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2. Gender-Based Violence and Sources of Support in the Middle East and North Africa (2023-2024)
- Author:
- Arab Barometer
- Publication Date:
- 03-2025
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Arab Barometer
- Abstract:
- According to reports from the World Bank, 40 percent of women across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have experienced violence from their partner at least once in their lifetime. A report from the OECD found that violence against women in MENA increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings are in-line with the findings from the most recent Arab Barometer 2023-2024 survey, in which a plurality of citizens from nearly every country perceive that violence against women has increased in the past year. Governments across the region are taking actions to combat the rise in violence but more remains to be done. Despite the dire circumstances, there are points of hope in Arab Barometer’s findings as well. In particular, nearly all citizens can point to at least one source of support for women that face abuse. While citizens are highly unlikely to say a woman facing abuse cannot find support, the most commonly cited sources of support are familial rather than institutional. Specifically, support from male family members is seen as far more readily available than support from hospitals or clinics. Relying on family rather than institutions for support is complicated. At best, a lack of institutional support may indicate that citizens do not view the government as particularly invested in supporting women facing gender-based violence. Increasing institutionalized support through funding and outreach with local organizations or healthcare facilities could provide more security for abused women.
- Topic:
- Public Opinion, Gender Based Violence, Survey, COVID-19, and Gender Equality
- Political Geography:
- Middle East and North Africa
3. Breaking the Silence: The Fight Against Gender-Based Violence in Tanzania
- Author:
- Wilifrida S. John
- Publication Date:
- 07-2025
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)
- Abstract:
- This policy brief examines the ongoing issue of gender-based violence (GBV) in Tanzania, despite the country's ratification of comprehensive international, regional, and national legal frameworks. It explores how harmful cultural practices such as unyago, vigodoro, and chagulaga; alongside entrenched patriarchal norms and contradictions between statutory and customary laws, continue to undermine protections for women and girls. The brief argues that legal commitments alone are insufficient without effective enforcement, structural reform, public education, and stronger institutional accountability. It offers evidence-based recommendations to better align the legal system with cultural change, survivor-centred support services, and coordinated, cross-sector responses. By situating Tanzania's case within the wider Sub-Saharan African context, it illustrates how legal pluralism, and socio-cultural dynamics contribute to the persistence of GBV across the region.
- Topic:
- Education, Culture, Reform, Women, Gender Based Violence, and Girls
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Tanzania
4. “The thing with sexual exploitation”: gender representations and the Brazilian military in an UN peace mission
- Author:
- Izadora Xavier do Monte
- Publication Date:
- 12-2024
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Revista Brasileira de Política Internacional (RBPI)
- Institution:
- Instituto Brasileiro de Relações Internacionais (IBRI)
- Abstract:
- Based on thematic analysis of 40 semi-directive interviews, observation in Port-au-Prince and Brasilia and following a standpoint feminist and international political sociology approach, the article aims to explore gender representations among Brazilian peacekeepers. Using the Brazilian experience in Haiti as a case study, the article seeks to show how the UNSC agenda on Women, Peace and Security is appropriated by actors on the field. It argues that peacekeepers seek to reduce dissonance between the existing military understanding of gender and UN expectations. UN “gender mainstreaming” is reinterpreted to accommodate naturalizing and traditional discourses on not only women, but also men.
- Topic:
- United Nations, Peacekeeping, Gender Based Violence, Gender, and Military
- Political Geography:
- Brazil, South America, Caribbean, and Haiti
5. Violence Against Women in the Legal Amazon in the Last Five Years
- Author:
- Melina Risso, Vivian Calderoni, Marina Alkmim, and Katherine Aguirre Tobón
- Publication Date:
- 03-2024
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Igarapé Institute
- Abstract:
- The Amazon, known for its biodiversity, is the scene of intense geopolitical disputes around the exploitation of its natural resources, involving various significant economic actors, illicit groups, and criminal activities. Among the various illicit activities present in the daily life of the region, we can highlight logging, agriculture, and livestock farming with negative environmental impacts, illegal mining, especially of gold, land usurpation, and other forms of environmental degradation. These criminal activities in the Amazon go beyond the destruction of forest biodiversity, also revealing institutional fragility through complex criminal networks that foster drug trafficking, child sexual exploitation, slave labor, and high levels of violence in its various forms. The Amazon is a region marked by various layers of violence, underdevelopment, and reduced quality of life for its diverse population.6 The high homicide rates in the region, which has a rate of intentional violent deaths 45% higher than the national average and is among the six deadliest cities in Brazil, evidence of a situation of excessive and persistent violence. Although the homicide rate is the most used parameter to measure violence worldwide, it hides the brutal reality of women’s life experiences, who are the main victims of all types of violence, except for homicides. In the Amazon region, this is no different. In this sense, women are exposed to a greater variety of violence considered “less severe” because they do not directly result in death, compared to men. However, the murders of women often represent the final stage of a succession of aggressions. Considering the disproportionality of female victimization in all forms of non-lethal violence – which often do not receive the necessary attention in the formulation of public policies and in debates on the subject, constantly marked by a lack of standardization and reliability in data sources –, the EVA platform and the productions derived from it seek to contribute with the systematization and analysis of data. The goal is to map and understand the patterns of violence against women, providing inputs for the planning of evidence-based public policies, capable of modifying the adverse reality. This report aims to provide a detailed overview of violence against women in the Amazon region over the last five years.
