United Nations Secretary-General S Coordinated Database on Violence Against Women

United NationsNations Unies

Division for the Advancement of Women

Department of Economic and Social Affairs

2 UN Plaza, DC-2-1250, New York, NY 10017 USA

Internet location:

United Nations Secretary-General’s coordinated database on violence against women

Questionnaire to Member States

Introduction

In 2006, the Secretary-General of the United Nations launched his in-depth study on all forms of violence against women.[1]In response to the Secretary-General’s study, the General Assembly adopted resolution 61/143 of 19 December 2006, calling upon MemberStates and the United Nations system to intensify their efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women.

Paragraph 19 of resolution 61/143:

Requests the Secretary-General to establish a coordinated database, containing data provided by States, in particular national statistical offices, including, where appropriate, through relevant United Nations entities and other relevant regional intergovernmental organizations, disaggregated by sex, age and other relevant information, on the extent, nature and consequences of all forms of violence against women, and on the impact and effectiveness of policies and programmes for, including best practices in, combating such violence.

In February 2008, the Secretary-General launched his campaign to end violence against womenwhich will continue until 2015 to coincide with the target date for the Millennium Development Goals. The campaign will focus on three key areas: global advocacy; strengthened efforts and partnerships at the national, regional and international levels; and United Nations leadership by example.As part of the campaign, the Secretary-General is personally approaching world leaders to spur action through national campaigns.

The Division for the Advancement of Women/Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DAW/DESA) functions as the secretariat of the database.

This questionnaire is the primary means by which targeted informationwill be collected for the creation of a comprehensive, coordinated and easily searchable database on violence against women, as requested by resolution 61/143.

Secretary-General’s coordinated database on violence against women

Questionnaire to Member States

September 2008

In addition to responses to this questionnaire, DAW/DESA will draw on a variety of sources in order to establish the database, including:

States parties’ reports under international human rights treaties, in particular the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women;

Information provided by Member States to United Nations conferences and summits, and their reviews, and in particular, in follow-up to the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome document of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly,

Inputs provided by Member States to reports of the Secretary-General to the General Assembly and the Commission on the Status of Women;

Statements made by Member States during the general debate of the General Assembly and the Commission on the Status of Women;

Data/information available from United Nations entities, such as the United Nations Statistics Division, the Regional Commissions, and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The database will be regularly updated from information provided by the focal points referred to below and the sources listed here.

Focal points

Member States are encouraged to identify a focal point(s) responsible for communicating with the secretariat on any future matters related to the database, including providing the DAW/DESA with updates regarding action taken to address violence against women, as they occur. Member States may choose to appoint a government official or any other representative (for example from civil society or a research entity) to function as focal point(s), and should inform the DAW/DESA of the name and contact details, especially email, of the focal point(s) as soon as possible.

Responding to the questionnaire

In providing responses to the questionnaire, Member States are invited to provide information on measures adopted to address violence against women, as well as any available data on violence against women. Member States are encouraged to provide responses to as many questions as possible. If information to any of the questions is not currently available, Member States are invited to provide updates at a future date.

Member States are encouraged, as far as possible, to provide the full text of relevant laws, national action plans, data and reports referred to in their response to the questionnaire. Such texts will be made available on the database and should therefore be provided to the DAW/DESA in electronic PDF and/or Word document format.

When responding to the questionnaire, the following should be considered:

information and data on violence against women sought for this questionnaire may be available at different levels of government (federal, state, provincial, municipal and/or local), as well as from different departments/agencies(national statistical offices, different ministries), and other entities(research organizations, service providers and others);
the term “your country”, as usedthroughout this questionnaire,is intended to incorporate all levels of government (federal, state, provincial, municipal and local levels), as well as governments current and past. When responding to each question, please provide, as appropriate, anypertinentinformation on action taken at each level of government, over time;
to the extent that information sought by this questionnaire has been provided by the MemberState in another context, for example when reporting under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, reference to the relevant document should be provided.

Submission of responses

Responses to this questionnaire should be sent in electronic format (egCD/ROM, email)as soon as possible, and no later than 4January 2009, to:

Ms. Carolyn Hannan

Director, Division for the Advancement of Women

Department of Economic and Social Affairs

United Nations

2 UN Plaza

DC2-1250

New York, NY10017, USA

Fax: +1-212-963-3463

Email:

Assistance in completing the questionnaire

Any questions or requests for assistance pertaining to the completion of this questionnaire may be sent via email to , or directed to:

Ms. Christine A. Brautigam

Chief, Women's Rights Section

Division for the Advancement of Women

Department of Economic and Social Affairs

United Nations

DC2-1228

New York, NY10017

Tel: +1 212 963 0535

Email:

In addition, information regarding the questionnaire, along with answers to Frequently Asked Questions, is available on the following website:

Secretary-General’s coordinated database on violence against women

Questionnaire to Member States

September 2008

QUESTIONNAIRE

Response of the Government of:

Date of completion of questionnaire:

Name(s) of governmental entity responsible for preparing/coordinating completion of this questionnaire:

Name(s) of entities/organizations that contributed information for the completion of this questionnaire:

Name and contact details of focal point(s) responsible for communicating with the secretariaton any future matters related to the database:

Website, if available:

Definition of violence against women

This questionnaire uses the United Nations definition of violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.”[2]The term “women” is used to cover females of all ages, including girls under the age of 18.

