World Health Organization, Data and dtatistics
South-East Asia Region (SEAR)
Gender-based violence is an act “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 deprivations of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.”
- The United Nations Declaration on Violence Against Women.
I. GBV CHALLENGE:
The South-East Asia Region
faces a big challenge in
eliminating gender-based
violence (GBV). Almost all
Member States in the Region
have highlighted GBV as a
public health problem.
Violence against women is a
violation of the right to life,
liberty and personal safety. It
is noted that one in five
women between 15-24 years
and one in six women
1
between 40-49 years could be
subject to GBV from their
intimate partners/ husbands.
GBV has also been found to
be prevalent among persons
living with HIV and AIDS
and disabilities with women
suffering more than men.
GBV has been found in
physical, psychological,
emotional, socio-cultural,
sexual and economic forms.
Regional Milestones
areas of surveillance, research, prevention,
treatment and care for victims and advocacy
for the prevention of violence.
! SEARO policy brief on prevention of GBV
was developed in Kuta, Bali, July 2007. It
includes (1) development of gender-sensitive
assessment tools of evidence and prevention;
(2) harmonization of related laws; (3)
systematic data collection on violence against
w o m e n ( VA W ) ; ( 4 ) i m p r o v e
coordination/networking among ministries/
stakeholders; (5) ensure adequate funds to
support awareness, protection and prevention
activities and (6) a high level of political
commitment.
! WHO’s integrated plan of action for a
science-based public health approach to
violence prevention was endorsed in World
Health Assembly resolution WHA 50.19 in
1997.
! The Forty-ninth World Health Assembly
resolution (WHA 49.25, 1996) declared
violence to be a leading worldwide public
health problem.
! The Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA),
1995 identified violence against women as
one of the 12 areas of concern for women’s
advancement.
! The World Health Assembly has urged
WHO's Member States to pay increased
attention to gender-based violence as a public
health concern during disasters and crises.
[Resolution WHA 58.1 (2005)]
! The Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN
General Assembly defines discrimination
against women in Article 1 and includes
gender-based violence.
! The 111th session of WHO Executive Board
in January 2003 endorsed the need for
developing guidelines for each of the
recommendations and by strengthening
efforts for prevention of violence and injuries.
! The 109th session of the WHO Executive
Board in January 2002 proposed tasks in the
II. WHO RESPONSE ON GBV
WHO and partners are collaborating to decrease
GBV through initiatives that help to identify,
quantify and respond to the problem, including:
! Disseminating information to countries and
supporting national efforts to advance
women's rights and prevent violence.
! Building evidence on the scope and types of
violence in different settings.
! Collaborating with international agencies and
organizations to deter violence against
women globally.
! Developing guidance for Member States and
health professionals to prevent violence and
strengthen health sector responses to it.
III. REGIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR COMBATING GBV
Gender and Women's Health Unit, SEARO seeks
to integrate gender concerns into policy and
programmes in the health and related sectors and
to promote increased attention to the health and
human rights of women throughout their
lifespan. GWH-SEARO is supporting Member
States in the development of policies, strategies
and interventions that effectively address highpriority and neglected health issues of women. It
is also supporting the creation of a body of
2
evidence on the impact of gender on health and
of tools, norms and standards to improve the
gender responsiveness of health interventions
and promote gender equity in health.
Director, South-East Asia Region gave a
special message on ‘GBV primary
prevention’.
International Women’s Day (IWD)
A multi-sectoral approach to combating GBV in
the Region has been promoted since 2008. A
regional consultation on a multi-sectoral
approach to gender and women health work was
attended by 10 Member States of the Region in
Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2008. Various GBV
activities have been included in the regional
programme budget workplans.
! International Women's Day (IWD) is marked
on March 8th every year to celebrate the
economic, political and social achievements
of women. The United Nations has celebrated
International Women’s Day since 1975. IWD
is part of the growing international women's
movement, which has been strengthened by
four global United Nations women's
conferences. The Day also provides an
opportunity to reflect on the progress made,
to call for change and to celebrate acts of
courage and determination by ordinary
women who have played an extraordinary
role in the history of women's rights.
A. Information, education and
communication (IEC)
GWH/SEARO has developed IEC materials for
the SEARO website to commemorate
international days (1) 16 days of activism against
gender violence, 5 November – 10 December
yearly; and (2) International Women’s Day
(IWD) on 8 March yearly.