- Topic:
- Crime, Development, Women, Gender Based Violence, and Violence
- Political Geography:
- South America and Amazon Basin
6. Accelerating GBVF Response Through Community-Led Platforms – Lessons from the Scorecard of the Localisation of the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide
- Author:
- Gugu Resha and Cathy-Ann Potgieter
- Publication Date:
- 03-2024
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)
- Abstract:
- his policy brief highlights the findings from the scorecard on the localisation of the NSP-GBVF, emphasising the areas of priority for all state and community-based actors as they continue to implement to objectives of the policy. This brief is intended to be used by organisations and community leaders working to strengthen efforts against GBVF, service providers providing protection, prevention and support to victims of GBV, stewards of safety and gender equality in public institutions, police representatives, CPF coordinators and business leaders seeking to make positive contribution to the efforts against GBVF towards gender justice and a violence-free South Africa.
- Topic:
- Crime, Gender Based Violence, Violence, Legislation, Domestic Violence, Femicide, and Community Initiatives
- Political Geography:
- Africa and South Africa
7. La lucha contra la violencia contra las mujeres y la violencia doméstica
- Author:
- Claudia de Mesa
- Publication Date:
- 02-2024
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Fundación Alternativas
- Abstract:
- El informe destaca tres avances significativos de la propuesta de Directiva en comparación con el Convenio de Estambul. La perspectiva de género, por un lado, integrada de manera indisociable en la violencia contra la mujer y reconociendo a las mujeres como víctimas por razón de su género. En segundo lugar, el mayor alcance de la Directiva respecto al Convenio, especialmente al imponer la obligatoriedad de su transposición por parte de los Estados Miembros. Por último, que su naturaleza jurídica permite abordar a agentes no estatales. Sin embargo, se señala que tanto ambos textos omiten abordar la trata de personas con fines de explotación sexual, a pesar de ser un grave problema con una dimensión de género significativa. En este sentido, se ha pretendido analizar la estrecha interconexión entre la trata de personas y la prostitución, probándose que esta es innegable y que, además, el negocio de la prostitución-y la trata, consecuentemente- se adapta constantemente a las circunstancias para aumentar sus beneficios.
- Topic:
- Women, Gender Based Violence, Public Policy, and Domestic Violence
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
8. Pathways to Justice and Accountability for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence: Lessons Learned and Policy Recommendations from the Frontlines
- Author:
- Jess Keller
- Publication Date:
- 12-2024
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS)
- Abstract:
- The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security released a new report on the widespread use of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and its devastating impacts on individuals and communities, which can last generations and undermine peace and security efforts. Sexual violence is used as a weapon of war by combatants in conflict situations worldwide, decimating societies and fueling displacement. It remains a silent crime, with an estimated 80 percent of cases in conflict settings going unreported. This fall, GIWPS convened leaders from Ukraine, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Colombia to share lessons learned for responding to the global scourge of CRSV. Drawing on their insights, this report presents actionable policy recommendations for key stakeholders to hold perpetrators accountable, meet survivor needs, and follow through on their commitments to deliver justice. The report, authored by Jess Keller, was made possible with support from the Embassy of Germany in Washington, D.C.