When responding to the questionnaire, Member States are encouraged to provide information on measures taken to address all forms of violence against women. Forms include, but are not limited to, intimate partner violence, such as battering, and marital rape; harmful traditional practices, such as female genital mutilation, female infanticide and prenatal sex selection, early marriage, forced marriage, dowry-related violence, crimes against women committed in the name of “honour”, and maltreatment of widows; femicide; sexual violence by non-partners; sexual harassment and violence in the workplace and elsewhere; trafficking in women; custodial violence; and forced sterilization; as well as violence against women in armed conflict.[3]

I.INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK

Has your country established any of the following mechanism(s)/institution(s) to address violence against women? If YES, please providea brief summary of each mechanism/institution, not exceeding 100 words, which includes the following information:

Name
Mandate
Date established
Details of membership
Whether or not the mechanism/institution was established through legislation, policy, decree, or other action.

a)Task Force(s)

Yes No

b)Rapporteur(s)

Yes No

c)Inter-agency Committee(s)/Council(s)

Yes No

d)Parliamentary Committee(s)

Yes No

e)Other(s) (please specify)

Yes No

Does your country have dedicated staff/civil servants who develop/coordinate/monitor policy on violence against women? If YES, please provide details.

Yes No

II.COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION

Has your country collaborated with any of the following stakeholders in measures to address violence against women? If YES, please provide a brief summary of the nature of such collaboration, not exceeding 400 words.

a)Non-governmental organizations or community-based organizations

Yes No

b)Religious and/or cultural organizations

Yes No

c)The media

Yes No

d)The private sector

Yes No

e)International and/or regional organizations

Yes No

f)Other (please specify)

Yes No

Has your country engaged in any regional and/or multi-lateral effort(s) to address violence against women? If YES, please provide a brief summary of such effort(s), not exceeding 400 words.

Yes No

III.LEGAL FRAMEWORK

Does your country have any specific constitutional provision(s) or amendment(s) regarding violence against women? If YES, please provide a brief summaryof each provision(s)/amendment(s), not exceeding 200 words, which includes the following information:

Title
Date of adoption
Date of entry into force
Forms of violence addressed

Where possible, please also provide the full text of the relevant provision.

Yes No

Has your country enacted any specific legislation, legislative provision(s), subsidiary legislation (including rules or regulations),and/or amendments regarding violence against women? If YES, please provide a brief summary of each law, not exceeding 400 words,which includes the following information:

Title
Date of adoption
Date of entry into force
Forms of violence addressed

Where possible, please also provide the full text of the relevant law(s).

Yes No

Has your country developed any policy guidelines or protocols which provide detailed advice for the following sectors on how to implement legislation on violence against women? If YES, please provide a brief summary foreachinstrument, not exceeding 200 words, which includes the following information:

Title
Date of adoption
Date of entry into force
Brief summary

Where possible, please also provide the full text of the relevant document(s).

a)Police

Yes No

b)Prosecutors

Yes No

c)Corrections officials

Yes No

d)Immigration officials

Yes No

e)Military personnel

Yes No

f)Health professionals

Yes No

g)Social workers

Yes No

h)Education professionals

Yes No

i)Other (please specify)

Yes No

Does your country have any of the following measures in place to protect and support victims/survivors of violence against women during the court process? If YES, pleaseprovide a brief summary of each measure, not exceeding 100 words, which includes the following information:

Legislative/policy basis (if any)
Geographical availability and distribution

a)Independent support person(s) to accompany victims

Yes No

b)Legal aid

Yes No

c)Possibility of providing testimony via video or video-link

Yes No

d)Physical separation of the victim/survivor and perpetrator in courtrooms (eg by installation of screens)

Yes No

e)Separate entrances to court rooms

Yes No

f)Other (please specify)

Yes No

Does your country have any of the following specialized institutions and officials designated to address violence against women? If YES, please provide a brief summary of each such initiative, not exceeding 100 words, which includes the following information:

Policy/legislative basis (if any)
Number of institutions/officials
Geographical location and distribution
Mandate and duties

a)Specialized courts on violence against women.

Yes No

b)Specialized stations/desks/officers within the police force to deal with violence against women.

Yes No

c)Specialized prosecutors/prosecution units to deal with violence against women.

Yes No

d)Other (please specify)

Yes No

Do the following categories of criminal justice and other officials in your countryreceive specific training on violence against women and gender-sensitivity? If YES, please provide a brief summary of all such training(s), not exceeding 100 words, which includes the following information:

Policy/legislative basis (if any)
Whether training is mandatory/compulsory or voluntary
Content of training
Number of officials trained
Frequency of training

a)Local government officials

b)Police

Yes No

c)Prosecutors

Yes No

d)Judges

Yes No

e)Lawyers

Yes No

f)Corrections officials

Yes No

g)Immigration officials

Yes No

h)Military personnel

Yes No

i)Health professionals

Yes No

j)Social workers

Yes No

k)Education professionals

Yes No

l)Religious and community leaders

Yes No

m)Other(s) (please specify)

Yes No

IV.POLICIES TO ADDRESS VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Has your country adopted a specific National Action Plan(s)/Strategies, or other similar policies, regarding violence against women, and/or any of its forms? If YES, please provide a brief summary of each policy, not exceeding 200 words, which includesthe following information:

Title
Year adopted
Duration
Forms of violence addressed

Where possible, please also provide the full text.

Yes No

Do any plans/strategies/policies exist at the sub-national and/or local/municipal level to address violence against women? If YES, please provide the following information for each policy:

Locality/region covered
Title
Year adopted
Duration
Forms of violence addressed

Is violence against women addressed in any of the following general National Action Plans/Strategies, or other similar policies, of your country? If YES, please provide a brief summary of how violence against women is dealt with in each policy, not exceeding 100 words, which includesthe following information:

Title
Year adopted
Duration,
Provisions thatdeal with violence against women
Forms of violence addressed

Where possible, please also provide the full text of the relevant sections. If your country does not have any of the following National Action Plans, please indicate “Not Applicable”

a)National Development and/or Poverty Eradication Plan/Strategy

Yes No Not Applicable

b)National Action Plan for Gender Equality/Women

Yes No Not Applicable

c)National Action Plan on Health (including on HIV/AIDS, sexual and reproductive health or maternal mortality)

Yes No Not Applicable

d)National Action Plan for Crime Prevention/Criminal Justice

Yes No Not Applicable

e)Other(s) (please specify)

Yes No Not Applicable

V.RESOURCES TO ADDRESS VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Has your country made any specific budgetary appropriation(s) for the purpose of addressing violence againstwomen? If YES, please provide the following details for each appropriation:
Year in which the appropriation was made
Amount of money appropriated (in US dollars)
Amount of money appropriated as a percentage of the overall National Budget (where possible)
Whether the appropriation was mandated by legislationor policy

Yes No

Has your country received and/or provided bilateral or multilateral financial assistance earmarked for projects addressing violence against women? If YES, please provide the following details for all such assistance, since 2006:

Details of the relevant project(s)
Amount of money received or provided
Date of funding
Duration of funding

Yes No

VI.SERVICES FOR WOMEN VICTIMS/SURVIVORS OF VIOLENCE

Does your country have any of the following services for women victims/survivors of violence against women? If YES, please provide a brief summary of each type of service, not exceeding 200 words, which includes the following information:

Source of funding
Operating entity
Number available
Geographic distribution
Whether, and how, women were involved in the development of the service
How victims/survivors are informed of the availability of the service
Languages in which information and services are available
Whether the service is targeted to a particular group of victims/survivors (eg rural women, indigenous women, migrant women, girls, women living in slums)

a)Free emergency hotlines available 24 hours to provide advice to women victims/survivors of violence

Yes No

b)Free shelters for women victims of violence and their children (number of beds per 10,000 population)

Yes No

c)Integrated service centres for victims (for example ‘one stop centres’)

Yes No

d)Counseling and psychological care

Yes No

e)Free health services

Yes No

f)Free legal advice/referrals

Yes No

g)Rehabilitation/empowermentprogrammes for victims/survivors, such as education and training programmes

Yes No

h)Housing assistance, including public housing and rental assistance

Yes No

i)Financial assistance, including readily accessible loans

Yes No

j)Other(s) (please specify)

Yes No

VII.LEADERSHIP, PREVENTION, AWARENESS RAISING AND ADVOCACY

Have any public statements/addresses regarding violence against women been made by the highest level of government/political leadership in your country, since 2006? If YES, please a brief summary of the statement(s), including the following information:

Name and title of speaker
Date
Audience
Main message

Yes No

Has your country conducted or commissioned any awareness raising campaigns regarding violence against women? If YES, please provide a brief summary of each campaign, not exceeding 100 words, which includes the following information:

Title
Launch date
Duration
Main messages
Forms of violence addressed
Media used (eg print media, radio, television, theatre, public meetings)
Target audience (eg general public, students)

Yes No

Has your country included information on the issue of violence against women in its educational curricula? If YES, please provide a brief summary of how violence against women is addressed, not exceeding 100 words, which includes the following information:
Legislative/policy basis for this inclusion (if any)
Level of education targeted (primary, secondary, other)
Year information was integrated/implemented in the curriculum
Forms of violence covered
Main messages

Yes No