! SEARO uses this international observance for
highlighting the progress made by the
countries in supporting gender equality and
health equity.
The 16 days of activism against gender
violence:
! SEARO has published “International
Women’s day highlights 2007-2009” as
documentation of website posting during
2007-2009. In 2009, Regional Director
SEARO gave special message on the theme:
‘Men and women united to end violence
against women and girls’.
! The 16 days of activism against gender
violence is an international campaign
originating from the First Women's Global
Leadership Institute sponsored by the Centre
for Women's Global Leadership in 1991.
Participants chose the period 25 November –
10 December, based on November 25 as
International Day against Violence against
Women and December 10, as International
Human Rights Day, in order to symbolically
link violence against women and human
rights and to emphasize that such violence is
a violation of human right.
B. Promoting multi-sectoral approach on
GBV
! The development of multi-sectoral genderbased violence prevention guidelines to
support One-Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC) in
Thailand, has been finalized in 2009 by the
collaborative work of WHO regional and
country offices with Ministry of Public
Health, Thailand.
! SEARO uses this international observance for
joint country activities and for evaluation of
the gender-based violence (GBV) situation
and efforts in the SEA Region through
website posting, development of analysis and
publication to combat GBV in the Region.
! A policy dialogue on Gender Mainstreaming
(GMS) in health with multi-sectoral approach
with Ministry of Health and Ministry of
Women and Child Development on GenderBased Violence has been initiated in India by
collaborative work of NGO and WHO
regional and country offices.
! SEARO has published “Combating genderbased violence (GBV) in the South-East Asia
Region, 2009, as documentation of highlights
2006-2008 messages on the website for the
above commemoration. In 2009, the Regional
3
C. Supporting the development of OneStop Crisis Centres in Member
Countries
Millennium Development Goals including
those related to education, maternal health,
child mortality, universal primary education
and others. GWH/SEARO promotes
awareness on “investing in women and
girls”, The Region has also promoted
awareness on “Ending impunity for violence
against women and girls”. through message
on IWD.
! One-Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC) is a patient
centered management centre characterized by
an integrated and coordinated teamwork of
multisectoral and interagency network for the
management of woman and child victims of
violence and trafficking.
E. Promotion of primary prevention of
GBV
! An OSCC ideally adopts a three-prong
approach- primary, secondary and tertiary in
advocating the prevention of domestic
violence. OSCC ensures existence of support
for the survivors from all relevant sections
and agencies through good networking and
collaboration with various related interagencies such as social welfare, shelter, legal
aid assistance, court procedure, police
service, etc. As a result, victims have access
to immediate services and assistance.
! Primary prevention of GBV is done through
early education for adolescents and gender
awareness campaigns for public. Primary
prevention for GBV needs to be started for
schools and in the community to complement
the health sector’s response to secondary
prevention.
! The Regional Director, WHO, South-East
Asia Region has stated in his message on
IWD 2009 that primary prevention for GBV
needs to be started at schools and community
in complementing the health sector’s
response to secondary prevention. Reviewing
the role of family protection units to support
victim’s protection/ prevention and producing
information, education and communication
(IEC) material for the community are
considered important to combat GBV.
! OSCCs have been implemented in the Region
to help victims of violence through hospitalbased activities. OSCCs are operational in
Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and
Thailand.
D. Emphasis on promoting MDG 3 in
relation to GBV
! GWH-SEARO promotes integration of
gender perspectives into policies and
programmes in order to achieve the
Millennium Development Goals, particularly
Goal 3, on gender equality and women’s
empowerment. The MDG3 has been used as
referral to support GBV programmes and
activities in the region, including gender
sensitive health care (GSHC). GSHC is
developed in Nepal for helping victims of
GBV.
! SEARO launched a policy brief on
prevention of GBV in 2007. The policy brief
on prevention of GBV from countries were
agreed to by 10 Member States in Kuta, Bali
in July 2007. One of the recommendations of
the policy brief was to ensure adequate funds
to support the awareness, protection and
prevention activities for GBV.
! Primary prevention of GBV is performed in
the region by Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal
and Thailand through IEC material for
schools.
! Investing in women and girls has a multiplier
effect on productivity, efficiency, sustained
economic growth and family welfare and will
contribute to the achievement of the
4
IV. COUNTRIES’ EFFORTS IN COMBATING GBV
GWH-SEARO developed a questionnaire on
GBV in October 2009. (Annex 1). The
questionnaire was circulated among all the 11
gender focal points of the 11 Member Countries
of SEA Region. The questionnaire contains
23 questions under 4 clusters:
(1)
Legislations/Policies/Programmes (2) Resources
(3) Research and (4) Evidence. The responses
received from 10 Member Countries Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Maldives,
Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and
Timor-Leste.
