Trust Fund Grantees
13th Cycle (2008)
In 2008, the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women issued its 13th call for proposals to support the implementation of laws, policies and action plans on ending violence against women. Proposals were received under two categories: meeting the “implementation and upscaling challenge” by expanding the scope and coverage of multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder interventions; and expanding the global knowledge base on effective approaches by supporting “catalytic, innovative and learning initiatives” on ending violence against women.
A total of 1,070 concept notes were received, with requests adding up to nearly US$525 million. Programme appraisal committees awarded an historic US$19 million to 23 initiatives in 29 countries.
Implementation and Upscaling Challenge
Under this category, the UN Trust Fund awarded US$12 million in grants to 13 initiatives in 18 countries:
- Women in Cities International
Argentina, India, Russia and Tanzania
Project Title: “Gender Inclusive Cities: Increasing Women's Safety by Identifying and Disseminating Effective and Promising Approaches that Promote Women's Equal Access to Public Spaces”
Duration: 3 years
Description: Crime and violence are among the defining characteristics of modern cities, particularly for women, who face the fear of sexual violence as a constant threat to their mobility and well-being. Women in Cities will promote women’s “right to the city,” defined as the right to live, move around and work. In four cities on four continents, this project will map the geography of public gender exclusion and its intersection with race, caste, religion and migrant status. It will also identify effective policies, tools and strategies for greater equality for women and girls. These will contribute to a how-to guide on evaluating policies and interventions to promote women’s “right to the city.” - United Nations Country Team
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Project Title: “Preventing and Combating Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina”
Duration: 3 years
Description: Bosnia and Herzegovina has seen an increase in violence against women in its post-war period, along with growing poverty and unemployment. The United Nations Country Team will scale up a model referral mechanism to address sexual and gender-based violence in six municipalities in the Republic of Srpska and the Federation. The model includes a component of data collection and analysis, as well as awareness raising and capacity development for stakeholders-namely, public officials, service providers in state and entity governments, parliamentarians, municipal government officials, the private sector, gender centres, civil society organizations and the general public. The project will contribute to evidence-based policy-making and service provision. - United Nations Country Team
China
Project Description: “Preventing and Responding to Domestic Violence in China through a Multi-sectoral Approach”
Duration: 3 years
Description: In China, the United Nations Country Team will build upon a previous pilot to scale up responses to domestic violence in the Hunan, Gansu and Sichuan provinces, with a special focus on ethnic minorities and people displaced by the recent earthquake. A joint programme will support the development of a multi-sectoral model for systematically responding to domestic violence and ensuring increased access to support services, such as legal aid and enhanced referral systems. By working in close partnership with the All China Women’s Federation, Public Security Bureau, and the ministries of health, justice and civil affairs, the United Nations Country Team will encourage high-level political commitment to adopting a national policy and legislation on domestic violence. The team will also monitor and document the process as a basis for China's further rollout of and advocacy for policy and law reforms. - Solidarité Feminine pour la Paix et le Developpement Integrale (SOFEPADI)
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Project Title: “Project to Support the Fight against Sexual Violence in Ituri”
Duration: 3 years
Description: Impunity for sexual violence is widespread in post-conflict Ituri Province in eastern DRC. SOFEPADI will support the implementation of 2006 legislation on sexual violence by strengthening the capacity of paralegal staff within the judicial system, and supporting onsite hearing tribunals to prosecute perpetrators. Other activities will include awareness-raising campaigns and mobilization of survivors into rights pressure groups, in order to increase the reporting of cases of sexual violence. - Fidecoismo Ecuatoriano para el Desarrollo (FEDC)
Ecuador
Project Title: “Ecuador-Colombia Border: A Life Free of Violence for Women and Girls in Rural Areas in the Provinces of Esmeraldas and Sucumbios”
Duration: 2 years
Description: Esmeraldas and Sucumbíos are rural border provinces marked by poverty, ethnic and gender discrimination, and limited access to education, health and other services. The lack of women’s economic autonomy is an obstacle to breaking the cycle of gender-based violence, while the internal unstable situation in Colombia has worsened the situation. Building upon its previous experience, FEDC will develop links between economic empowerment and prevention of violence against women in order to contribute to effective implementation of related local plans. - United Nations Country Team
Ecuador
Project Title: “Protection and Restitution of Rights to Victims of Gender-Based Violence in Ecuador”
Duration: 3 years
Description: Historically, Ecuador has lacked long-term, multi-sectoral national policies to address gender-based violence. In 2007, the National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence was finally adopted; one of its four axes is a system for integrated response. The United Nations Country Team will develop a model and protocol for assisting survivors, and establish two state centres for integral attention to gender-based violence. This model will be later replicated throughout the country, as part of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. Other activities will include social participation in local policy-making processes, and the creation of local networks and coalitions (including men’s groups) to end violence against women. - Oxfam Great Britain
Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen
Project Title: “Promoting Approaches and Strategies for Working with Men for Ending Violence against Women in the Middle East”
Duration: 3 years
Description: Conflicts in the Middle East and sectarian divisions continuously compromise women’s human rights, even as violence against women remains a neglected problem. Oxfam Great Britain will replicate a model for women’s organizations to work with men on ending violence against women in five countries of the Arab region, and promote wider regional and global learning and links among these organizations. There will be a particular focus on Lebanon, with targeted research and campaigns to advance the adoption of a domestic violence protection bill that integrates approaches for engaging men. - United Nations Country Team
FYR Macedonia
Project Title: “Strengthening National Capacities to Prevent Domestic Violence”
Duration: 3 years
Description: Recent recommendations related to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Violence against Women (CEDAW) and the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) indicate that although an increasing number of constitutional, legal and policy reforms aim at achieving gender equality, major gender gaps persist in different spheres of life. Gender-based violence, including domestic violence, has been reported to be a key area where national responses need strengthening. The United Nations Country Team will upscale effective practices in multi-sectoral coordination to support the implementation of the recently adopted National Strategy for Protection against Domestic Violence (2008-2011). The initiative will focus on community behavioural change, prevention efforts, local survivor support services and measurement of progress in reducing the prevalence of domestic violence. - Lawyer’s Collective (Women’s Rights Initiative)
India
Project Title: “Ending Violence against Women through the Law”
Duration: 3 years
Description: The 2005 Protection of Women from Domestic Violence (PWDV) Act mandates a multi-agency response to women facing violence at home, but there is currently an absence of related guidance for implementation. Critical gaps exist in coordination between the judiciary, protection officers, legal aid, service providers, shelter homes, medical facilities and the police. The Lawyer’s Collective will support the implementation of the PWDV Act through capacity development workshops for key state agencies on a model protocol for effective multi-agency responses to women survivors of violence. It will issue annual monitoring and evaluation reports on the interpretation and implementation of the PWDV Act. - United Nations Country Team
Nepal
Project Title: “Multi-sectoral Gender-Based Violence Response at the District Level in Nepal”
Duration: 3 years
Description: Despite the lack of comprehensive data on gender-based violence, several studies and assessments show that many Nepali women experience violence as a constant or recurring obstacle to a healthy and productive life. The United Nations Country Team will upscale strategies for multi-sectoral responses for survivors of gender-based violence in the Mahottari, Kapilvastu, Kanchanpur and Surkhet districts. These will encompass legal, health, social and psychosocial services, and referral mechanisms between the services. - Puntos de Encuentro
Nicaragua
Project Title: “Promoting a Favourable Environment for Ending Violence against Women in Nicaragua”
Duration: 3 years
Description: New types of violence against women, such as sexual tourism and commercial sexual exploitation of girls and adolescents, are becoming more common, but legislation is not advancing. On the contrary, setbacks in commitments to women’s human rights have taken place. Puntos de Encuentro will harness the power of the mass media to promote equitable and non-violent attitudes and behaviours, and strengthen the capacity of the women’s movement to advocate for the implementation of legislation to address violence against women. - Provincial Secretariat for Labour, Employment and Gender Equality (PSLEGE)
Serbia
Project Title: “Towards a Comprehensive System to End Violence Against Women in Vojvodina”
Duration: 3 years
Description: In Serbia, PSLEGE will work towards improving prevention, protection and support services by scaling up successful cooperation initiatives that knit together the efforts of social service providers, the police, legal professionals, local authorities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Through action-oriented research, capacity development and coalition building, PSLEGE will enhance capacities and strengthen inter-sectoral and multidisciplinary links to ensure that assistance is effective and readily available. The project will cover both women at risk of and already experiencing violence, and include specific actions to reach women and girls in marginalized communities, such as rural women, refugee women, Roma women, women living in poverty and women with disabilities. - International Association of Women
Zambia
Project Title: “Justice, Jurisprudence, Access and Accountability in Zambia”
Duration: 3 years
Description: Despite Zambia’s ratification of numerous human rights conventions, magistrates and judges lack knowledge about international law, current jurisprudence (both international and national), and domestic statutes and rules on violence against women. The International Association of Women will promote justice for women survivors by developing the capacities of different actors (inter alia, judges, health providers, police victim support units and NGOs) on violence against women. It will work towards the domestic adaptation of CEDAW, and advocate for a more gender-responsive legal framework that harmonizes customs and statutes identified in the National Plan.
Catalytic, Innovative and Learning Initiatives
Under this category, the UN Trust Fund awarded US$7 million in grants to 10 initiatives in 13 countries:
- Instituto Promundo
Brazil, Chile, India and Rwanda
Project Title: “Engaging Men to End Gender-Based Violence: a Multi-Country Intervention and Impact Evaluation Study”
Duration: 3 years
Description: Research has confirmed that men’s attitudes and behaviour relating to gender roles and norms are closely related to self-reported use of violence against women. Instituto Promundo and partner organizations will embark on an innovative cross-regional project that will use rigorous evaluations to identify effective strategies for engaging men in ending violence against women, and contribute to the global knowledge-base in this critical area. Educational workshops and campaign activities tailored to requirements in each country will centre on deconstructing traditional notions of masculinity and manhood, promoting gender-equitable and non-violent alternatives, and encouraging positive changes in attitudes and behaviours. Evaluation results will be widely disseminated through the MenEngage Alliance, a network of more than 400 organizations. - Social Services of Cambodia
Cambodia
Project Title: “Community-Based Sexual Assault and Prevention Programme”
Duration: 3 years
Description: Impunity for sexual assault cases is commonplace, exacerbated by an absence of adequate social services specifically addressing this form of violence. Social Services of Cambodia will contribute to reducing the incidence of sexual assault and related stigmatization by piloting and replicating a model community-based sexual assault response service. An innovative alternative to the existing shelter-only services, the model includes a 24/7 community-based direct response mechanism for survivors and a community awareness programme. - ActionAid
Cameroon
Project Title: “Tackling Violence against Girls in Schools in Northern Cameroon”
Duration: 3 years
Description: Studies have shown that violence, sexual harassment, early and forced marriages, and gender stereotyping reduce enrolment rates for girls. In the Far North region of Cameroon, where the school enrolment rate for girls between 6 and 14 years old is 50 percent, compared to 81 percent for boys in the same age group, violence against girls in schools is widespread. ActionAid will employ a three-tiered strategy at the local, provincial and national level. It will work in 10 schools in 5 districts to raise awareness and strengthen the capacities of provincial delegations, school management committees, parent-teacher associations, local authorities, and traditional and religious leaders. Advocacy at the Ministry of Basic Education will urge the implementation of special education policies for girls. - Sistren Theatre Collective
Jamaica
Project Title: “Let Us Take It to Them: ‘Tek It to Dem and Rise Up wi Community’”
Duration: 3 years
Description: Women and girls are often the target of violence in both the public and private spheres, including from itinerant criminals. In addition, violence tends to occur from interpersonal conflicts over multiple relationships and money. These tensions often escalate into a spiral of conflict that may produce gang, crew or community wars. The Sistren Theatre Collective will use participatory learning techniques that blend education, life skills building, community organizing and mobilization, group processes and the arts to empower women, girls and young men, and their communities to take action to prevent gender-based violence. - International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Jordan
Project Title: “Building Local Capacity to Combat Violence against Women in Jordan”
Duration: 3 years
Description: A new Law of Protection from Domestic Violence was ratified by Parliament in March 2008. In collaboration with national partners, IRC will work towards effective implementation of the law through a holistic, multi-sectoral strategy addressing the safety, health, psychosocial and justice needs of women and girl survivors of violence, with a particular focus on the refugee population from Iraq. - ActionAid
Liberia
Project Title: “Access to Justice and Support for Survivors of VAW in South-Eastern Liberia”
Duration: 3 years
Description: Rape and other forms of gender-based violence were widely used as weapons of war during Liberia’s 15-year civil conflict. These crimes continue to plague today’s post-conflict setting. Young female citizens suffer the most from this epidemic, which is embedded in cultural beliefs and practices as well as behaviour acquired during the war years. In collaboration with traditional leaders, women and youth organizations, local authorities and law enforcement officials, ActionAid will work to strengthen the implementation of the 2006 Rape Law and the 2007 Inheritance Law in the Grand Gedeh and River Gee counties in south-eastern Liberia. It will bolster prevention responses, address the needs of survivors and foster women’s economic independence. - Centre for Support and Development for Civic Initiatives “RESONANCE”
Moldova
Project Title: “Opening New Horizons for Women”
Duration: 3 years
Description: Moldova has faced a long and arduous transformation that has included social and cultural conflicts with the breakaway Transnistrian and Gagauzia regions. There is a high level of trafficking in the country, and women reportedly suffer from intense domestic violence. Few NGOs specialize in promoting women’s human rights, however. Knowledge gaps on violence against women are significant. RESONANCE will establish a women’s centre to provide legal, psychosocial and material assistance to survivors. It will also advocate for the adoption of a local law and action plan on domestic violence. - Institution Nationale de Solidarité avec les Femmes en Détresse (INSAF)
Morocco
Project Title: “Defending the Rights of Single-Mothers and Girl Domestic Workers”
Duration: 3 years
Description: INSAF will expand its pioneering work in defending the rights and promoting the social reintegration of single mothers and young girls exploited as domestic laborers, who both groups suffer exclusion and face multiple forms of violence. The project will seek to improve legal protections for these two groups, and reduce social stigma through advocacy campaigns. It will also work directly with single mothers and girls engaged in domestic work to support their social reintegration—through employment and training for the first group, and the return to schools and families for the second. A model unit for the orientation and professional reinsertion of single mothers will be piloted at INSAF and replicated in five other organizations working to end violence against women. Partnerships with private sector associations will help determine training needs and foster the notion of corporate social responsibility within the business community. - Ilse Henar Foundation for Women’s Rights
Suriname
Project Title: “Elimination of Sexual Harassment at the Workplace in Suriname”
Duration: 3 years
Description: Sexual harassment is widespread in Suriname, which lacks legislation to protect women, and to guide companies in the creation of a safe and free work environment. This project will develop a model to address sexual harassment in the work place, and pilot interventions in target companies and labour unions. Activities will be complemented by a nationwide education and outreach campaign focusing on ending violence against women. This will reinforce the legislative change process and facilitate the establishment of a complaints mechanism. - Public Organization “Child Rights Centre”
Tajikistan
Project Title: “Preventing Exploitation, Abuse, Violence and Trafficking of Vulnerable Girls through the Development of Effective and Accessible State Referral and Support Networks and Services”
Duration: 3 years
Description: Girls in Tajikistan are particularly vulnerable to gender-based violence, sexual exploitation, abuse and early marriage. The subsequent stigmatization of girl survivors results in many falling through the gaps in existing child protection and child welfare systems. This project aims to both prevent such violence and to reintegrate survivors into their community. The Child Rights Centre will establish accessible support services for at-risk girls through a girl’s support centre, which will complement the organization’s ongoing psychosocial and educational day services and short-term residential placements. Activities will include the provision of comprehensive training to referral agencies, establishment of supported living units for girls leaving the support centre, and development of a regional assistance programme for psychosocial and legal support.
