Ending violence against women and girls: protecting human rights good practices for development cooperation

Good practices in ending violence against women

By: Funk A, Lang J & Osterhaus J
Published by: Deutsche Gessellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) , 2005
Via: Eldis

This report argues that the root causes of violence against women are dominant gender norms and the unequal power balance between men and women. The report is divided into two main parts. It first describes the international and regional human rights framework related to gender-based violence and demonstrates the disastrous impact of violence against women and girls on human development and how this directly relates to most of the MDGs.

The second part offers numerous examples illustrating GTZ’s practical experiences in addressing violence against women and girls in Latin America, Africa and Asia. The authors highlight a number of case studies covering interventions at the micro, meso and macro level, across various sectors, including as education, justice, and the media, involving governmental and non governmental institutions including religious and traditional authorities. The paper emphasises that in order to prevent gender-based violence, it is essential to address gender stereotypes and the relationship between the two sexes. Therefore, working with men and boys is equally important as supporting women and girls.