A. Efforts of Member Countries in Combating GBV
12
10
10
8
Scale*
8
6
4
2
0
3
9
8
3
2
Bangladesh
3
4
4
1
India
5
4
2
5
3
4
5
3
7
5
3
3
2
1
Indonesia
Legislation/policies/programmes
Maldives
Myanmar
Resources
5
Nepal
Research
3
4
4
5
2
Sri Lanka
Thailand
2
3
22
Timor-Leste
Evidence
Figure 1: Efforts of Member Countries in Combating GBV, 2009
! National action plan on GBV is present in 6
countries: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Maldives,
Nepal, Thailand and Timor-Leste. Bhutan has
national plan of action for gender.
* The scale represents country-specific situation
plotted against the maximum rating for 4 clusters
of indicators: (1) Legislations / policies /
programmes (2) Resource (3) Research and (4)
Evidence
! A health policy on GBV is present in 5
countries: Indonesia, Maldives, Nepal, Sri
Lanka and Thailand.
Legislations / policies / programmes for
combating GBV
! Multi-sectoral action plan is present in 5
countries: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Maldives,
Sri Lanka and Thailand.
There are 9 Member States who have some form
of legislation, policies and programmes for
combating GBV (Figure 1); though only 5
countries put special attention in health policy.
Further analysis showed that although having
National action plan on GBV, Nepal and Timor
Leste do not put it as multi-sectoral activity yet.
Resources on GBV
! 9 Member Countries of the Region have
resources on GBV in various forms.
! Specific guidelines on GBV for health
providers are present in Indonesia, Nepal, Sri
Lanka and Thailand.
! Legislation on GBV is present in 7 countries:
Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri
Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
5
! Workshops and trainings on GBV for
health providers have been conducted in
Bangladesh, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar,
Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. (Figure 2)
! Facilities for helping the victims of GBV
(such as police stations, legal aids centres,
social support groups, shelter homes,
counseling centres, religious leaders’ groups,
community leaders’ groups and self-help
groups) are present in 9 member countries Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Maldives,
Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and
Timor Leste.
! Activities on gender mainstreaming for the
prevention of GBV have been carried out in
Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Maldives,
Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
(Figure 2)
! A specific budget allocation for GBV is
present in Indonesia, Maldives and Thailand.
(Figure 2)
! One-Stop Crisis Centre services (OSCC)
for victims of GBV are present in
Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and
Thailand. (Figure 2)
Research on GBV
! Data collection system for GBV [Hospitals,
NGOs Legal aids centres, Social support
centers and Police stations] exists in
Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Maldives,
Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
(Figure 2)
! Research on the cause and consequences of
GBV have been conducted in Bangladesh,
India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal,
Sri Lanka and Thailand. (Figure 2)
! Research on the costs of GBV has been
conducted in Indonesia and Thailand.
! IEC materials on GBV for health
providers are available in Bangladesh,
Indonesia, Nepal and Thailand. (Figure 2)
! Research on the effective prevention
measures for GBV has been conducted in
Indonesia, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
! IEC materials on GBV for schools are
available in Bangladesh and Indonesia.
(Figure 2)
Evidence on GBV
! The practice of female foeticide is present in
India.
! IEC materials on GBV for communities are
available in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia,
Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor Leste.
(Figure 2)
! The practice of female genital mutilation/
cutting (FGM/C) is present in Indonesia and
Sri Lanka.