- Topic:
- Gender Based Violence, Sexual Violence, Accountability, and Armed Conflict
- Political Geography:
- Ukraine, Colombia, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina
9. Moving Mountains:The Vital Role of Afghan Women in Forging a Shared Future
- Author:
- Palwasha Hassan
- Publication Date:
- 12-2024
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS)
- Abstract:
- Since the Taliban takeover in 2021, Afghanistan has faced a grim confluence of crises—a failing economy, widespread poverty and famine, rampant human rights abuses, and a total erasure of the rights of women and girls. Devastating earthquakes and the deportation of Afghans from Pakistan have further compounded the challenges facing the country. The Taliban appear to be indifferent to international sanctions or any of the usual levers of diplomacy and have not heeded global calls to ease restrictions on women and girls. As the situation intensifies, it has become harder to imagine how things will improve, especially for those most impacted. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the international community has taken steps to address the situation. In December 2023, the United Nations Security Council adopted a new resolution (UNSCR 2721) on Afghanistan that aims to bring coherence to wide-ranging political, humanitarian, and development activities. Importantly, the Resolution calls for the appointment of a United Nations special envoy for Afghanistan to uphold recommendations from an independent assessment, “particularly regarding gender and human rights.” Not surprisingly, the Taliban have not accepted the report findings or recommendations. Additionally, Afghan women continue to be marginalized from decision-making roles and opportunities to meaningfully influence political processes focused on the future of the country. To further complicate matters, Afghans struggle to form a unified vision for the future of the country. While many courageous Afghan women continue to speak out against Taliban oppression, consensus on the way forward remains out of reach. Decades of war and instability have created deep divisions in Afghan society, making it difficult for the Afghan women’s movement to mobilize a coordinated, strategic response and articulate a cohesive platform for advocacy. To support better coordination and advocacy, this study engaged Afghan women to identify priority actions for peace and stability in the country. The goal of the project was to support Afghan women in articulating a strong and unified voice in preparation for the day when peace negotiations are once again possible. While it is hard to imagine a future in which the Taliban will consider progressive reforms or is no longer in power, we believe it is important to start planning for that day now to ensure diverse perspectives are considered and progress toward meaningful reform can be made over time. Afghan women must be central to any national dialogue and future peace processes.
- Topic:
- Taliban, Women, and Gender Based Violence
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan and South Asia
10. Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence: An Emerging Issue in Women, Peace and Security
- Author:
- Kristine Baekgaard
- Publication Date:
- 12-2024
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS)
- Abstract:
- As the uses and abuses of technology develop at a rapid rate, the growing threat and consequences of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) must be addressed by those working to advance the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda. Existing policies and programs must be adapted and new ones adopted to account for digital dimensions of gender-based violence (GBV) and to keep online spaces safe for women. Technology has helped advance women’s rights around the world in important ways. Technological tools make education and employment more accessible, and online spaces create new opportunities to build movements and amplify calls for equality and justice. These gains serve the goals of the WPS Agenda, which aims to protect and empower women in conflict-affected contexts. Along with these benefits, however, are substantial costs. Globally, 66 percent of women have reported experiencing TFGBV—including instances of cyber-harassment and stalking, doxxing, and image-based sexual abuse. Further, there are increasing reports of digital tools being used to exacerbate offline violence. For example, sexual assaults of Iranian protesters have been filmed and used to blackmail the protesters, and women in Pakistan have been killed as a result of photoshopped images being posted online. National governments and international organizations increasingly recognize TFGBV as a pressing issue. Existing research and policies focus on the impact of TFGBV on specific women—primarily, politicians and journalists—with less attention paid to the implications of TFGBV for the WPS Agenda, particularly with regard to protecting women from GBV and promoting their participation in peace processes. Given the scale, scope, and impact of TFGBV, the WPS field must evolve to account for the unique challenges women are facing in an increasingly digitized world. Based on a comprehensive desk review of existing TFGBV literature, this report explores the linkages between TFGBV and the goals of the WPS Agenda. The first section introduces the WPS Agenda, specifically focusing on its structure and the context for its creation. The next section links TFGBV with the protection goals of WPS, outlining the prevalence of existing types of digital violence and the challenges with addressing them. It further highlights the link between digital and offline violence, demonstrating that protection efforts must account for a continuum of violence. The third section draws out threats TFGBV poses to the participation goals of WPS. It identifies three key dimensions of TFGBV that hinder women’s participation in peace and politics: targeted attacks against prominent women, the “gendered chilling effect” of online violence that discourages women from participating in online spaces, and online radicalization and misogyny.
- Topic:
- Science and Technology, Women, and Gender Based Violence
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus