Coordinating Efforts to Address Violence Against Children and Violence Against Women
Identifying opportunities in Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon
Highlights
Violence against women and violence against children are serious human rights violations and public health concerns that impact families globally. There is an increasing awareness of the intersections that exist between these two forms of violence, with a growing emphasis on the need for greater collaboration across both fields to ensure the best outcomes for women and children.
UNICEF’s Child Protection Strategy 2021-2030 recognizes that gender equality and women’s empowerment have a major influence on children’s protection and calls for a fundamental shift to the organization’s work to prevent violence against children, including by improving coordination with efforts focused on violence against women. However, while the evidence is growing, few studies exist on how best to coordinate approaches in the UNICEF Middle East and North Africa Region.
The present research seeks to address this knowledge gap by identifying opportunities to increase collaboration of policies, services, and systems on violence against children and violence against women. The situation analysis included a desk-based document review of plans, guidance and policy documents related to VAW and VAC, and key informant interviews with stakeholders working on VAW and/or VAC in Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon. Study findings are provided in each country report.