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
8
8
8
7
7
7
5
4
3
fo
Pr r hea
ov lt
ide h
ma
rs
ter
ial
for
IEC
sc
ma
ho
ter
ols
ial
for
co
mm
un
itie
Da
s
ta
co
lle
cti
on
sy
Sp
ste
ec
m
ific
bu
dg
et
all
oc
ati
on
Re
se
a
& rch
Co on
ne ca
qu us
en es
ce
s
OS
CC
ter
ial
IEC
or
Sf
GM
ma
&
ho
ps
Wo
rks
IEC
ing
Tr
ain
ati
leg
isl
GB Ac
V P tivi
rev ties
en on
tio
n
2
on
No. of Member Countries
B. Profile of Member Countries related to GBV
Figure 2: Profile of Member Countries on some of the activities related to GBV, 2009
6
C. Country Indication on GBV
! Most of the Member Countries have spouse
as the victims of GBV. GBV is mostly
present in physical, psychological, sexual,
emotional and economic forms. Female
genital mutilation/cutting is practiced in
Indonesia and Sri Lanka * and female
foeticide is practiced in India (Figure 3)
10
No. of Member Countries
9
8
7
7
7
6
6
5
4
4
3
2
2
1
1
0
Family members as
victims of GBV
Spouse as
victims of GBV
Domestic helpers
as victims of GBV
Physical
Female genita
psychological,
mutilation/cutting
sexual, emotional,
and economic forms of GBV
Female foeticide
Figure 3: Number of Member Countries with victims of GBV, forms of GBV, female genital
mutilation/cutting and female foeticide, 2009
! Patriarchal family systems, dowry-related
issues and joblessness are some of the
common causes of GBV in the Member
Countries (Figure 4)
10
No. of Member Countries
9
7
8
7
6
6
6
5
4
4
4
4
4
3
2
1
ms
ms
ste
sto
ly
sy
Cu
ap
ng
tio
l fa
ha
arc
Pa
tri
Do
Co
wr
y-r
mm
mi
un
ela
ica
ted
Je
alo
iss
us
ue
s
ly
s
es
ss
n
ble
Jo
In
wo crea
me sin
ni gp
n t ar
he tici
pu pat
bli io
ca no
ren f
a
0
Figure 4: Causes of GBV in the Member Countries, 2009
* The score for female genital mutilation in Sri Lanka is zero according to The global gender gap report 2009, Geneva.
7
! Mental disturbances, disability and attempts
suicide are some of the common findings
related to women’s health after GBV in the
Member Countries (Figure 5)
10
No. of Member Countries
9
8
8
7
7
6
6
5
5
4
4
4
3
2
1
0
Mental
disturbances
Attempts at
suicide
Suicide
Abortin and
miscamianges
Disabilty
Death
Figure 5: Women’s health after GBV in the Member Countries, 2009
among _> 15 year olds and in violence during
pregnancy (Figure 6)
! Physical, psychological, sexual, emotional
and economic forms of GBV are present in
the Member Countries among
Gender-based violence is an act “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 deprivations of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.”
- The United Nations Declaration on Violence Against Women.
I. GBV CHALLENGE:
The South-East Asia Region
faces a big challenge in
eliminating gender-based
violence (GBV). Almost all
Member States in the Region
have highlighted GBV as a
public health problem.
Violence against women is a
violation of the right to life,
liberty and personal safety. It
is noted that one in five
women between 15-24 years
and one in six women
1
between 40-49 years could be
subject to GBV from their
intimate partners/ husbands.
GBV has also been found to
be prevalent among persons
living with HIV and AIDS
and disabilities with women
suffering more than men.
GBV has been found in
physical, psychological,
emotional, socio-cultural,
sexual and economic forms.
Regional Milestones
areas of surveillance, research, prevention,
treatment and care for victims and advocacy
for the prevention of violence.
! SEARO policy brief on prevention of GBV
was developed in Kuta, Bali, July 2007. It
includes (1) development of gender-sensitive
assessment tools of evidence and prevention;
(2) harmonization of related laws; (3)
systematic data collection on violence against
w o m e n ( VA W ) ; ( 4 ) i m p r o v e
coordination/networking among ministries/
stakeholders; (5) ensure adequate funds to
support awareness, protection and prevention
activities and (6) a high level of political
commitment.
! WHO’s integrated plan of action for a
science-based public health approach to
violence prevention was endorsed in World
Health Assembly resolution WHA 50.19 in
1997.
! The Forty-ninth World Health Assembly
resolution (WHA 49.25, 1996) declared
violence to be a leading worldwide public
health problem.
! The Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA),
1995 identified violence against women as
one of the 12 areas of concern for women’s
advancement.
! The World Health Assembly has urged
WHO's Member States to pay increased
attention to gender-based violence as a public
health concern during disasters and crises.
[Resolution WHA 58.1 (2005)]
! The Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN
General Assembly defines discrimination
against women in Article 1 and includes
gender-based violence.
! The 111th session of WHO Executive Board
in January 2003 endorsed the need for
developing guidelines for each of the
recommendations and by strengthening
efforts for prevention of violence and injuries.
