perpetuate or allow for violence based on gender to continue (pdf. 28 pages).
Since the International Conference on Population and Development in 1994, national governments and UN agencies have steadily adopted and implemented policies and community-based interventions intended to change social norms about gender and masculinities. As cross-pollination happens across countries and regions, work with men and boys for gender equality has become more complex, ambitious, and visible, generating important synergies and successes, and some resistance. This article examines the rationale for that work; describes key findings from multicountry studies about the relationship between notions of masculinities and men’s gender-related practices; documents key principles guiding much gender equality work with men and boys; identifies emerging strategies and proposes key next steps to increase the scale, impact, and sustainability of gender transformative work with men and boys.
This publication is about five UNFPA-supported projects in South and Eastern Europe that have made monumental strides in engaging men in the prevention of gender-based violence. The people responsible for these projects are on the cutting edge of development efforts, yet they often feel they are fighting an uphill battle. Violence remains pervasive in the region, with estimates showing that one woman in three still experiences abuse in her lifetime.1 Attitudes and practices that perpetuate violence against women are accepted as norms, and countless crimes go unpunished (pdf, 108 pages).
This module is for personnel working in conflict and other emergency-response settings who are interested in engaging boys and men in gender-based violence prevention and reproductive health. This includes those managing or staffing reproductive health, HIV and AIDS, and/or GBV prevention projects in emergency-response settings or conflict zones. Specific audiences to consider targeting are NGO project managers, field staff, health sector coordinators, health promoters, donor representatives, local representatives of ministries of health, and community liaisons working for UNCHR or other U.N. agencies (pdf. 60 pages).
Uganda, like any other country, receives refugees yearly from its neighbors. Among the issues reported occasionally are incidences related to sexual violence. These issues are generally ignored without taking into consideration the different aspects of sustainable development.
Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) against men and boys has generally been mentioned as a footnote in reports. There are no detailed statistics on the number of male victims of SGBV but, the phenomenon is increasingly being recognized as a protection concern in conflict and forced displacement situations. Despite the prevailing taboo, there had been progress over the last decade in reporting of incidents.
October 2018, two researchers traveled to Rome and Sicily. We spoke with 52 young men and boys who had traveled to Italy from across Africa and the Middle East. We also talked to 63 social workers, guardians, doctors, psychologists, and other service providers. This document summarizes the key findings from our trip, especially regarding sexual violence.
Refugee men and boys can be subjected to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Survivors have specific health, psychosocial, legal, and safety needs, but often find it hard to discuss their experience and access the support they need. The objectives of this note are to emphasise that programmes on SGBV need to include men and boys and to provide guidance on how to access survivors, facilitate reporting, provide protection and deliver essential medical, legal and social services.
Sexual violence against men in Uganda is an underreported crime. Sexual violence against men is considered taboo in most cultures. It is an issue not talked about because many consider the rape of men nearly impossible. It is clear that men have also been victims of rape in armed conflicts all over the world. The laws that define rape should be revised to include men and boys as victims of rape.
This exploratory study examined sexual violence against men and boys in the Syria crisis and their access to services in Jordan, Lebanon, and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). In addition to a review of the literature and an online survey completed by 33 key informants, in-country data collection was undertaken in October 2016. Key informant interviews with 73 humanitarian personnel from 34 agencies were conducted as well as 21 focus group discussions with 196 refugees (82 pages).
In the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, arrests and imprisonment of Palestinian men in their early adulthood are common practice. The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) collected thousands of testimonies of Palestinian men allegedly tortured or ill-treated by Israeli authorities. There are many types of torture, sexual torture being one of them. This study is based on the PCATI database during 2005-2012, which contains 60 cases – 4% of all files in this period – with testimonies of alleged sexual torture or ill-treatment.
Every year since 2014, tens of thousands of refugees and migrants have traveled the central Mediterranean route to Italy, one of the most active and dangerous migration passageways in the world. Along the way, many experience kidnapping, exploitation, extortion, and enslavement. Large numbers die in the desert, are confined to hellish detention centers in Libya, or drown at sea. Litle is known about the men and boys who undertake this journey. These knowledge gaps are of concern, given that an estimated 87.5 percent of refugees and migrants who have entered Italy via the central Mediterranean route since 2016 are men and boys, the latter of whom are largely unaccompanied.
The Women’s Refugee Commission’s work with men and boys incorporates feminist principles that prioritize accountability to women and girls. Sexual violence is a risk facing all refugees—women, girls, men, boys, and people with diverse sexual orientation, gender identities and gender expressions like lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and intersex (LGBTQI) individuals. In humanitarian settings, services sensitive to the unique needs of all sexual violence survivors are limited. Without appropriate treatment, survivors may suffer harmful effects of sexual violence, including physical and psychological trauma.
