Violence and Discrimination

Overall, the law has failed women. Although governments and the international community have invested heavily in legal systems, in many settings, women still suffer appalling violence and discrimination. In some countries, rape is endemic; in others, girls are bought and sold in settlement of family debt; forced and underage marriage, domestic violence and femicide remain all too common. Women's oppression and suffering is compounded by civil conflict. Under the guide of religion or ideology, the desire to control women's bodies or garb persists. For these reasons, IDLO has made gender cross-cutting theme in all its work, as well as the focus of distinct research and programming.
(Photo: ILO/Sarah-Jane Saltmarsh)
Sewing hope for the future: From shelters to self-sufficiency
After breakfast every day Shabnum* sews chappan, a traditional coat worn by men and women in Afghanistan. In the afternoon, she embellishes the chappans with intricate needlework patterns to sell to interested buyers in Kabul.

A grassroots approach to ending SGBV in Myanmar
On November 25, 2018, community-based organizations, non-governmental actors and representatives from the legal community convened in Mandalay, Myanmar for a special community theater performance raising awareness about violence against women.

GRUPO DE ALTO NIVEL PIDE MEDIDAS PARA ACABAR CON LA DESIGUALDAD DE LAS MUJERES EN LA JUSTICIA
El acceso de las mujeres a la justicia es esencial para cumplir una aspiración clave de la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible: no dejar a nadie atrás.

UN GROUPE DE HAUT NIVEAU VISE À COMBLER L’ÉCART ENTRE LES GENRES EN MATIÈRE DE JUSTICE
La justice pour les femmes est indispensable à la réalisation d’un des principaux objectifs du Programme de développement durable à l’horizon 2030 : veiller à ne laisser personne de côté.

High-level Group seeks action to close justice gap for women
Justice for women: Access, empowerment and representation
From conflict-affected countries and fragile states, to the halls of the most powerful decision-making bodies, women face significant barriers when it comes to access to justice, gender equality and empowerment.
Supporting Somali justice institutions to combat complex crimes
Somalia is striving to strengthen its institutions and to improve the rule of law, however high levels of crime still persist. These include forms of complex crimes, namely extremist violence, organized crime, sexual and gender-based violence and corruption. In recent years, the Somali Federal Government has improved the fight against armed groups and made efforts to improve the capacity of the justice system to handle complex crimes.
High-level Group on Justice for Women
Inaugural Meeting: High-level Group on Justice for Women
Update (as of July 27, 2018): The Inaugural Meeting Report is now available below

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Key Initiatives
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Domestic violence in Mongolia is increasingly recognized as a significant problem. Law enforcement officials report that in 2016 domestic violence cases increased by 25 per cent in the first seven months of the year compared to the previous year. In response, the Government of Mongolia has begun to take legislative and policy steps to improve its response to the issue. While important steps continue to be taken, significant challenges remain.
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Strengthening the domestic violence response in Mongolia IDLO is implementing a project in Mongolia that aims to strengthen the response to domestic violence and increase access to justice for survivors.
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Somalia is striving to strengthen its institutions and to improve the rule of law, however high levels of crime still persist. These include forms of complex crimes, namely extremist violence, organized crime, sexual and gender-based violence and corruption. In recent years, the Somali Federal Government has improved the fight against armed groups and made efforts to improve the capacity of the justice system to handle complex crimes.
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IDLO is working with the European Union’s EUROsociAL II program in Honduras to aid and empower women who are victims of domestic violence. With the country’s judiciary, we have created the Centro de Atención y Protección de los Derechos de la Mujer (CAPRODEM), a women’s center providing orientation and legal assistance for female victims in Tegucigalpa. IDLO has played a key role in drafting the internal and functional guidelines for the Center and helped build the capacity of those involved. CAPRODEM is expected to be replicated in other regions of Honduras.
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In the post-conflict transition, significant steps have been taken to combat sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Liberia. The Government of Liberia established a policy and legal framework that includes the Rape Law (2006), a National Gender Policy (2017), and a National Plan of Action for the Prevention and Management of Gender-Based Violence in Liberia. However, in 2017, over 1100 SGBV cases have been reported in Montserrado County alone, representing only a small proportion of the violations that occur. Furthermore, the number of cases that have progressed to court remains low.
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Strengthening prevention and accountability for sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) through the rule of law and access to justice has been a priority for the Government of Myanmar since 2011, when it embarked on an unprecedented transition towards democracy. SGBV cases are rarely reported and, when they are, the justice sector fails to provide adequate remedies. Therefore, there is a widely recognized need to increase prevention of and accountability for SGBV.
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Since the revolution in 2011, Tunisia has experienced a period of significant political transition and change culminating in the adoption of a new constitution in 2014, which called for justice reform and protection of women’s rights. However, the practical application of the framework for legal assistance in Tunisia demonstrates the insufficiency of existing relevant mechanisms. Therefore, there is the strong need to empower women to access justice and claim their rights.
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Following the Tunisian revolution of 2011, the new Constitution adopted in 2014 aimed to embed the principle of equality between women and men as well as ensuring the State’s obligation to protect women’s rights. However, despite the reforms to the legal framework in Tunisia to increase protection for women against gender-based violence, justice sector professionals, particularly judges and bailiffs, have limited knowledge, skills and capacity to act as effective gender justice agents, as stipulated by the new Law.
Latest Activity
Policy Statements
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Évènement
7 juillet, 2022 |