! The 109th session of the WHO Executive
Board in January 2002 proposed tasks in the
II. WHO RESPONSE ON GBV
WHO and partners are collaborating to decrease
GBV through initiatives that help to identify,
quantify and respond to the problem, including:
! Disseminating information to countries and
supporting national efforts to advance
women's rights and prevent violence.
! Building evidence on the scope and types of
violence in different settings.
! Collaborating with international agencies and
organizations to deter violence against
women globally.
! Developing guidance for Member States and
health professionals to prevent violence and
strengthen health sector responses to it.
III. REGIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR COMBATING GBV
Gender and Women's Health Unit, SEARO seeks
to integrate gender concerns into policy and
programmes in the health and related sectors and
to promote increased attention to the health and
human rights of women throughout their
lifespan. GWH-SEARO is supporting Member
States in the development of policies, strategies
and interventions that effectively address highpriority and neglected health issues of women. It
is also supporting the creation of a body of
2
evidence on the impact of gender on health and
of tools, norms and standards to improve the
gender responsiveness of health interventions
and promote gender equity in health.
Director, South-East Asia Region gave a
special message on ‘GBV primary
prevention’.
International Women’s Day (IWD)
A multi-sectoral approach to combating GBV in
the Region has been promoted since 2008. A
regional consultation on a multi-sectoral
approach to gender and women health work was
attended by 10 Member States of the Region in
Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2008. Various GBV
activities have been included in the regional
programme budget workplans.
! International Women's Day (IWD) is marked
on March 8th every year to celebrate the
economic, political and social achievements
of women. The United Nations has celebrated
International Women’s Day since 1975. IWD
is part of the growing international women's
movement, which has been strengthened by
four global United Nations women's
conferences. The Day also provides an
opportunity to reflect on the progress made,
to call for change and to celebrate acts of
courage and determination by ordinary
women who have played an extraordinary
role in the history of women's rights.
A. Information, education and
communication (IEC)
GWH/SEARO has developed IEC materials for
the SEARO website to commemorate
international days (1) 16 days of activism against
gender violence, 5 November – 10 December
yearly; and (2) International Women’s Day
(IWD) on 8 March yearly.
! SEARO uses this international observance for
highlighting the progress made by the
countries in supporting gender equality and
health equity.
The 16 days of activism against gender
violence:
! SEARO has published “International
Women’s day highlights 2007-2009” as
documentation of website posting during
2007-2009. In 2009, Regional Director
SEARO gave special message on the theme:
‘Men and women united to end violence
against women and girls’.
! The 16 days of activism against gender
violence is an international campaign
originating from the First Women's Global
Leadership Institute sponsored by the Centre
for Women's Global Leadership in 1991.
Participants chose the period 25 November –
10 December, based on November 25 as
International Day against Violence against
Women and December 10, as International
Human Rights Day, in order to symbolically
link violence against women and human
rights and to emphasize that such violence is
a violation of human right.
B. Promoting multi-sectoral approach on
GBV
! The development of multi-sectoral genderbased violence prevention guidelines to
support One-Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC) in
Thailand, has been finalized in 2009 by the
collaborative work of WHO regional and
country offices with Ministry of Public
Health, Thailand.
! SEARO uses this international observance for
joint country activities and for evaluation of
the gender-based violence (GBV) situation
and efforts in the SEA Region through
website posting, development of analysis and
publication to combat GBV in the Region.
! A policy dialogue on Gender Mainstreaming
(GMS) in health with multi-sectoral approach
with Ministry of Health and Ministry of
Women and Child Development on GenderBased Violence has been initiated in India by
collaborative work of NGO and WHO
regional and country offices.
! SEARO has published “Combating genderbased violence (GBV) in the South-East Asia
Region, 2009, as documentation of highlights
2006-2008 messages on the website for the
above commemoration. In 2009, the Regional
3
C. Supporting the development of OneStop Crisis Centres in Member
Countries
Millennium Development Goals including
those related to education, maternal health,
child mortality, universal primary education
and others. GWH/SEARO promotes
awareness on “investing in women and
girls”, The Region has also promoted
awareness on “Ending impunity for violence
against women and girls”. through message
on IWD.
! One-Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC) is a patient
centered management centre characterized by
an integrated and coordinated teamwork of
multisectoral and interagency network for the
management of woman and child victims of
violence and trafficking.