Sexual violence is a tactic of war, used to humiliate, dominate and instill fear. It is also increasingly being used as a tactic of terrorism. While the focus has largely been on women and girls as victims of sexual violence, boys and men are equally at risk. Sexual violence against men and boys takes on a range of heinous acts, including anal and oral rape, genital torture, castration and coercion to rape others. Many of these acts are seen as emasculating, and while many male victims are willing to give accounts of what they witnessed, they are less likely to express what they themselves had experienced in conflict.
The experience from the ad-hoc tribunals has shown that recognition in the form of a judgment, acknowledging the experiences of survivors and the responsibility of perpetrators, is valuable and can help with healing on a number of levels. With the first few reparation orders at the International Criminal Court, we are starting to see how reparations for such crimes can and should benefit survivors.
The present paper elaborates and extends the social–interpersonal framework model of PTSD. This was developed to complement other intrapersonally focused models of PTSD, which emphasize alterations in an individual’s memory, cognitions, or neurobiology. Four primary reasons for broadening the perspective from the individual to the interpersonal–societal contexts are discussed. The three layers of the model (social affects, close relationships, and culture and society) are outlined.
There is never any question that damaged buildings, roads, power plants, and factories need to be repaired and rebuilt after a war, but the inner destruction in people’s minds is less obvious and is thus often forgotten. Encountering human evil in such a frightening form as during ethnic cleansing changes people forever.
Gender-based violence (GBV) is regarded among the most common human rights violations, occurring all over the world. According to empirical evidence, GBV disproportionately affects women because of the unequal distribution of powers and resources between women and men, women’s economic vulnerability, and their dependent position in the family.
This report highlights the situation for women in Iraq, and the role the US and the US military have played in establishing the existing situation.
Presenting the situation in Darfur and Chad, with some focus on the social, psychological, medical/clinical consequences of VAW. Short presentation of preferable, necessary standards for response and caretaking.
This booklet gives a great overview of the impact of sexual violence under the conflict in Darfur. With a focus on the impact on rape, and emerging issues as protection and health response.
Sexual assault is among the most severe stressors that survivors may experience in their lifetimes. Preventing sexual violence and addressing its consequences requires substantial attention and resources. Conflict-related sexual violence is part of a continuum of violence, particularly against women and girls.
On the sidelines of the UN Security Council open debate on sexual violence in conflict, experts came together to discuss what it takes to achieve justice for conflict-related sexual and gender-based crimes, through investigation and documentation. Nearly 20 years since the adoption of the UN Security Council resolution 1325, which calls on all parties in conflict to uphold women’s rights and respond to violations, impunity for conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence continues to undermine international peace and security. “When I interviewed survivors, they said ‘we want justice,’” said Antonia Mulvey, former gender advisor to the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar. “Many of them cannot read or write, but they know what justice is, and they wanted accountability”.
Joint message from Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, and Nina Suomalainen, Executive Director of Justice Rapid Response, for the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict (19 June)
The present report, which covers the period from January to December 2019, is submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 2467 (2019), in which the Council requested me to report on the implementation of resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1960 (2010) and 2106 (2013).
Trauma Informed Sexual Assault Investigation and Adjudication Training. Justice, for survivors of sexual assault/gender based violence, demands that Trauma-Informed Sexual Assault training and education about the impact of trauma on the brain, complexities and dynamics underlying a survivor’s response to such assault, the myths and stereotypes of sexual assault, and including investigative/questioning skills be provided within the whole of the criminal justice system across Canada, otherwise we will continue to see justice denied.
Deals with the topic of thematic prosecution of core international crimes. Its focus is on international sex crimes. It is important to justify the singling out of a narrow range of criminality for prosecution, whether in internationalized or national criminal jurisdictions. Thematic prosecutions should be explained to the public. Absent proper justification, the thematic prosecution of core international crimes is likely to generate increasing controversy. This timely publication will hopefully raise awareness and generate discussion about the possibilities and challenges of the use of thematic prosecution among those working in criminal justice agencies, academia, civil society, and the media (474 pages).
The Sustainable Development Goals include a specific target to “eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres.” A recent special series of The Lancet on addressing violence against women provides an excellent overview of the current evidence, and highlights that while growing international recognition creates opportunities for renewed government commitment, solutions will not be quick or easy.
Gender-based violence seen in different contexts, with the goal to present some of the most important topics: in combination with poverty, reproductive health, HIV, in conflict situations. Issues and challenges with all these topics.
Conclusion/declaration as a result of an international meeting on “Women’s and Girls’ Right to a Remedy and Reparation”, held in Nairobi 2007. Participants have been women’s rights advocates and activists, as well as survivors of sexual violence in situations of conflict, from Africa, Asia, Europe, Central, North and South America. Here`s the focus on remedy and reparation for the survivors of GBV.
This publication provides an introduction to women’s human rights, beginning with the main provisions in international human rights law and going on to explain particularly relevant concepts for fully understanding women’s human rights.
One of the world’s most comprehensive and progressive women’s human rights instruments, the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women in Africa (‘the Maputo Protocol’) was adopted by Heads of State and Government in Maputo, Mozambique on 11 July 2003.
Policy makers on violence against women consistently request more and better quality information, including data, on violence against women in order to: guide legislative and policy reforms; ensure adequate provision of targeted and effective services; monitor trends and progress in addressing and eliminating violence against women; and assess the impact of measures taken. Indicators, with their associated benchmarks, contribute to organizing data into a form which contributes to the evaluation of policies and monitoring of progress in achieving goals. They enable an evidence-based comparison of trends over time, and within and between countries.
Report of the Special Rapporteur on Torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment, A/HRC/7/3, 15 January 2008. The term “torture” seen in connection with “violence against women”, and some conclusions to be drawn international, with implications on justice, reparation, other (human) rights.
In response to persistent pressure from civil society, the United Nations (UN) Security Council has adopted ten resolutions on “Women, Peace and Security”. These resolutions are: 1325 (2000); 1820 (2009); 1888 (2009); 1889 (2010); 1960 (2011); 2106 (2013); 2122 (2013); 2242 (2015), 2467 (2019), and 2493 (2019). These resolutions make up the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. They guide work to promote gender equality and strengthen women’s participation, protection and rights across the conflict cycle, from conflict prevention through post-conflict reconstruction
This is why for 10 years I have been calling on the international community to draw a red line against the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. The time has come for States to act to stop this scourge. To support my call to action, the Mukwege Foundation has launched the “Red Line Initiative”, a global campaign to eliminate the use of sexual violence in conflict, the first of which is the launch of the “Guidebook on State Obligations for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence”.
Gender Based Violence (GBV) in and around schools is now widely recognized as a serious global phenomenon that is a fundamental violation of human rights and a major barrier to the realization of all children’s rights to education.
Iin consultation with a wide range of GBV experts and humanitarian and development actors worldwide, the goal of this course is to improve the knowledge of programme managers to better address the issue of gender-based violence in humanitarian emergencies. 2011
New livelihood strategies can increase the risk of gender-based violence (GBV). Women often have no safety net; they usually flee with few resources and little preparation and may become separated from or lose family members. A lack of access to economic opportunities while displaced often forces women and girls to resort to harmful measures to survive.
A guide in text-form to raise understanding for trauma reactions that could also be used for working with GBV survivors, and to improve communication-skills for field workers helping trauma-survivors, communication examples for approach.
Briefing paper- Working and researching with victims of sexual violence can be traumatic to the researcher and can result in secondary traumatic stress or vicarious traumatisation. This paper explores the experiences of sexual violence researchers from different countries, identifying the issues that traumatized them and the protective strategies they found effective.
Produced by The Gender-Based Violence Global Technical Sup- port Project of the RHRC Consortium. The GBV Technical Sup- port Project provides a wide range of information, training, and support to field programs. Through on- and off-site consulta- tions, resource distribution, newsletters, and other activities, the GBV Global Technical Support Project assists humanitar- ian aid programs to strengthen action to address gender-based violence in populations affected by armed conflict.
This guide describes best practices in the clinical management of people who have been raped in emergency situations. It is intended for adaptation to each situation, taking into account national policies and practices, and availability of materials and drugs. This guide is intended for use by qualified health care providers (health coordinators, medical doctors, clinical officers, midwives and nurses) in developing protocols for the management of rape survivors in emergencies, taking into account available resources, materials, and drugs, and national policies and procedures. It can also be used in planning care services and in training health care providers. The document includes detailed guidance on the clinical management of women, men and children who have been raped. It does not include advice on standard care of wounds or injuries or on psychological counselling, although these may be needed as part of comprehensive care for someone who has been raped.
The 2015 edition of the Camp Management Toolkit represents the most comprehensive guidance for those engaged in camp responses to displacement. The Toolkit provides guidelines that serve as practical support for national authorities, national and international humanitarian actors, as well as internally displaced persons and refugees involved in camp management. There is a separate chapter on GBV.