E. Promotion of primary prevention of
GBV
! An OSCC ideally adopts a three-prong
approach- primary, secondary and tertiary in
advocating the prevention of domestic
violence. OSCC ensures existence of support
for the survivors from all relevant sections
and agencies through good networking and
collaboration with various related interagencies such as social welfare, shelter, legal
aid assistance, court procedure, police
service, etc. As a result, victims have access
to immediate services and assistance.
! Primary prevention of GBV is done through
early education for adolescents and gender
awareness campaigns for public. Primary
prevention for GBV needs to be started for
schools and in the community to complement
the health sector’s response to secondary
prevention.
! The Regional Director, WHO, South-East
Asia Region has stated in his message on
IWD 2009 that primary prevention for GBV
needs to be started at schools and community
in complementing the health sector’s
response to secondary prevention. Reviewing
the role of family protection units to support
victim’s protection/ prevention and producing
information, education and communication
(IEC) material for the community are
considered important to combat GBV.
! OSCCs have been implemented in the Region
to help victims of violence through hospitalbased activities. OSCCs are operational in
Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and
Thailand.
D. Emphasis on promoting MDG 3 in
relation to GBV
! GWH-SEARO promotes integration of
gender perspectives into policies and
programmes in order to achieve the
Millennium Development Goals, particularly
Goal 3, on gender equality and women’s
empowerment. The MDG3 has been used as
referral to support GBV programmes and
activities in the region, including gender
sensitive health care (GSHC). GSHC is
developed in Nepal for helping victims of
GBV.
! SEARO launched a policy brief on
prevention of GBV in 2007. The policy brief
on prevention of GBV from countries were
agreed to by 10 Member States in Kuta, Bali
in July 2007. One of the recommendations of
the policy brief was to ensure adequate funds
to support the awareness, protection and
prevention activities for GBV.
! Primary prevention of GBV is performed in
the region by Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal
and Thailand through IEC material for
schools.
! Investing in women and girls has a multiplier
effect on productivity, efficiency, sustained
economic growth and family welfare and will
contribute to the achievement of the
4
IV. COUNTRIES’ EFFORTS IN COMBATING GBV
GWH-SEARO developed a questionnaire on
GBV in October 2009. (Annex 1). The
questionnaire was circulated among all the 11
gender focal points of the 11 Member Countries
of SEA Region. The questionnaire contains
23 questions under 4 clusters:
(1)
Legislations/Policies/Programmes (2) Resources
(3) Research and (4) Evidence. The responses
received from 10 Member Countries Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Maldives,
Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and
Timor-Leste.
A. Efforts of Member Countries in Combating GBV
12
10
10
8
Scale*
8
6
4
2
0
3
9
8
3
2
Bangladesh
3
4
4
1
India
5
4
2
5
3
4
5
3
7
5
3
3
2
1
Indonesia
Legislation/policies/programmes
Maldives
Myanmar
Resources
5
Nepal
Research
3
4
4
5
2
Sri Lanka
Thailand
2
3
22
Timor-Leste
Evidence
Figure 1: Efforts of Member Countries in Combating GBV, 2009
! National action plan on GBV is present in 6
countries: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Maldives,
Nepal, Thailand and Timor-Leste. Bhutan has
national plan of action for gender.
* The scale represents country-specific situation
plotted against the maximum rating for 4 clusters
of indicators: (1) Legislations / policies /
programmes (2) Resource (3) Research and (4)
Evidence
! A health policy on GBV is present in 5
countries: Indonesia, Maldives, Nepal, Sri
Lanka and Thailand.
Legislations / policies / programmes for
combating GBV
! Multi-sectoral action plan is present in 5
countries: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Maldives,
Sri Lanka and Thailand.
There are 9 Member States who have some form
of legislation, policies and programmes for
combating GBV (Figure 1); though only 5
countries put special attention in health policy.
Further analysis showed that although having
National action plan on GBV, Nepal and Timor
Leste do not put it as multi-sectoral activity yet.
Resources on GBV
! 9 Member Countries of the Region have
resources on GBV in various forms.
! Specific guidelines on GBV for health
providers are present in Indonesia, Nepal, Sri
Lanka and Thailand.
! Legislation on GBV is present in 7 countries:
Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri
Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
5
! Workshops and trainings on GBV for
health providers have been conducted in
Bangladesh, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar,
Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. (Figure 2)
! Facilities for helping the victims of GBV
(such as police stations, legal aids centres,
social support groups, shelter homes,
counseling centres, religious leaders’ groups,
community leaders’ groups and self-help
groups) are present in 9 member countries Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Maldives,
Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and
Timor Leste.
! Activities on gender mainstreaming for the
prevention of GBV have been carried out in
Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Maldives,
Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
(Figure 2)
! A specific budget allocation for GBV is
present in Indonesia, Maldives and Thailand.
(Figure 2)
! One-Stop Crisis Centre services (OSCC)
for victims of GBV are present in
Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and
Thailand. (Figure 2)
Research on GBV
! Data collection system for GBV [Hospitals,
NGOs Legal aids centres, Social support
centers and Police stations] exists in
Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Maldives,
Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
(Figure 2)
! Research on the cause and consequences of
GBV have been conducted in Bangladesh,
India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal,
Sri Lanka and Thailand. (Figure 2)
! Research on the costs of GBV has been
conducted in Indonesia and Thailand.
! IEC materials on GBV for health
providers are available in Bangladesh,
Indonesia, Nepal and Thailand. (Figure 2)
! Research on the effective prevention
measures for GBV has been conducted in
Indonesia, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
! IEC materials on GBV for schools are
available in Bangladesh and Indonesia.
(Figure 2)
Evidence on GBV
! The practice of female foeticide is present in
India.
! IEC materials on GBV for communities are
available in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia,
Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor Leste.
(Figure 2)
! The practice of female genital mutilation/
cutting (FGM/C) is present in Indonesia and
Sri Lanka.
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
8
8
8
7
7
7
5
4
3
fo
Pr r hea
ov lt
ide h
ma
rs
ter
ial
for
IEC
sc
ma
ho
ter
ols
ial
for
co
mm
un
itie
Da
s
ta
co
lle
cti
on
sy
Sp
ste
ec
m
ific
bu
dg
et
all
oc
ati
on
Re
se
a
& rch
Co on
ne ca
qu us
en es
ce
s
OS
CC
ter
ial
IEC
or
Sf
GM
ma
&
ho
ps
Wo
rks
IEC
ing
Tr
ain
ati
leg
isl
GB Ac
V P tivi
rev ties
en on
tio
n
2
on
No. of Member Countries
B. Profile of Member Countries related to GBV
Figure 2: Profile of Member Countries on some of the activities related to GBV, 2009
6
C. Country Indication on GBV
! Most of the Member Countries have spouse
as the victims of GBV. GBV is mostly
present in physical, psychological, sexual,
emotional and economic forms. Female
genital mutilation/cutting is practiced in
Indonesia and Sri Lanka * and female
foeticide is practiced in India (Figure 3)
10
No. of Member Countries
9
8
7
7
7
6
6
5
4
4
3
2
2
1
1
0
Family members as
victims of GBV
Spouse as
victims of GBV
Domestic helpers
as victims of GBV
Physical
Female genita
psychological,
mutilation/cutting
sexual, emotional,
and economic forms of GBV
Female foeticide
Figure 3: Number of Member Countries with victims of GBV, forms of GBV, female genital
mutilation/cutting and female foeticide, 2009
! Patriarchal family systems, dowry-related
issues and joblessness are some of the
common causes of GBV in the Member
Countries (Figure 4)
10
No. of Member Countries
9
7
8
7
6
6
6
5
4
4
4
4
4
3
2
1
ms
ms
ste
sto
ly
sy
Cu
ap
ng
tio
l fa
ha
arc
Pa
tri
Do
Co
wr
y-r
mm
mi
un
ela
ica
ted
Je
alo
iss
us
ue
s
ly
s
es
ss
n
ble
Jo
In
wo crea
me sin
ni gp
n t ar
he tici
pu pat
bli io
ca no
ren f
a
0
Figure 4: Causes of GBV in the Member Countries, 2009
* The score for female genital mutilation in Sri Lanka is zero according to The global gender gap report 2009, Geneva.
7
! Mental disturbances, disability and attempts
suicide are some of the common findings
related to women’s health after GBV in the
Member Countries (Figure 5)
10
No. of Member Countries
9
8
8
7
7
6
6
5
5
4
4
4
3
2
1
0
Mental
disturbances
Attempts at
suicide
Suicide
Abortin and
miscamianges
Disabilty
Death
Figure 5: Women’s health after GBV in the Member Countries, 2009
among _> 15 year olds and in violence during
pregnancy (Figure 6)
! Physical, psychological, sexual, emotional
and economic forms of GBV are present in
the Member Countries among