This manual includes and provides information and (interactive) training to create workshops and seminars, for planning interventions to address GBV in displaced settings around the world. Most focus on administrative and practical issues, some information about mental (psychological) damage after GBV.
This manual (207 p.) tries to cover most of administrative and organizational considerations required to establish help. Lots of form-sheets useful to organize help practically. Form-sheets for structured interviews etc. “For Assessment & Program Design, Monitoring & Evaluation in conflict-affected settings”.
This guidance offers advice to aid the mediator and his/her team in addressing a frequently used method and tactic of warfare: conflict-related sexual violence. It provides strategies for including this security and peace building concern within ceasefire and security arrangements and in framing provisions for post-conflict justice and reparations.
The Training Package is designed to help facilitators deliver introductory, interactive training on the prevention of and response to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Facilitators should have field-experience working on SGBV prevention and response, mainstreaming gender equality, working with communities affected by displacement, and be familiar with UNHCR’s approach to addressing SGBV.
This resource package aims to strengthen the knowledge and skills of health care professionals to understand GBV, to identify patients who have experienced GBV and to provide survivors with appropriate care, support and referrals. It seeks to provide trainers with a ready-made and user-friendly tool to deliver trainings to health care professionals in the EECA region, packaging the comprehensive background information included in part I into ten practical training modules.
UNRWA prioritises gender equality and the empowerment of women, and over the course of its existence has achieved much success. UNRWA is now building on this work to address a difficult but important gender issue: Gender Based Violence (GBV). GBV blights the lives of too many Palestine refugees and exists as a major obstacle to many women, girls and boys achieving their full potential. In order to achieve its human development goals, UNRWA must respond to this serious problem.
Gender-based violence (GBV) is a horrifying reality and human rights violation for women and girls globally. During emergencies, the risk of violence, exploitation and abuse is heightened. At the same time, national systems, including health and legal systems, and community and social support networks weaken. This breakdown of systems can reduce access to health services, including sexual and reproductive health services, and legal services, leading to an environment of impunity in which perpetrators are not held to account. When systems and services are disrupted or destroyed, women and girls face even higher risk of human rights violations such as sexual violence, intimate partner violence, exploitation and abuse, child marriage, denial of resources and harmful traditional practices. GBV has significant and long-lasting impacts on the health, and psychosocial and economic well-being of women and girls, and their families and communities.
This training manual has been developed for helpers who provide assistance and support to women who survive gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual trauma during disasters, conflicts and emergency situations, where access to health professionals with psychological or psychiatric expertise is limited. It is also available in Arabic, Russian,Portuguese, Nepalese, Ukrainian, Norwegian and Mongolian and Spanish versions. We will also like to introduce you to our Gender based violence manual – website.
The first national survey measuring prevalence of the different types and forms of gender based violence inflicted on women and girls and its impact on women’s health, and it measures the associated economic costs on their families, society and state as a whole. The survey is expected to guide policy-makers and planners to formulate evidence-based strategies and action plans to combat gender based violence in Egypt.
This booklet includes both an overview over the topic, the necessary procedures concerning the victims/survivors (mostly medical) in the field, as well as explanations by means of presenting the situation in some chosen countries.
This is the first written report submitted by the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Rashida Manjoo, to the General Assembly, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 65/187. The report provides an overview of the mandate’s work and main findings and the challenges it continues to encounter, and presents specific recommendations to address violence against women through a holistic framework based on States’ obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of women and girls.
The term “gender-based violence” refers to violence that targets individuals or groups on the basis of their gender. The United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) defines it as “violence that is directed against a woman because she is a woman or that affects women disproportionately”, in its General Recommendation 19.
On 9 February, Russia’s Justice Ministry filed a lawsuit seeking to liquidate Sphere Foundation, a legal and financial entity of the Russian LGBT Network, arguing that the group spreads ‘LGBT views’ and engages in activities that contradict ‘fundamental family values enriched in the constitution’. The Ministry concluded that the very existence of the LGBT+ community ‘goes against state policy focused on preservation, growth and evolution of human capital’.
There are specific types of violence that target queer women, even when we’re closeted. Machorra, that’s the Spanish version of dyke. We do things men do not like. I love to drive my truck. Friends hop in and out. Men don’t like it. Because it means that I move on my own; I do not need them.
In June 2013 President Putin signed a law allowing police officers to arrest tourists and foreign nationals they suspect of being homosexual, lesbian or “pro-gay” and detain them for up to 14 days. The law could mean that any Olympic athlete, trainer, reporter, family member or fan who is gay — or suspected of being gay, or just accused of being gay — can go to jail.